"Girls, from the bottom of my heart, I beg you not to go back to work. We are all poor, many of us are suffering hunger, none of us can afford to lose a day's wages. But only by fighting for our rights, and fighting all together, can we better our miseries; and so let us fight for them to the end!"?Nineteen-year-old shirtwaist striker, November 1909
In 1909, on the Lower East Side of New York, thousands of immigrant women—many only teenagers?toiled at shirtwaist factories. For up to twelve hours a day, seven days a week, they hunched over sewing machines, making women's blouses. The work was tedious, the pay was low, and the factories were unsafe. Women who dared complain usually were fired.
But on November 23, 1909, twenty-thousand shirtwaist workers from five hundred factories walked off the job. Members of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, they vowed to strike until factory owners met their demands. They wanted a fifty-two-hour workweek, fair wages, and a guarantee that factories would hire only union workers.
Police harassed and arrested the picketers. But they endured for almost three months, and factory owners finally met many of their demands.
In this captivating story of grit and determination, we'll explore how the strike became a rallying point for both women and men in the labor movement. We'll also see how the shirtwaist strike dovetailed with the fight for women's suffrage?the right to vote?and for other civil rights reforms.
"It is a challenging job to try to set a civil rights struggle in a cultural and historical context; however, the various authors of the books in the series Civil Rights Struggles Around the World strive to do so. In Who Will Shout If Not Us?, Kerns provides a brief description of China's early history before delving into the 20th century narrative that sets the stage for student revolts. Key characters and movements are detailed, along with sidebars that highlight their importance and provide easy reference for unfamiliar names or key concepts. Other titles in the series display the same careful research and well-organized information. Plenty of photographs and the sidebars with relevant information create visual variety, though occasionally sidebars cover two facing pages and awkwardly disrupt the flow of the main text. The commendable back matter, which includes a useful time line of events and a decent glossary, also contains a 'who's who' that reiterates the prominent people and provides a solid paragraph of biographical information. Though these titles are notable for the level of care in both their content and production, they remain resources that only a limited audience will be likely to turn to, and then only when needed for research." --VOYA
--Journal
"Presenting an in-depth view of groundbreaking events and movements in world history, these volumes are loaded with archival quality photos, quotes from key players, and eyewitness accounts. details historical background information is provided so that students understand the context of each topic and its implications on future events as well. For example, in We Stand as One, Edge discusses not only the garment workers strike, but the women's suffrage movement's influence upon it and vice versa. All volumes include extensive source notes, timelines, biographical entries, useful glossaries, selected bibliographies, and suggestions for further reading, both in print and online. High school students would benefit from using this series for research. Recommended." --Library Media Connection
--Journal
"These series entries address three struggles in the worldwide history of civil rights. Strong texts provide readers with essential background information on such topics as the ILGWU, apartheid, and Chinese government oppression; the activist movements' beginnings, confrontations, results, and significance within their nations' histories are then discussed. Many dynamic photographs illustrate the information-rich (if dense) volumes." --The Horn Book Guide
--Journal
"These volumes are a treasure trove of information about the fight for civil rights across time and the globe. From the uprising of 20,000 American garment workers to Gandhi's 241-mile Salt March, the suppressed demonstrate again and again their will to defeat their suppressors with dignity. The books are an effective combination of facts, fine photographs, and interesting quotes and excerpts from relevant documents. Perhaps most important in inspiring a young audience, the texts contain a poignant personal element that takes these historic milestones to an intimate, emotional level. The cruelty with which humans can treat one another is unflinchingly presented but the extraordinary grace exhibited in the face of it rises to the top." --School Library Journal, Series Made Simple
--Journal
