Regulations to be Observed by Persons Employed in the Boott Cotton Mills.
Regulations to be Observed by Persons Employed in the Boott Cotton Mills, Lowell: B. H. Penhalllow, [1866]. Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, https://www.masshist.org/object-of-the-month/objects/regulations-to-be-observed-by-persons-employed-in-the-boott-cotton-mills-2012-03-01.
Document Text |
Summary |
| Regulations to be observed by persons employed in the Boott Cotton Mills. | Rules for Boott Cotton Mill Workers |
| The Overseers are to be punctually in their rooms at the starting of the mill, and not to be absent unnecessarily during working hours. They are to see that all those employed in their rooms are in their places in due season. They may grant leave of absence to those employed under them, when there are spare hands in the room to supply their places; otherwise they are not to grant leave of absence except in cases of absolute necessity. | Overseers are to be in their positions when the mill starts. They should not be absent from their post during working hours. They will make sure all workers are in place on time. They can let workers take breaks if there is someone to cover for them. Otherwise, they cannot let a worker leave unless there is an emergency. |
| All persons in the employment of the Boott Cotton Mills, are required to observe the Regulations of the room where they are employed. They are not to be absent from their work without consent, except in case of sickness, and then they are to send the Overseer word of the cause of their absence. | All workers are required to follow the rules of the room they work in. They cannot be absent without permission unless they are sick. If they are sick, they should send word to their Overseer. |
| They are to board in one of the boarding houses belonging to the Company, and conform to the regulations of the house where they board. | All workers have to live in one of the houses owned by the Company. They have to follow all the rules of the house. |
| A regular attendance on public worship on the Sabbath, is necessary for the preservation of good order. The Company will not employ any person who is habitually absent. | All workers must attend church on Sunday. The Company will fire anyone who does not attend. |
| All persons entering into the employ of the Company are considered as engaged to work twelve months, if they require their services so long. | Workers are hired for twelve months at a time, as long as the Company needs them that long. |
| All persons intending to leave the employment of the Company, are to give two weeks’ notice of their intention to their Overseer, and their engagement with the Company is not considered as fulfilled, unless they comply with this regulation. | Any worker who wants to leave the Company must give two weeks’ notice. If they do not, then they have not fulfilled their agreement with the Company. |
| The time of the persons employed and the amount of Labor performed by them, will be made up to the first Saturday of every month inclusive, and the sums due therefore, including board and wages, will be paid in the course of the following week. | Working hours are tracked monthly. Workers are paid after the first Saturday of every month. Money for housing and food will be subtracted from monthly wages. |
| Anyone who shall take from the mills, or the yard, any yarn, cloth or other article belonging to the Company, will be considered guilty of stealing, and prosecuted accordingly. | If someone takes yarn or cloth from the mills they will be arrested for stealing. |
| These Regulations are considered a part of the contract with all persons entering into the employment of the Boott Cotton Mills. | These rules are part of the contract of every worker of Boott Cotton Mills. |
| William A. Burke, Agent. |
Background
Before the Industrial Revolution, all textiles in the U.S. were either made by women in their homes or imported. But in 1813, Francis Cabot Lowell successfully built the first power loom in the United States, revolutionizing the textile industry in America. Within thirty years, the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, was home to 32 textile mills. The city was considered the model of the Industrial Revolution in America.
The machines worked quickly, but they still required human oversight. Factory owners preferred to hire single women because they already knew how to make textiles by hand. This was the first time in U.S. history that employers sought to hire large groups of single women to work outside of their homes and live away from their families.
About the Document
The mill owners in Lowell, Massachusetts, understood that the general public was uncomfortable with the idea of single women living away from their homes and working for a wage. It was a level of independence that was unprecedented for women in American history. To ease concerns, the factories required that their women workers live in company-owned dormitories and follow a strict code of conduct. This broadside outlines the code of conduct for the women employees of the Boott Cotton Mills.
Vocabulary
- Industrial Revolution: The era of American history marked by the rise of factories and mechanical inventions that transformed daily life.
- loom: A tool used to weave threads into fabric.
- mill: Factory.
- textile: Cloth.
Discussion Questions
- What rules stand out to you? What do these rules reveal about attitudes toward women workers in the 1800s?
- Why does the mill require its employees to attend church every Sunday?
- How do you feel about a business being able to control what a worker does outside of their working hours? Why do you think the mill workers agreed to this arrangement?
Suggested Activities
-
- For a larger lesson about the lives of women factory workers during the Industrial Revolution, teach this document together with In Their Own Words, Mill Girls, and The Factory Floor.
- Codes of conduct exist in almost every place of employment and education in the United States. After examining and discussing this document, ask your students to do a similar close reading of the code of conduct for your school. What does the code of conduct reveal about the school’s attitude toward students? What does it reveal about the values the school hopes to instill in students? Are there any parts of the code of conduct the students disagree with? Why? If no code of conduct exists for your school, ask your students to work together draft one.
- To help students understand why employing women was such a radical act in the 1800s, read and discuss Coverture.
- To learn more about the preindustrial daily life of women, see:
- To help students understand why people were nervous about women living and working away from their homes, see “The Two Sexes.”
Themes
WORK, LABOR, THE ECONOMY
