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Unit 6: Emergence of Modern America

 

The Pursuit of Happiness:  Labor History in Chicago

by Lisa Roule

 

Grade Level: High School (Grade 10)

Discipline: American Literature

 

Lesson Abstract:            

Using a variety of texts, students will examine the national labor movement at the end of the 19th Century, focusing on worker motivation as well as local ramifications of the rise and fall of industry.

Overview:

This unit was inspired by a visit to the Homestead area of Pittsburgh, site of the Homestead Strike of 1892.  In viewing the historical sites and contemplating the national ramifications of local labor struggle, I decided to focus my students’ studies on their own neighborhood—Chicago proper, but also, more specifically, the southeast side of Chicago.  The local imprint of the business behemoths of the late 19th Century is still visible today—from the Pullman model town to the site of the Haymarket Riot.  Therefore, this unit will allow students to explore the history of labor in Chicago, and will prompt them to consider how their neighborhood has changed over the last 100 years—and how the social and economic condition they experience today can be connected to the struggles of generations of immigrants and workers who came before them. 

The following three lessons would be interspersed throughout a larger literary unit taking place over the course of 3-4 weeks. 

Over-arching questions:

  • How does Chicago history reflect the national issues of labor and unionization?
  • How did national changes in industry impact the social and economic condition of South Chicago?
  • How do songs and other forms of literature serve to communicate the ideas and issues of the day?
  • What makes music an effective conduit for communication? 

Materials/Resources used:

Songs:                                  

Readings:                           

Online Resources:          

Primary documents:

Interactive Map provides articles and information about labor history in the State of Illinois, as well as the City of Chicago.

IL State Language Arts Standards Addressed:

State Goal 1:  Read with understanding and fluency

  • 1.B.4b  Analyze, interpret and compare a variety of texts for purpose, structure, content, detail and effect.
  • 1.B.3c  Continuously check and clarify for understanding (e.g., in addition to previous skills, draw comparisons to other readings).
  • 1.C.4a  Use questions and predictions to guide reading
  • 1.C.4d  Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate them to the purpose of the material.
  • 1.C.4e  Analyze how authors and illustrators use text and art to express and emphasize their ideas (e.g., imagery, multiple points of view).

STATE GOAL 2:  Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas.

  • 2.A.4c  Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
  • 2.A.4d  Describe the influence of the author’s language structure and word choice to convey the author’s viewpoint.
  • 2.B.4c  Discuss and evaluate motive, resulting behavior and consequences demonstrated in literature

STATE GOAL 3:  Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.

  • 3.C.5a  Communicate information and ideas in narrative, informative and persuasive writing with clarity and effectiveness in a variety of written forms using appropriate traditional and/or electronic formats; adapt content, vocabulary, voice and tone to the audience, purpose and situation.

STATE GOAL 4:  Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.

  • 4.A.4a  Apply listening skills as individuals and members of a group in a variety of settings (e.g., lectures, discussions, conversations, team projects, presentations, interviews).

STATE GOAL 5:  Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.

  • 5.C.3b  Prepare and orally present original work (e.g., poems, monologues, reports, plays, stories) supported by research

Lesson One:  Introduction to the movement for workers’ rights

Song:     “The Homestead Strike”

Music:  Irish folk tune

Words: Irish-American performer John W. Kelly, 1892 (with later variants)

Recording:     Pete Seeger, recorded in concert at Sanders Theater, Cambridge, MA (1980.) Song is included on Shaped by Steel CD (Rivers of Steel Heritage Area)

Song Background:

This song was written after the Homestead Strike of 1892, when steelworkers clashed with captains of the steel industry over working conditions in the mills.   A movement to unionize labor forces was brought to a screeching halt when incomplete media coverage of the Battle of 1892 caused a public outcry against the workers’ treatment of the Pinkertons, laborers brought in from the outside to maintain output in the mills during the workers’ strike. 

This song captures the spirit of the workers, and communicates the deeply-held beliefs that men have a right to defend their livelihoods from the machinations of a “grasping corporation.”  Additional information about the Homestead Strike is available at www.riversofsteel.com.

Opening Activity – Free Write (5 mins)

Respond to the following quote: 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Possible guiding questions: 

  • What is the source of this quote? (Declaration of Independence)  What issues come into your mind when you read this? 
  • Does it apply to all people? 
  • What events in American History show people struggling to obtain/maintain these rights?

Main Activity

Step One: Working with the Text:

  • Use the information available in the lyrics to answer the following questions:
  • What were the goals of the workers in the Homestead Strike? How did they go about achieving their goals?
  • How did the workers feel about the people opposing them? 
  • How do we know?
  • Based on what the lyrics tell us, what do you think was the final outcome of the Homestead Strike?
  • How do the instrumental sounds of the song add to its overall meaning?
  • Do you think the musical tone matches the emotional content of the lyrics? 
  • How does the music serve to emphasize the more important sections of lyric? 

Step Two: Internet Research: 

Conduct a web search on the Homestead Strike of 1892.  What actually happened at the Homestead Strike, and what were the consequences? 

