Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers' Rights
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An engaging picture book biography of Frances Perkins, the activist and first female United States cabinet member who created the Social Security program. From award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson. At 31, Frances Perkins witnessed the Triangle Waist Factory fire in 1911, one of the worst industrial disasters in United States history. The event forever changed her, and she dedicated herself to the fight for workers' rights. When she became Secretary of Labor in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration, she had the opportunity to make real her bold vision of a country where no one is left out and everyone is protected. Thanks to her efforts, we have the Social Security program, a move that changed Americans' lives for generations to come. Deborah Hopkinson's energetic text and Kristy Caldwell's appealing illustrations unite to tell Perkins' fascinating story as well as introduce early concepts of financial literacy, the Social Security Act, and the New Deal. Back matter features more information about Frances Perkins, Social Security, and resources for economic education.
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Frances Perkins made a difference.
She witnessed the tragic fire at the Triangle Waist Company building where 146 people, mostly teenage girls, died. She attended a memorial gathering where Rose Schneiderman urged workers to work together for better working conditions, and Rose's ideas provoked Frances into action. Over time, Perkins helped get bills passed to limit the work week to fifty-four hours for women and children under eighteen, helped working women who sat for many hours to get chairs with backs, helped establish a minimum wage and unemployment insurance for workers, and helped create the Social Security program.
This book, written by the wonderful children's nonfiction author, Deborah Hopkinson, is a great tribute to the efforts of one woman to make the world a better place.
