Portrait of cotton mill workers in Georgia, 1909
As the 20th century dawned, the cotton mills of the South were bustling centers of activity, driving the economy yet ensnaring families into a life of hardship and labor-intensive work. The transition from the serene rhythm of farm life to the clamorous environment of the cotton mills was a stark one for the first-generation millhands. They traded autonomy for a life dictated by the relentless pace of machinery, working long hours under someone else’s command for the sole purpose of profit.
