September 11th has
become a very sad day in American history. It is a day of remembrance. While I
sometimes get very, very frustrated with the way that politicians will try to
tie this day to blind patriotism, I try never, ever to forget the people who
lost their lives eleven years ago. Not only were there the people who died
trying to escape the two towers that had been hit, but there were also many
rescue workers who sacrificed themselves to help save others. This is a day, one
of many, unfortunately, around the world (because we Americans sometimes forget
that others in the world have suffered similar, or even worse, days in their
history) that should remind us that HATE is something that truly does kill.
It is sort of
serendipitous that I just recently finished a book that dealt with another
American tragedy and discussed not only how it transpired, but also how it has
shaped history and US workplaces since it occured.
Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its
Legacy
by Albert
Marrin
Book Description:
On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burst
into flames. The factory was crowded. The doors were locked to ensure workers
stay inside. One hundred forty-six people—mostly women—perished; it was one of
the most lethal workplace fires in American history until September 11,
2001.
But the story of the fire is not the story of one accidental moment
in time. It is a story of immigration and hard work to make it in a new country,
as Italians and Jews and others traveled to America to find a better life. It is
the story of poor working conditions and greedy bosses, as garment workers
discovered the endless sacrifices required to make ends meet. It is the story of
unimaginable, but avoidable, disaster. And it the story of the unquenchable
pride and activism of fearless immigrants and women who stood up to business,
got America on their side, and finally changed working conditions for our entire
nation, initiating radical new laws we take for granted today.
With
Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Albert Marrin has crafted a gripping, nuanced,
and poignant account of one of America's defining tragedies.
Review:
It was extremely interesting to learn more about a tragedy
that I'd heard of, but never really researched. The fire at the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory (a sweatshop in New York City) was one of the most
devestating fires in US history. It was the largest loss of life in New York
City's history until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
This book discusses how the conditions came to be such
that when the fire broke out on the top the floors of this building that all of
the workers on one floor and about half of the workers from another floor were
unable to escape the building safely and thus lost their lives. It talks about
the horrible working conditions that used to be found in the US for immigrant
workers until the creation of unions. It also goes on to discuss how working
conditions in the US have been improved through the actions following this
tragedy and how in other parts of the modern world there are still plenty of
sweatshops and similar fires have claimed hundreds of lives.
In my timely reading
of this book, I cannot help but connect the Triangle Fire to the 9/11 tragedy.
In both cases far too many people lost their lives. It also made me curious
about what other major (non-natural disaster related) tragedies occured in the
US's history. I picked out just a few more (from the fairly long list available
at
wikipedia)
and wanted to highlight them today, as well.
In chronological
order:
1865 - The
Sultana sinks due to a boiler explosion, killing approximately 1700
people.
1889 - A dam burst in
Jamestown, PA causing a huge flood that killed 2209 people.
1911 - The Triangle
Fire in NYC kills 146 people.
1912 - The
Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg, killing approximately 1500 people.
1941 - The Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii kills 2403 US citizens and 55 Japanese pilots.
1944 - The Hartford
Circus Fire in CT kills 168 people.
1995 - The bombing in
Oklahoma City kills 168 people.
2001 - The terrorist
attacks in NYC and two other sites in the US caused 2973 US deaths, as well as
the deaths of 19 hijackers.
Today is a day to
remember, to pass on the ideals of tolerance and safety, and to consider our
place in the larger world.