Step Three: Timed writing prompt:  (5 mins)

Does the way the song is performed in this recording suggest a strategy or purpose beyond entertainment?  Who do you think is the intended audience for this song, and why?  

**Teachers may also need to consider pre-teaching vocabulary on the following terms: syndicate, toil, indignation, recourse to arms, audacity, renounce, forswear**

Lesson Two:  Introduction to Chicago labor struggles/Intro to Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

This lesson will likely require 2 class periods, and serves to prepare students for reading excerpts from The Jungle.

Song Background:

“The Eight Hour Day” –This song captures the energy of the movement for the 8 hour workday—an issue at the heart of the Haymarket Riots in Chicago.  Like the Homestead Strike, the violence at Haymarket turned public opinion against the workers, now seen as radicals, and damaged their campaign for labor reform. 

Text by: John Hory (1886); Tune: “Wild Amerikay”

Recording Info:  “The Eight Hour Day,” American Industrial Ballads, Pete Seeger, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, SFW40058, 1992.  (Samples available at www.allmusic.com or the Smithsonian Folkways website: http://www.folkways.si.edu/index.html)

Day 1

Opening Activity:  Carl Sandburg’s poem:  “Happiness”

Possible Discussion questions:

  • What does the speaker think of the executives and professors? 
  • How do you know? 
  • Why does the speaker admire the Hungarians?
  • What do you need in order to be happy at home? 
  • What do you need in order to be happy at work? 
  • Why would the executives be incapable of describing happiness?  (Respond in writing 5 mins, then discuss)

Main Activity: “The Eight Hour Day” and Selected Chicago Labor Incidents

Step One:     Listen to song. 

Discussion questions:

  • According to the lyrics, what obstacles are keeping the workers from experiencing “peace and happiness?”
  • Do you think their requests are unreasonable? 
  • If you were their boss, would you be in favor of granting their requests?  Why or why not? 
  • Do you think this song would have been a powerful persuader for their cause?  Why or why not?...
  • How do the instrumental sounds of the song add to its overall meaning?
  • Do you think the musical tone matches the emotional content of the lyrics? 
  • How does the music serve to emphasize the more important sections of lyric?

Step Two:  Writing in response to images from press relating to Haymarket and Pullman.

  •  (Online resources at Chicago Historical Society and Library of Congress ) Teacher will select a collection of images, and number them for distribution around the room.  (Images for Pullman and Haymarket, approx. 10 each, should be grouped separately.)
  • Students will be assigned an event to explore, and will then travel from photo to photo, briefly describing what they see in the images.  Who are the subjects of the photo?  What is happening in the photo?  What is the environment, etc.
  • Once the circuit is completed, students will write a brief newspaper article describing either Haymarket or the Pullman strike.  Writing should be completed as homework.

Day 2

Opening Activity: Carl Sandburg’s poem, “Chicago”

Discussion questions: 

  • List the industries described in the opening stanza of the poem.   
  • What sort of mental images do you see when you read this poem? (sketch them)
  • What is the overall tone or emotion of this song? 
  • What words help build the tone of the poem? 
  • Why do these struggling people seem to be happy?

Main Activity:  Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

  • Read chapter one of the novel, and write a paragraph explaining why Carl Sandburg would classify these characters as happy people. **At this point, the focus of the class will turn to additional excerpts of the novel, not included/discussed here.  Estimated additional instructional time at this point of the unit:  approx. 5 days, at teacher’s discretion***
  • To close discussion of novel, study will focus on the public reaction to the novel, and the policy changes that eventually were made in response.
  • Also at this point would be a review of the significant labor incidents in Chicago history—students will be able to compare their writings to the primary sources documenting those events.

Lesson Three:  Where have all the factories gone? 

This lesson will explore the lasting imprint of industry in neighborhoods where factories have been closed.

Opening Activity:

Creative Writing warm-up

Re-write Carl Sandburg’s poem, “Chicago” to reflect Chicago today.  What, if anything has changed since the poem was originally written?

Main Activity: “Allentown”

Discussion Questions:

  • What kind of experiences have these workers had, and how do you think it has changed how they think about themselves, how others think of them, how they think about their futures, etc. 
  • What kinds of emotions are they likely to experience, and how might they express those emotions?
  • How do the percussive sounds of the song add to its overall meaning?
  • Do you think the musical tone matches the emotional content of the lyrics? 
  • How does the music serve to emphasize the more important sections of lyric?

Culminating Activity: Poetry Slam

  • View models of poetry slam (see resources below) and discuss elements of “slam.” – What does it look like?  What does it sound like?  What kinds of messages are being communicated?  (Rubric for project could be developed based on student input at this stage)
  • Write a poem/song dealing with the issues of worker rights, past or present.  These poems will be performed in “slam” format—so be conscious of how you will present them…What percussive elements, or movements, or verbal emphases, can add additional layers of meaning to your message?

Unit Extension Possibilities:

  • Field Trips to local historic sites – Pullman model town, Chicago historical society, etc…
  • Extended Research projects on local events or individuals

Additional links/resources:

Various Poetry Slam Resources

(DVD) - Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word (1998) - Available at www.amazon.com

Chicago-area link:  Young Chicago Authors (www.youngchicagoauthors.org)