Summary Of Triangle The Fire That Changed America

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David Von Drehle is the author behind the book, “Triangle: The Fire That Changed America”. This book is about the facts, stories, and trial of what occurred on March 25, 1911 at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. This fire was the worst workplace disaster in New York history until 9/11. The fire that took place left workers of that factory and many others with the goal to change the working conditions and fundamental reforms. Drehle has always known his future involved writing. He worked and still works for the Washington Post and has previously co-written a book with them, along with his own novels. After researching the fire, Drehle was inspired to write this book to bring back to life what people had forgotten about in the past years, and to “settle on the facts and their meaning” of what happened that day (Drehle, 2004, 5). …show more content…

Frances Perkins was a political activist who was involved with the proposing of new labor laws after the fire. She worked hard with others like, the Tammany Twins and Al Smith to make a difference in the factories. After years of working together and proposing laws, they passed fifteen covering fire safety, employment rules, and factory inspections. In 1913 “the Tammany Twins pushed through twenty-five bills” which completely reshaped the labor laws (Drehle, 2004, 215). The new laws and regulations demanded better building access, alarm systems, automatic sprinklers, and unlocked doors. They also had better eating and toilet facilities and lowered the number of working hours for women and children. These laws made working conditions safer for everyone for years to

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