Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Lesson Plan
Central Historical Question:
Why were the factory owners at the Triangle Shirtwaist
Company acquitted?
Goals/Objectives
1. Explain what happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company.
2. Examine and analyze primary source documents about the Triangle fire.
3. Describe how the context of the Gilded Age contributed the acquittal of the owners.
Background Knowledge
This lesson would be taught during a unit on the Gilded Age in America. Students will already
know that this was a time of industrialization for the country. They will also be familiar with
concepts like monopolies, robber barons and captains of industry, and be aware of the poor
working conditions.
Lesson Outline
1. To begin the lesson, students will answer the following question in their notebooks to
review key concepts. (2-3 minutes)
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Do Now: Describe factory conditions during the Gilded Age. Why were these
conditions tolerated?
Examples of concepts that will be addressed:
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Long hours, low wages, dangerous conditions
No worker protection
Little to no government regulation
Government corruption
Laissez-faire
2. Display pictures from the Triangle Shirtwaist fire using PowerPoint. Prompt students to
comment on what they are seeing. The pictures should evoke an emotional response and
an interest about the historical event. These pictures will also serve as a reminder of the
poor working conditions. (5 minutes)
3. Distribute Document A, the textbook passage on the Triangle fire.
Discuss the following as a class: (7-10 minutes)
 What happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?
 According to the textbook, what happened to the factory owners?
 What questions do you have about this event after reading the passage?
4. Transition: The Triangle Shirtwaist fire was a tragedy that took the lives of 146 young
immigrant workers. As stated in the textbook, the two owners of the company, Max
Blanck and Issac Harris, were convicted of manslaughter and the jury found these men
not guilty. Today we are going to explore why these owners were acquitted. By the end
of the period you will answer:
 Why were the factory owners at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company acquitted?
5. Distribute Document A. Students should read and answer the questions on the guided
reading sheet. (10-15 minutes)
Before reading tell students the following:
 The trial began on December 4, 1911 and lasted for 23 days, until December 27,
1911.
 Explain that the owners were being charged with violating the following law. The
jury had to determine not only if the door on the 9th floor, Washington Place side
was locked, but that owners were aware that it was locked. (Display this with
PowerPoint)
Article 6, Section 80 of the New York State Labor Laws:“All doors leading in or
to any such factory shall be constructed to open outwardly, where practicable,
and shall not be locked, bolted, or fastened during working hours.”
**The goal of Document A is to have students read a synopsis of testimony given at the
trial. In particular, this document subtly demonstrates how the defense attorney tried to
cause doubt on the prosecution’s witnesses. Monick’s testimony also highlights how
workers might be afraid to speak to their bosses.
6. After discussing Document A, distribute Document B. Students should complete the
guided reading questions. (10-15 minutes)
**The goal of Document B is for students to compare the testimony they read to
Document A because this presents contradictory evidence. The students will need to read
this document closely in order to pull out key information. This document can also have
students think about the motives of the witnesses. (What might cause someone to lie
under oath?)
7. The lesson will conclude with a discussion:
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These documents present conflicting evidence about the witness testimonies. Do
you tend to believe one witness(es) more than another?
Why might the prosecution’s witnesses lie? Why might the defense’s witness lie?
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Recall what you already know about the Gilded Age. How could this information
help you answer the question?
o If necessary prompt students to think about concepts such as robber barons
or laissez-faire
After reading both documents, how would you answer the central historical
question? Explain using evidence.
How does the Triangle Fire help you understand the Gilded Age?
8. Assessment: For homework students will rewrite the textbook passage about the Triangle
Fire using information they learned in today’s lesson.
*These are somewhat challenging documents. However, my goal in this lesson is for students to
pull in their understanding of the Gilded Age and apply it to this particular situation. The
students will need to make inferences based on their prior knowledge. Although these
documents do not lead to a conclusive answer as to why the owners were acquitted, I think it still
can students thinking about the social and political climate of the Gilded Age.
