The Industrial Revolution with its invention of machines had a huge impact on the lives of women who made textiles. The once important home spinning wheel and loom was replaced by textile mills in industrial urban areas in the Northeast. Hand made cloth, that had once involved the entire family in the making process, was now replaced with machine made cloth that could be made at a phenomenal rate. Women were needed in the mills to run the machines and would be paid for their work. The mills opened up an opportunity for unattached women dependent on relatives to feel useful and independent by earning their own living.
Women were the first factory workers in the United States. Early textile mills employed mostly young women because they more docile and could be paid lower wages than males. The mill owners attracted young women to the mills, with stories of a wonderful urban life that included night school, literary magazines, public lectures, libraries and money to spend. Once the girls got to the mills they realized that the promises made by the owners were untrue. Instead of having money to spend, visiting libraries and attending lectures, most girls found the money earned was used to pay their living expenses and necessities. Also, after rising early and working all day the girls were too exhausted to attend anything in the evening. Working in the mills made girls that had once been full of life old before their time.
The young women who came to work in the mills were required to live in company owned boarding houses that were shared by other women. These houses were run by elderly matrons who charged rent that was paid directly to the company. At times, several girls might be forced to share a single room to reduce living expenses. Dinner too, was sometimes reduced to nothing more than a little bread with gravy. In addition, if the young women needed supplies they would have to purchase them from the company owned store that charged exorbitant prices.
With little food to eat and not enough rest, it was difficult for the young women to continue working in the mills. Many young women left the mills after a year of employment and headed out west to the frontier because they could not endure the harsh working conditions in the mills. Those that stayed for longer periods of time suffered from tuberculosis, malnutrition, exhaustion, hearing loss, premature aging, maiming and death.
