World War I
Teaching Activity PDFs
Lawrence, 1912: The Singing Strike
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 18 pages.
Role play on the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Mass.
Testing, Tracking, and Toeing the Line: A Role Play on the Origins of the Modern High School
Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 13 pages.
A role play on the origins of the modern high school.
Democracy & Citizenship, Education, Immigration, Racism & Racial Identity, Social Class
The Singing Strike and the Rebel Students: Learning from the Industrial Workers of the World
Reading for Teachers PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 7 pages.
Author describes how students applied strategies from the Lawrence strike to their own present day activism.
Labor Matters
Teaching Activity. By Teaching Tolerance.
Introduces students to the role of the labor movement in securing contemporary benefits such as the 40-hour workweek, the minimum wage, and workplace safety regulations.
Protesting the First World War
Teaching Activity PDF. By Colby Smart. 16 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 14 of Voices of a People’s History of the United States on anti-war efforts during the first World War, as well as the U.S. government’s response.
Socialists and Wobblies
Teaching Activity PDF. By Gayle Olson-Raymer. 17 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 13 of Voices of a People’s History of the United States on the labor movement at the turn of the century.
The Triangle Factory Fire Tragedy: An Inquiry Unit
Teaching Activity. By Miriam Laska. Urban Dreams at OUSD.
A lesson for high school on the media coverage of historic events, using the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire as an example.
Articles
The Truth About Helen Keller
Article for Teachers and High School Students – PDF. By Ruth Shagoury. 6 pages.
A review of children’s picture books about the life of Helen Keller reveals the omission of any description of her active role in key social movements of the 20th century.
The Bonus Army
Article. By Mickey Z.
History of the 1932 Bonus Expeditionary Force (BEF) or Bonus Army.
Books: Fiction
Bread and Roses, Too
Book – Fiction. By Katherine Paterson. 2006. 275 pages.
Moving young adult historical-fiction novel based on a major strike in Lawrence, Mass. in 1912.
Books: Non-Fiction
My Father’s Bonus March
Book – Non-fiction. By Adam Langer. 2009. 256 pages.
A memoir centered around the Bonus March of 1932, the demonstration of 20,000 World War I veterans demanding compensation.
A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present
Book – Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005. 702 pages.
Howard Zinn’s groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details the lives and facts that are rarely included in textbooks — an indispensable teacher and student resource.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Economics, Education, Immigration, Imperialism, Individuals in US History, Labor, Laws & Citizen Rights, Native American, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery, Social Class, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements, Women's History
Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South
Book – Non-fiction (with CD). Edited by William H. Chafe, Raymond Gavins and Robert Korstad. 2008. 346 pages.
African American, Individuals in US History, Laws & Citizen Rights, Racism & Racial Identity, Social Class
Films
Eugene Debs: “Canton, Ohio”
Film clip. Eugene Deb’s “Canton, Ohio” speech made on June 16, 1918 is read by Marc Ruffalo.
From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
The Killing Floor
Film. Directed by Bill Duke. 1985. 118 minutes.
Set during World War I, two African-American men deal with racism in the workplace and the labor union.
African American, Labor, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity
Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
Film. Producer/Writer: Kristy Andersen. 2008. 84 minutes.
Documentary about the life, literature, and research of Zora Neale Hurston.
Profiles
Jones, Mary Harris “Mother”
Profile. Mother Jones: Labor leader, organizer, 1830—1930.
Painted by Robert Shetterly. Available to order as a poster and greeting card.
Songs and Poems
“Workers of the World, Awaken!” by Joe Hill
Song. By Joe Hill. 1910.
A classic labor song, reaching out to workers to around the world.
Websites
Bread and Roses Centennial: 1912 – 2012
Website.
Comprehensive collection of digitized documents, news, and calendar of events regarding the historic 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Mass.
Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition
Website.
Coalition of groups dedicated to education and memorial events about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
The Triangle Factory Fire
Website.
Extensive online collection of primary documents on the Triangle Factory Fire.
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