Document A: Textbook Passage
The public could no longer ignore conditions in garment factories after a fire broke
out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City on March 25, 1911. The
fire spread swiftly through the oil-soaked machines and piles of cloth, engulfing
the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors. As workers attempted to flee, they discovered
that the company had locked all but one of the exit doors to prevent theft. The
unlocked door was blocked by fire. The factory had no sprinkler system, and the
single fire escape collapsed almost immediately. In all, 146 women died; some
were found huddled with their faces raised to a small window. Public outrage
flared after a jury acquitted the factory owners of manslaughter. In response, the
state of New York set up a task force to study factory working conditions.
Source: Danzer, G.A., Klor de Alva, J.J., Krieger, L.S., Wilson, L.E., & Woloch,
N. (2005). The Americans. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell. 455.
Document A: “Girls Fought Vainly at Triangle Doors”
Note: Assistant District Attorney Charles Bostwick was the prosecutor &Max Steur was the defense
attorney for Blanck & Harris. Ethel Monick had worked at the Triangle Factory for 3 months on the 9th floor
at the time of the fire. She was a witness called by the prosecution.
Ethel Monick, said she was working as a helper for about three months before the fire. "I was on
the ninth floor when I heard the cry of fire. I saw smoke pouring from the Greene Street stairs
but tried to get out that way just the same. I gave it up when I saw the crowd there, and ran to the
Washington Place door, but found it locked. I tried and tried to open it, but could not. I thought
it was because I was not strong enough and called to the other girls. It wouldn't open at all."
"How did you try to open it?" asked Mr. Bostwick. "Demonstrate the manner in which you tried
to do so on a door in this room."
Judge Crain then directed that the witness open the door leading from the courtroom. This door
had been locked, and the witness walked over and, grasping the knob, twisted it and turned it.
She pushed it outward and inward in frantic efforts to open it, and then resumed the stand and,
continuing her story, said: "I am positive that I never saw the Superintendent on the ninth floor
and am sure that once before I tried to open the door but not could not."
"Has any one spoken to you about the fire?" asked Mr. Steuer on cross-examination.
"No: I am glad that they have not, as I don't like to talk about it."
"If you noticed that the door was locked why was it that you didn't tell Mr. Blanck or Mr. Harris
about it?"
"I am only a poor working girl," replied the witness.
"Then I take it you were afraid to speak to Mr. Harris or Mr. Blanck, weren’t you?"
"No, not exactly afraid," replied the witness, "but I had heard of cases where girls had been
discharged for making complaints to the bosses. Maybe they had done something wrong, but I
am not sure and can't say exactly."
"You say that you never saw Supt. Bernstein on the ninth floor?" asked Mr. Steuer.
"Yes I am very sure about that. I am under oath and know that I did not see him there, but he
might have been there and I might have not seen him, you know."
"No, I have not sued for damages." Several other witnesses were called, who described the fire
and corroborated all the other witnesses in saying that the door was locked.
Source: Article published in the New York Times on December 12, 1911.
Document C: “Say Triangle Doors Were Never Locked”
Note: At the time of the trial, Ida and Anna Mittleman had worked on the 9 th floor at the
Triangle Factory for 2 years, Samuel Rubin had been discharged prior to the fire and
had worked on the 8th floor, and Hyman Silverman was a former employee who had
worked on the 9th floor for 9 years. At the time of the trial, Hyman owned his own cigar
shop in Newark, NJ. All of these witnesses were called by the defense.
Ida Mittleman and Anna Mittleman, who worked on the ninth floor, the first called both testified
that they had never seen the Washington Place door on that floor without a key in the lock, and
that it was not locked to their knowledge on the day of the fire.
"Did you turn the key in the door yourself on the day of the fire and find it unlocked?" asked
Assistant District Attorney Charles Bostwick while cross-examining Ida Mittleman.
"No I did not try the lock myself. I waited for the Washington Place elevator and then ran to the
Greene Street side. I met a crowd of girls coming from that place, and we crowded back to the
elevators on the Washington Place side. I was pushed into the elevator. Then I saw my sister
and gave a scream and she got into the elevator as it was going down."
"You are sure that there was a string attached to the key you saw?"
"Yes, I am positive about that."
Samuel Rubin of 307 St. Anna Avenue, a patternmaker, said he was discharged two weeks
before the fire, and had never seen the Washington Place door locked. He admitted on crossexamination that he was willing to return to the employ of Harris & Blanck if he could.
