Workers coming out of the Farrell Birmingham Foundry, Ansonia, 1940

Workers coming out of the Farrell Birmingham Foundry, Ansonia, 1940
– Library Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

The story of work in Connecticut mirrors that of much of the nation. From colony to early statehood, Connecticut’s labor force consisted primarily of agricultural laborers, skilled craftsman, and local shopkeepers. The growth of manufacturing brought on by the Industrial Revolution, however, created a demand for mill and factory workers to produce the war materials, industrial products, and consumer goods required of a growing nation. While the state worked to provide important opportunities for women and immigrants, it also produced legislation to regulate child labor, the length of work days, the safety of work environments, and minimum and fair wages for the state’s workforce. Laborers, themselves, were instrumental in agitating for such changes.

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Brecher, Jeremy, Jerry Lombardi, Jan Stackhouse, and Brass Workers History Project. 1982. Brass Valley: The Story of Working People’s Lives and Struggles in an American Industrial Region. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
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Moret, Marta. 1982. A Brief History of the Connecticut Labor Movement. Storrs, CT: Labor Education Center, University of Connecticut.
Burr, Nelson R. 1972. The Early Labor Movement in Connecticut, 1790-1860. West Hartford, CT.