Bread and Roses

Bread and Roses

An analysis of Bruce Watson's book "Bread and Roses; Mills, Migrants and the Struggle for the American Dream":

The author Bruce Watson in the book `Bread and Roses Mills, Migrants and the Struggle for the American Dream' narrates the very interesting and charming story of the textile strike of 1912 in the Mill town of Lawrence, Massachusetts. The strike known as bread and roses strike united numbers of immigrant workers communities who came forward to conquer the almost a month long fights against all oddities under the leadership umbrella of Industrial Workers of World. The strike in Lawrence proved to be the short one and was the biggest victories for Industrial Workers of World. In less than a year, almost to extinction in the Lawrence Union has been a reaction like the victims of violence, which will not be visible until after the First World War jingoistic hysteria and panic in the red again

The book starts with the starting of strikes till it reaches to its conclusion, stressing on the actions of workers, their loved ones including their families and the role of Industrial Workers of World in particular. The book also entails the look at the owner of the mill, William Wood of the American Woolen Company. The author in the book tries to detect the vague details about strike and activities of union to reflect the viewpoints of labors and their families who were there in the hope of living better life.

The book includes the record of the immigrants who migrated to Lawrence in the hope of better working opportunity so that they can raise their living standards and live a better and respectable live. The strike was called by the workers due to the cut or reduction in their wages. On Jan 1, 1912 the legislation of Massachusetts had directed the decrease in the working hours. But the mill avoiding the legislation and carried on with the same hourly wage to the labors and thus ensuing in little pay to workers.

The labors, workers and other people were very happy with the decrease in working hours and they expected to receive the same wage as they received prior to the reduction in working hours. The era of 1912 did not prove fruitful for the male textile workers as they did not get enough wages to better support their families.

This struggle and efforts of workers to ...