Hyman Silverman of 142 Carlton Street, Newark, testified that he worked in the Triangle Waist
Company for nine years, and that he had often seen the superintendent pass through the
Washington Place door. Other witnesses were called who testified to the same thing, but
admitted on cross-examination that they were only in the building on special occasions.
Source: Excerpt from an article published in the New York Times on December 21,
1911.
Name______________________________________
Date_____________
Central Historical Question:
Why were the factory owners at the Triangle Shirtwaist
Company acquitted?
Document B:
1. What was the main idea of Ethel Monick’s testimony? Do you think she is a reliable
witness? Why or why not? (Sourcing)
2. Why is Monick asked about Superintendent Bernstein? (Close Reading)
3. Monick states she did not report the locked door to her bosses. Why didn’t she tell them?
What might this reveal about the time period? (Contextualization)
Document C:
1. What did the Mittleman sisters state in their testimony? Do you believe them? Why or
why not?
2. How does the information in Doc. B compare to the information in Doc. A? Describe at
least 2 things that you notice. (Corroboration)
Additional document that could be used with just the textbook passage or Doc. A
Document C: “Harris and Blanck Acquitted by Jury”
The defendants were on trial for more than three weeks before Judge Crain, in General Session,
charged with the death of Margaret Schwartz, one of the 148 persons who perished in the fire of
March 25… Her burned body was found beneath a pile of twenty others, in the loft of the ninth
floor of the building, where the factory, owned by the defendants, was lying a few feet away
from the Washington Place door, which the prosecution contended was locked…
Judge Crain began his charge to the jury. He explained the law and the charge, reminding the
jurors that the defendants were charged with manslaughter in the first and second degrees
because of an act of omission on their part—failing to keep the Washington Place door unlocked.
“If, gentlemen of the jury, this case was a misdemeanor I would not feel constrained to charge
you that before you reached a verdict of guilty it was necessary for you to first find that the
defendants knew that the door was locked. But because they are charged with a felony, I charge
you now, that before you find these defendants guilty of manslaughter in the first degree you
must find that the defendants had knowledge that the door was locked at the time charged. If it
was locked during such a period, and with the knowledge of the defendants, you must also find
beyond a reasonable doubt that such locking caused the death of Margaret Schwartz.”
The judge’s charge, in the opinion of many who heard it, was decidedly in favor of the
defendants.
In his summation Assistant District Attorney Bostwick openly charged witnesses for the
prosecution with perjury. “Out of the mouths of witnesses for the defense, before I could frame
the question, came the answer: “The door was open: the key was in the door, tied with a string.”
And with similarity that was astounding.
“And who were the witnesses for the defense? They consisted almost entirely of first, those
dependent on Harris & Blanck for a living; second, those who are selling goods to them, some as
high as $75,000 worth a year; third, the relatives of the defendants.
We have put witness after witness on the stand who had put his or her hand on the door knob and
found it locked. Are all these—a little army of workers—to be stamped as perjurers?”
Source: Excerpt from article published in the New York Tribune on December 28, 1911.
Vocabulary
Manslaughter: killing without intent to do so
Perjury: lying under oath
Questions for this document:
1. Why does Judge Crain distinguish between a misdemeanor and felony? Would the
phrasing of his statement impact the jury? Explain. (Close Reading)
2. Do you believe the information in Attorney Bostwick’s summation? Why or why not?
(Sourcing)
3. How does the information in Doc. B, compare to the information in Doc. A?
(Corroboration)
References
(1911, December 12). Girls fought vainly at Triangle doors. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglenyt1212.html
(1911, December 21). Say Triangle doors were never locked. The New York Times. Retrieved
from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglenyt1221.html
(1911, December 28). Harris and Blanck acquitted by jury. The New York Tribune. Retrieved
from http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/triangle.html
Danzer, G.A., Klor de Alva, J.J., Krieger, L.S., Wilson, L.E., & Woloch, N. (2005). The
Americans. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell. 455.
Linder, D. (2002). The Triangle Shirtwaist fire trial. Retrieved from
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html
PBS American Experience. (2011). Triangle Fire. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/triangle-intro/
Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire.(2011) Cornell University ILR School Kheel
Center. Retrieved from www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/index.html
**Highlighted references are website with great info**