Why spend youth years working in mills?

         During the 1800's, the Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on the way families made their money.  Since the mills became so popular, many girls were interested in working in them.  The young girls wanted a taste of freedom and what better way than living in the big city without the rule of their parents!  They were eager to make their own money, use it to go shopping and buy new clothes.  Some girls had to give the money to their family in order to support them.  A document titled 'The Changing World of American Women', states," Nearly all viewed mill work as a temporary stage in life, a way to escape the limits imposed by a farm, a step towards greater independence."  This quote is significant because it shows that the girls wanted to work in the mills as a way of becoming more independent and escaping the farms.  Although this all may sound great, there were down sides for the girls.  First, they had a lot of limits on their life outside of work.  For example, in mills where the girls lived in boarding houses, they had to follow a strict moral.  If they were caught in town holding hands with a boy, they could be thrown out of the mill.  Also, if the girls were just a minute late to work, they could be fired.  Aside from the strict rules, the girls did gain independence and maturity.  Here is a link to a video about a girl named Lucy who is asked to work at a mill but has to run it through her single father first.  http://ashp.cuny.edu/ashp-documentaries/daughters-of-free-men/