The Lowell system Flashcards
Used plans Lowell had smuggled out of England
To build a mill
Labour production system where the entire manufacturing process was done under one roof
First fully working mill introduced
In 1830
His mills were the first form of big business in the US
Mills were aided by a
Tariff of 25% on all imported cotton
Lowell, Massachusetts
Town built to work on his mills
Labour force was mostly
Farm girls who came from surrounding communities
Required the girls to
Live in site (built boarding houses to house them)
Introduced a form of surveillance to keep an eye on them
Bell system
To keep staff on track/time
80 hour weeks
Began at 4:40am wake up, began work at 7am, had 30-40 minute lunch and finished at 7pm
Offered the girls
Strong bonds of friendship
Money for a dowry
Independence from their families
Company offered
Better than average wages
Improvement of the women’s literacy through a magazine they (the girls) themselves produced
More humanitarian labour force
Than in Europe
Girls refused to accept Lowell as a
Finishing school
They went there to work and make money
Girls went on
Strike when they had pay cuts
Formed the Factory Girls Association
System worked for a while
1840s began to decline due to lack of pay
Meant fewer farm girls wanted to work there
During the 1850s
Mostly French-Canadian/Irish immigrants worked in the system
More easily controlled
