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Unit 7: Great Depression and World War II
United/Divided

“Which Side Are You On?”

words by Florence Reece; tune "Lay the Lily Low," 1931
The Almanac Singer's union organizing song, written during a coal strike in 1931.

Lesson ideas

Jill Nysse, 2004 NEH Teacher Institute

Activities

10th Grade American History—Unit on the Gilded Age

PBS did a series on the New York Strikes in the garment industry.  Prior to an in-class discussion,  I would show the video about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, then play the song, “Which Side Are You on?” and ask students to reflect on the Captains of Industry vs. the workers during this age of rapid industrial expansion. 

  • What do you think happened to the power of unions after the fire? 
  • How would the owners of the factory have defended their actions? 
  • Why would the law have tended to side with management?

10th Grade American History or Language Arts—Moral Choices

For workers faced with the choice of joining the union cause or not joining the union cause, taking the side of the union could result in being blacklisted if the strike is broken; you and your family could face starvation.  On the other hand, if you cross the picket line as a “scab”, you faced retaliation from strikers. 

In a journal entry, respond to these questions after listening to the song “Which Side Are You On”:

  • What choices do we as a society face today that are similarly difficult? You might apply this to an international situation or a local one.  You could also draw an example from history, such as Churchill’s decision to allow the bombing of Coventry. 
  • What do you think motivates people to make these difficult choices? 
  • Would there have been any neutral ground for the workers in “Which Side Are You On?”

Middle School History or Language Arts

After listening to the song and discussing the background of it, ask students to do five minutes or ten lines of free writing on the following questions:

  • What was a time n your life when you had to make tough choices? 
  • Describe a situation in which the consequences were really big to you? 
  • Did outside pressures (friends, parents, society, etc.) impel you to make the choice you did?  

Writing could be shared or not shared (student’s choice) in class.