when the lowell factory system began course hero

What is the Lowell system of manufacturing?

The system was designed so that every step of the manufacturing process was done under one roof and the work was performed by young adult women instead of children or young men. The Lowell System, which is also sometimes called the Waltham-Lowell System, was first used in the Waltham and Lowell textile mills during the industrial revolution.

What caused the Lowell system to fail?

The Lowell system continued to fail when Irish immigrants, who started to flock to Massachusetts in 1846 to escape the famine in Ireland, sought work in the mills. These immigrant workers, who were mostly women with large families who often put their children to work in the mills with them, were willing to work longer hours for cheaper wages.

How did Lowell find his workers?

As mill machinery greatly reduced the need for excessive human strength, Lowell did not necessarily need workers who were physically strong, but instead needed workers that could be hired cheaply. Lowell found his employees in the girls and young women of the surrounding countryside.

How did Lowell get the idea to build textile mills?

Lowell got the idea to build textile mills during his trip to Britain in 1811. Britain was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and its many new textile mills inspired Lowell to build similar, but better, mills in the United States, according to the book Introduction of the Power Loom, and Origin of Lowell by Nathan Appleton:

Who invented the Lowell system?

The Lowell System was a labor production model invented by Francis Cabot Lowell in Massachusetts in the 19th century. The system was designed so that every step of the manufacturing process was done under one roof and the work was performed by young adult women instead of children or young men. The Lowell System, which is also sometimes called ...

What was the Lowell system?

The Lowell System, which is also sometimes called the Waltham-Lowell System, was first used in the Waltham and Lowell textile mills during the industrial revolution. This model was so successful that Lowell’s business associates expanded and opened numerous textile mills in Massachusetts using this model.

Why did Lowell design a new business strategy to attract labor?

As mill machinery greatly reduced the need for excessive human strength, Lowell did not necessarily need workers who were physically strong, but instead needed workers that could be hired cheaply.

What problems did Lowell Mill girls face?

The Lowell Mill Girls: One of the problems Lowell faced in setting up his factory was finding workers. At the time, America was an agricultural society and many Americans were hesitant to work in a factory, according to the book Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution:

Why did the Lowell system fail?

The Lowell system continued to fail when Irish immigrants, who started to flock to Massachusetts in 1846 to escape the famine in Ireland, sought work in the mills.

How was the loom powered?

Up until the time of the Industrial Revolution, looms were powered by a person via a foot pedal but the power loom was mechanized and powered by a line shaft driven by a source of running water, such as a river, which sped up the weaving process significantly.

What did Lowell find his employees in?

Lowell found his employees in the girls and young women of the surrounding countryside. These young women had experience in weaving and spinning from home manufacturing and worked for cheaper wages than did male employees.”. The Lowell system created a new way to control the labor supply.

Why did Yankee women leave the mill?

Declining wages, deteriorating working conditions, and the refusal of the state to set limits on the hours of labor led Yan kee women to leave mill employment in increasing numbers after 1845. Steadily, the influx of Irish immigrants changed the composition of the mill workforce in Lowell and across New England.

Where was the first spinning mill in the United States?

The early work-force in the factory along the Blackstone River consisted of seven boys and two girls between the ages of seven and twelve. The operation combined carding and spinning operations, and the resulting cotton yarn was given out to women in neighboring families to be woven into cloth.