One social problem was the need for factory reform due to harsh conditions for workers. This became a growing concern the 19th century and reformers the Lowell Female Labor Association tried to fix the problem. Use resources and the provided information to help regarding this topic. Here is a brief description of the movement:

The Lowell Female Labor Reform Association was founded in 1844 by the mill girls of Lowell, Massachusetts and headed by Sarah Bagley. The association was one of the first American labor organizations organized by and for women.

In the 1800's the textile mills of Lowell employed many unmarried young women from the surrounding countryside. Families cautiously allowed their daughters to work a few years before marriage, but the working conditions were difficult and few girls stayed long. The average mill girl stayed at her job for just three years.

Sarah Bagley became the first President of the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association. Bagley even testified about the working conditions in the mills before the Massachusetts legislature. In the end, however, the LFLRA was unable to bargain with the mill owners; so they joined with the New England Workingmen's Association. Despite this lack of effect, the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association was the first organization of working women in the United States to try to bargain collectively for better working conditions and higher pay.

Now read the primary source document on ―Female Workers of Lowell‖ and think about the following questions:

1. What were the conditions like for early factory workers?

2. Why do you think women especially were mistreated in the workplace?

3. What methods could women use to change the conditions of the factories?