Books: Non-Fiction

Bread & Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream

Book — Non-fiction. By Bruce Watson. 2006. 352 pages.
The riveting story of one of the most remarkable strikes in U.S. history.

Time Periods: 20th Century, 1910
Themes: Immigration, Labor, Laws & Citizen Rights, Organizing, Social Class, Women's History
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On Jan. 12, 1912, an army of textile workers stormed out of the mills in Lawrence, Mass., commencing what has since become known as the “Bread and Roses” strike. Based on newspaper accounts, magazine reportage, and oral histories, Watson reconstructs a Dickensian drama involving thousands of parading strikers from fifty-one nations, unforgettable acts of cruelty, and even a protracted murder trial that tested the boundaries of free speech.  [Publisher’s description.]

ISBN: 9780143037354 | Penguin

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Related Resources
Articles

The Real Bread and Roses Strike Story Missing from Textbooks

Article. By Robert Forrant. 2013.
The author challenges the common myth that the Bread and Roses Strike was spontaneous.

Teaching Activities (Free)

Lawrence, 1912: The Singing Strike

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond.
Role play on the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Mass.

Books: Non-Fiction

Bread & Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream

Book — Non-fiction. By Bruce Watson. 2006. 352 pages.
The riveting story of one of the most remarkable strikes in U.S. history.

News

Bread and Roses Strike: One of the Great Silences in the School Curriculum

One of the great silences in the mainstream school curriculum is the role that social movements have played in making this a more fair, more peaceful, more democratic world. Students learn little about the collective efforts and strategies involved in the movements to abolish slavery, to demand women’s rights, to end unjust wars, to fight for civil… Read more »

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.

Digital Collections

Bread and Roses Strike of 1912 Exhibition

Digital collection. Digital photo collection of the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912.

Material

Students Promote Bread and Roses Strike

Article and slideshow. 2012.
University of Massachusetts Lowell students study the Bread and Roses Strike and create a poster project, viewable as an online slideshow.