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The story of a tragic fire that reshaped workplace safety in New York and beyond.
The tragic 1911 Triangle Fire, in which 146 New Yorkers (mostly young immigrant women) died, was one of the most horrific tragedies in the city's history. This book situates that catastrophe in proper historical and social context, explaining what led up to it and the workplace safety reforms that followed it. Daniel Kornstein unravels the legal aspects of what happened and how the tragedy helped propel the labor movement. By careful study of the transcript of the criminal trial of the Triangle owners, the author demonstrates the flaws in the prosecution case that led to the owners' unexpected and unpopular acquittal. Most importantly, this book shows how New York, aided by several committed and passionate reformers, pushed itself and the nation to convert a disaster into a catalyst for revolutionizing and improving workplace safety in America.
"A readable history of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and its aftermath. Its most valuable contribution is in its detailed examination of the trials and policy debates that followed the fire, which will make it useful for those teaching courses in legal history." — Evan P. Bennett, Department of History, Florida Atlantic University
"This book focuses upon a critical event in the history of New York City and the entire United States that is often ignored or glossed over. The author's legal analysis of the trial transcripts is especially important in setting this work apart." — Tari Renner, Department of Political Science, Illinois Wesleyan University
Daniel Kornstein is a partner at the Manhattan law firm of Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. He is the author of eleven previous books, including most recently Legal Food for Thought: A Savory Stew of Stimulating Essays Laced with Law and Uncle Sam Wanted Me: Ripened Reflections of a Lucky Vietnam Era Draftee.
List of Illustrations
Introduction: An Infamous Tragedy Worth Another Look
Part I: BEFORE THE FIRE: FORCES BUILD AND CONVERGE
1. Origins, Growth, Problems
2. Triangle
3. The Uprising of the Twenty Thousand
4. Government Bias Against Labor
5. "A Bit of Lochner-Era Jurisprudence": The Ives Decision
Part II: THE FIRE: "THE DAY IT RAINED CHILDREN"
6. "Roasted Alive" or "Dashed to Death"
Part III: AFTER THE FIRE: GRIEF—SHOCK, REVENGE, CHANGE
7. Tears and Anger
8. First Criminal Case: Preliminary Rulings
9. The First Trial Starts
10. Prosecution Case
11. Defense Case
12. Summations
13. Jury Charge
14. The Verdict and Its Aftermath
15. The Second Criminal Case: Was It Double Jeopardy?
16. After the Acquittals
17. Change
18. Action
19. The Factory Investigating Commission
20. New Deal Labor and Related Reforms
Conclusion: A Sense of Place
Selected Bibliography
Notes