Course: U.S. History

 Lesson: Worker’s Rights Movement               # of Days: 3

Standards: I. U.S. History, J. Reshaping the Nation and the Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1916.  The student will describe how industrialization changed the nature of work and the origins and role of labor unions in the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s.

Content:

Students will build on information on labor unions introduced in their textbook.

Students will explore the purpose of unions, their goals and methods, their leaders, and their interaction with corporations and the government.

Habits of Thinking:

            Pre-Writing

            Secondary Source Analysis

            Database research

            Small Group Cooperation

            Political Cartoons    

Guiding Questions: What questions will guide this lesson?

What were the working conditions for laborers when they shifted from workshops into factories with the rise of industry/big business?

Who were the Knights of Labor, Samuel Gompers, and the American Federation of Labor?

What were the goals of the Railroad Strike of 1877, the Homestead Strike of 1892, the Haymarket bombing of 1866, and the Pullman Strike of 1894?

Assessment:

Individual analysis of Labor Unions, leaders, and strikes

Political cartoon

Unit test on Labor Unions, Corporations, and Government regulation

Lesson Sequence:

Warm-up:

Have students pre-write on the following questions: What is the purpose of labor unions?  Who do they represent (who joins and why)?  What methods do they use?  What goals have they achieved?  Briefly discuss.

Small Groups/Database Research:

Students will work in small groups to research their topic, create a political cartoon on it, and present it to the class.  (Assign each group a different topic.)

Topics include: Knights of Labor, Samuel Gompers, American Federation of Labor, Mother Jones, Railroad Strike of 1877, Homestead Strike of 1892, the Haymarket bombing of 1866, and the Pullman Strike of 1894.

Day 1:  Students will complete the worksheet as they research.  See attached handout.

Day 2:  Students will create a political cartoon about the person/issue.

Day 3:  Students will share their political cartoon with the class.

Reflection / Debriefing / Sharing:

Follow-up with a closing summary that reinforces the ideas behind the guiding questions.

Materials:

Readings  (See page numbers below)

Handout

Butcher paper

Markers

Construction paper

Scissors

Glue