Triangle: The Fire That Changed America

“Disaster followed disaster, but little changed. Then came the Triangle fire. It was different because it was more than just a horrific half-hour; it was the crucial moment in a potent chain of events—a chain that ultimately forced fundamental reforms from the political machinery of New York, and, after New York, the whole nation.”

In the Prologue, Von Drehle forecasts the core project of the book: tracing this “potent chain of events” to show how the Triangle fire differed from other industrial disasters. He intends to build a comprehensive narrative by tying together the disparate threads that led to this event and that made it an inflection point in the history of American labor.

“Busting up strikes was a lucrative sideline for downtown gangsters. So-called detective agencies were constantly looking for strikebreaking contracts from worried bosses in shops where there was unrest.”

In Chapter 1, Von Drehle discusses Clara Lemlich, a Ukrainian immigrant and labor activist, who was severely beaten for her activity in leading a strike at the factory where she worked. The men who beat Lemlich were paid to do so by factory owners. That this cottage industry in violence existed is a testament to the lack of protections for workers in this era.

“From the summer of 1909 to the end of 1911, New York waist makers—young women, mostly immigrants—achieved something profound. They were a catalyst for the forces of change: the drive for women’s rights (and other civil rights), the rise of unions, and the use of activist government to address social problems.”

Clara Lemlich and other young women like her were catalysts not only for organized labor and reforms within the garment industry but for other social problems as well. They were the foundation of the progressive movement in the early part of the 20th century, a movement that supported the vote for women, protection for consumers and workers, and trade unionism (20).