ABSTRACT
In terms of its social significance, the 1909 shirtwaistmakers strike may be seen as a momentous event in the garment industry or as an eventful moment in the nation’s history. It was actually both. Standing by itself it was a dramatic demonstration of women—really, Jewish and Italian immigrant girls—rising up in daring defiance of the sweatshop system. Against the background of an evolving America, the strike was a colorful tile in the mosaic called the Progressive Era.
