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In the early 1800's, it was realized that it would be beneficial if the United States could manufacture its own goods. One of the first people to profit from this idea was Francis Lowell, who created large textile mills. These textile mills were largely manned (pun intended) by women from the late 1820's-1850. These women lived together in communal homes and were around each other 24/7. This "togetherness" lead to community protests for fair working conditions. These women were also among the first to tout "independence". Eventually, the mill started hiring Irish immigrant families who were more willing to work for lower wages and longer days, and the time of the "Mill Girls" ended.

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Between the 1820's-30's, the machines were slower and the workers maintained fewer overall. In the 40's, they were sped up and each worker had to tend to more machines. This image and information was obtained from the article "Lowell and the Industrial City in Nineteenth-Century America" by Edward Jay Pershey.

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As can be seen in this image, while women were the largest part of the workforce, men also worked at the mills, even before the 50's, just in a much smaller number. This image comes from the Lowell Massachusetts National Historic Park.

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While women of many ages worked the mills, in the beginning, the women generally ranged from 15-30. They were considered a good work force because they would not stay there forever, and there was fear of American mills becoming like the ones in England, which Americans viewed as "slum-like". This image comes from Petticots and Pistols, but the information is from "Lowell and the Industrial City in Nineteenth-Century America" and "Women, Work, and the Family: Female Operatives in the Lowell Mills, 1830-1860" by Thomas Dublin.

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The Lowell factory was in Massachusetts, and was placed where it was because the Pawtucket canal lead to a power canal that could run the large mills. This image and information comes from "Building America's Industrial Revolution: The Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts (Teaching with Historic Places)" from the National Park Service.

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The looms still exist and can be seen as part of the National Park Service!

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In the 1820's-1850's, women were making around $3.25 a week to work at the mills and lived in communal housing. They were single women, and they left when they either found better work or got married. After the influx of immigration, the types of workers at the mill changed. People began living in private housing, and it was families. Large portions of income were reliant on children. This image is from a book company that I read a lot growing up, where it is a fiction characters diary, but takes influence from real situations.

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Lowell Factory Girls had organized protests for better working conditions and were one of the first labor groups in the U.S. This image is not of them, but it is for a similar cause. This image comes from "Fashion's Forgotten Love Story: The Tale of Labor Unions" by Wagas Arain.