In 1883, Harriet Robinson described her work in the textile mills between 1832 and 1845. A portion of her memoir was assigned for this week’s readings and excerpts from this document can be found below (following all of the questions). Write an analysis of her memoir based on these excerpts that responds to the following questions:
Part I:
1. What are two ways that the market revolution affected women’s lives in the United States?
2. In what ways did women’s lives improve during this time period? In what ways might their lives have become worse?
3. What can we learn from the memoir about workers’ rights – what experiences did Robinson have that promoted the organization of workers for better wages and working conditions?
4. The primary sources assigned for this week and discussed in class also included “An Account at Lowell.” Why might Robinson’s memoir be considered a more trustworthy source than “An Account of Lowell? What does Robinson’s memoir tell about the time period that “An Account of Lowell” does not?
5. Are there any limitations to using the memoir as a primary source for understanding the market revolution?
Part II: Discussion Question – please add this below your essay (not as part of it). You can put it on the same page as your essay, but in a separate section.
· Please pose one discussion question about this reading. What do you think is important to talk about with regard to this source? What is a question that you could ask to deepen your understanding by relating it to other readings, class themes, or issues in American history?
Responses will be graded according to the following criteria:
· Does the response address all the questions posed?
· Does the response demonstrate that the student has done a close and careful analysis?
· Does the response offer a thoughtful engagement with the source?
· Does the response demonstrate a concerted effort to think about the significance of the source and its relationship to course topics?
· Does the response make sense? Are the ideas within it clearly communicated?
· Is the response written in essay form, with a thesis, a set of paragraphs that each address a distinct argument in support of the thesis, and a conclusion