Identity of the Lowell Mill Girls
... During his time in England, Slater had visited a textile mill and secretly copied the plans for the newly invented power-loom. ... Copying Slater’s idea, another businessman, Francis Lowell erected a $400,000 power-loom Mill in Massachusetts. ... With the development of the textile mill, however, women all over New England were faced with identity shaping dilemmas. ... In an attempt to make the choice less difficult, the Lowell Mill system established by Francis Lowell, sought to incorporate society’s traditional roles into the social and occupational lives of the girls in the mills. For example, the girls were hardly allowed to interact with boys, and they were forced to be involved with religion, gardening, cooking, and other domestic chores and hobbies. ... As Susan, a mill worker, noted in a letter, “I have attended meeting the only Sabbath I have been here. It seems as though every one went to meeting… Lowell is a church-going place, and they say that they have good meetings and ministers.” Lowell even paid attention to the smallest details in attempts to please his workers. ... Dorm-life provided yet another social structure set up by Lowell to help make the mill setting as similar to a home as possible. ... If only certain accounts of Lowell’s Mills are read, it can be made out to be quite a nice place. ... Certainly, Welter’s image of the woman appeared to be correct as they seemed to carry their old traditions along with them to Lowell, yet beneath the surface of well polished machines, and smiling landladies, many of the women of Lowell began to break away from their old lives. ... The Lowell mills were actually very harsh and rough environments. ... What attracted the girls to the mills? ... The Lowell girls came for several neighboring states and for many reasons: One, who sits at my right hand at table, is in the factory because she hates her mother-in-law….