In the 19th century, many people felt that the girls who worked twelve to fourteen-hour days in the textile mills of Massachusetts had lives little better than those enslaved in the South. However, like many of her counterparts, the “Northern slave” referenced in this article worked in the mills for only a few years. This particular girl, who was probably Catherine Amelia Shaw, left to teach school and eventually moved west to Michigan. She married Jacob M. Howard, who was the United States Representative from Michigan from 1841 to 1843, and United States Senator from 1862 to 1871.
Hampshire Gazette. “A Factory Girl.” March 8, 1842. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l10-014/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.