Women working in the Triangle Factory, 1907. Courtesy of History.
THESIS
The 1911 Triangle factory fire was a tragedy that triggered a revolution in labor law. Out of the ashes of this catastrophe arose outrage in thousands of Americans. This outrage led to protests, relief work, awareness of the general public, and labor law changes that would triumph over injustices in the workplace for years to come. This disaster is an example of how capitalism requires regulation to be ethical, and how regulation is often a result of disaster.