Thursday, April 1, 2010

In Triangle: The Fire that Changed America, what impact did the fire have on the private system of unregulated industry?

The Triangle shirtwaist factory fire was an eye-opener for many people around the country. Essentially, the 145 workers that were killed all died due to what we would today call corporate negligence (had existing 1911 laws provided for such a thing). The complete disregard for safety measures at the Triangle factory was a catalyst that eventually led to federal, state and local reforms that required the addition of fire escapes, widened hallways, and even better-funded and better-equipped fire departments (the tallest ladder in the city wasn't tall enough to reach the floors were the workers were). In many ways, the fire helped to end the era of completely private business. From then on, the various levels of government created better oversight in all businesses.

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