From “The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again” by Robert D. Putnam
The Triangle Shirtwaist fire was a turning point in Frances Perkins’s moral formation, which awakened her to the urgency of fighting for reform. Though her experience at Hull House had been eye-opening, since moving to New York and circulating once again among the East Coast elite, she had begun to envision her future not as a reformer but as a well-married philanthropist. But the gruesome fire made clear that the factory owners’ greed and legislators’ indifference had directly resulted in the loss of 146 innocent lives – a fact which could never be mededied with more charity. She immediately abandoned her vision of a life of gentility and committed herself fully to the “calling” of fighting for workers’ rights.
As Perkins plunged into the male-dominated and ethically compromised world of politics, she quickly learned that moral indignation was not enough to win reform. Under the tutelage of progressive Democratic governor Al Smith, she became a shrewd politician, holding several positions in the New York State government, and putting the state in the forefront of legislative reform. She successfully championed more comprehensive factory inspections, safer working conditions for women, reduced working hours, and an end to child labor; and also broke ground on bringing about a minimum wage and unemployment insurance. Perkins became the first woman in American history to hold a cabinet post when she was nominated as secretary of labor by President Roosevelt in 1933, and her expertise and relentless advocacy for labor were instrumental in the design and implementation of the New Deal.
Frances Perkins was one of thousands of middle-class Americans (a great many of them educated women) who, when face-to-face with the deplorable economic and social conditions of the cities, were galvanized – even radicalized – into action. Jane Addams founded the American Settlement House movement and became a vocal advocate for immigrants and the urban poor; Florence Kelley worked tirelessly for labor reform, children’s rights, and racial equality; Lillian Wald championed human rights and brought healthcare to tenement-dwellers in New York City; and John Dewey reimagined education as a mode of preparation for engaged democratic citizenship. All exemplified the humane and impassioned spirit of the age. All were private citizens who, heeding both conscience and a growing political consciousness, engaged in countless acts of interclass coalition-building, grassroots organized, and political advocacy. Together, they formed a groundswell of activism upon which enterprising politicians would draw in marshaling support for the programs and policies that undergirded America’s “we” decades.