Through the participation in the reform for better working conditions, women became more engaged with social, political and civil reform, such as the right to vote. The Lowell Mill protests were one of the first women-led strikes, which shocked previous social ideas of femininity. As Harriet H. Robinson, one of the mill workers, described in her memoir: “This was the first time a woman had spoken in public in Lowell, and the event caused surprise and consternation among her audience”. These strikes allowed women to fight for their independence and inspired hope in the female mill workers, such as Harriet Robinson: “I was more proud than I have ever been since at any success I may have achieved, and more proud than I shall ever be again until
