Bread and Roses
/ˌbrɛd ən ˈroʊzɪz/noun
A phrase expressing the demand for both material necessities and dignity, beauty, and quality of life.
Did you know?The phrase became associated with the 1912 Lawrence textile strike, where immigrant women workers marched for higher wages and better living conditions.
Etymological Timeline
1911
English
Bread and Roses
“Title and refrain of a poem by American writer James Oppenheim, contrasting economic security with beauty and dignity.”
1912
English
Bread and Roses
“Adopted as a slogan associated with the Lawrence, Massachusetts, textile strike, especially through labor activist and poet James Oppenheim's poem.”
1912
English
Bread and Roses Strike
“Popular name later given to the multiethnic workers' strike demanding better wages, shorter hours, and humane treatment.”
1910s–1930s
English
bread and roses
“A labor and socialist expression for combining material welfare with cultural, emotional, and human fulfillment.”
20th Century
English
Bread and Roses
“Used in labor organizing, feminist writing, political speeches, and cultural movements advocating both justice and a meaningful life.”
Modern English
English
bread and roses
“A widely recognized metaphor for the need for both basic necessities and beauty, freedom, or dignity.”
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