Having read Triangle by Katharine Weber and Triangle: The Fire that Changed America by David von Drehle, my thoughts turned to the influence of immigrants on our country and how tragic the Triangle fire truly was.
I remember learning about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in grade school, probably in 5th grade when I vividly recall learning about immigrants and the trials they faced once they made it from Ellis Island to the streets of New York. I proudly presented a report on Arturo Toscanini when assigned to research a famous immigrant who came from a place my own immigrant ancestors came from, Italy. As I look back now, I realize that Toscanini, who came to the U.S. after establishing himself as a world class conductor, probably had a very different immigration story than the young women who perished in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire or for that matter, my own ancestors who immigrated from Italy:
My
grandmother's, Elizabeth (bottom right), family came through Ellis
Island and established their home in the U.S. Weber notes in Triangle
that many of the young people who were sent ahead wished to make enough
money to eventually go back to their home countries, establish a better
quality of life and raise families there. But few actually did that. My
grandmother's family actually followed that path with my grandmother
being born here and the family eventually returning to Italy...and
coming back to the U.S. when the political climate in Italy looked dire
and the life in the U.S. looked more attractive by comparison.
More than 80 years and four generations later, the descendents of my
family above include executives, attorneys, politicians and even a
famous artist whose works include iconic cartoons and brilliant
tattoos. College graduation is now the norm just a few generations since an 8th grade education was considered more than sufficient.
To my knowledge, there are no slackers, thieves or murderers among the descendents of immigrants in my family and in my generation alone I would estimate there are about 60 of us descended from my pictured ancestors and the one child born after the picture was taken. It is with this rambling digression that I try to fathom the impact of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. If the descendents of those early-20th century immigrants ascended to positions of responsibility and leadership, carrying on the work ethic that gave their families the wherewithal that got them here in the first place, how much lost potential does that fire represent? If most of the people who perished in the fire would have gone on to start their own families, four generations later (conservatively speaking since many of the girls who perished in the fire were Italian Catholics who were inclined to have large families )they might each have 15-20 descendents in my generation...over 2,000 potential contributors to society with strong work ethics, honest values and an understanding of the value of living in our democracy and our capitalistic economy.
As tragic as the fire was, it did bring attention to the deplorable working conditions that prevailed in many of the sweatshops that exploited immigrant labor and gave rise to a series of employment laws that ensured safer working conditions and provided employees with protection from unfair employment practices. It's sad but true that almost 100 years later, it very often takes a tragedy to get the attention of lawmakers and the public to inspire change.
Di
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