uld bring progress as well as profit.
             Workers and capitalists would both benefit from the wealth created by mass production.
             For a while, the factory system at Lowell worked very well. The population of the town
             grew from 200 in 1820 to 30,000 in 1845. But conditions in Lowell's factories had already
             started to change. Faced with growing competition, factory owners began to decrease
             wages in order to lower the cost--and the price--of finished products.
             They increased the number of machines that each girl had to operate. In addition, they
             began to overcrowd the houses in which the girls lived. Sometimes eight girls had to share
             In 1836, 1,500 factory girls went on strike to protest wage cuts. (The girls called their
             action a "turn out.") But it was useless. Desperately poor immigrants were beginning to
             arrive in the United States from Europe. To earn a living, they were willing to accept low
             wages and poor working conditions. Before long, immigrant women replaced the
             To many people, it was apparent that justice for wage earners would not come easily.
             Labor in America faced a long, uphill struggle to win fair treatment. In that struggle, more
             and more workers would turn to labor unions to help their cause. They would endure
             violence, cruelty and bitter defeats. But eventually they would achieve a standard of
             living unknown to workers at any other time in history.
             In colonial America, most manufacturing was done by hand in the home. Some was
             done in workshops attached to the home. As towns grew into cities, the demand for
             manufactured goods increased. Some workshop owners began hiring helpers to increase
             production. Relations between the employer and helper were generally harmonious.
             They worked side by side, had the same interests and held similar political views.
             The factory system that began around 1800 brought great changes. The employer
             no longer worked beside his em...