The purpose of the 1836 strike in Lowell, Massachusetts, was to protest reduced pay for mill workers.
Read this passage from "Early Factory Labor in New England” by Harriet H. Robinson.
One of the first strikes that ever took place in this country was in Lowell in 1836. When it was announced that the wages were to be cut down . . . it was decided to strike or "turn out” en masse. This was done. The mills were shut down, and the girls went from their several corporations in procession to the grove on Chapel Hill, and listened to incendiary speeches from some early labor reformers.
One of the girls stood on a pump and gave vent to the feelings of her companions in a neat speech, declaring that it was their duty to resist all attempts at cutting down the wages. This was the first time a woman had spoken in public in Lowell, and the event caused surprise and consternation among her audience.
What was one purpose of the 1836 strike in Lowell, Massachusetts?
to demand freedom of speech
to gain the right to organize
to protest reduced pay for mill workers
to demand equal rights for women
1 answer