mill girls

With the invention of the power loom in 1814, the number of spinning mills greatly increased. Many women left their domestic lives to work outside of the home. Mill girls did what they could to stay educated, by reading escapist literature, participate in circulating libraries, reading moral stories, and following religious newspapers.Some even attended Lyceum lectures to educate themselves. The Lowell Offering was a monthly magazine published by the writings of women and mill girls. All this education eventually led the mill girls to lead a large reform movement, petitioning for 10 hour work days. Unfortunately, many mill girls simply lost their jobs because cheap, alternative labor was also available.

Grace Kang