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Essential Question
When was the Progressive Era, how did the Labor and Women’s Suffrage movements achieve many of the goals of Progressivism, and how did music express the experience of the people in those movements?
Overview
In this lesson, students will identify the Progressive Era and Progressivism, examine the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and its aftermath, discover how the Labor and Women’s Suffrage movements achieved certain goals of Progressivism, and analyze music from the time that expressed the experiences of those movements.
The first two decades of the 20th century brought about fundamental changes to U.S. society. These changes were shaped by two competing forces: rapid business growth and powerful social reforms. As business growth accelerated in the late 19th century, grassroots groups and organizations, often located in the nation’s cities and industrial areas, pursued reforms to make America a more equitable nation. By the end of the 20th century’s first two decades, numerous reforms had been achieved. Those reforms included women gaining the right to vote, labor unions securing an 8-hour work week, and new laws enacted to keep Americans safe both at home and on the job. Collectively, the individuals, groups, and organizations achieving those reforms were known as Progressives. This time in history, roughly the 1890s – 1920s, has come to be known as the Progressive Era.
A fire at a New York City sweatshop on the afternoon of March 25, 1911 is considered a landmark event highlighting two powerful elements of the Progressive Era: the Labor Movement and the pursuit of women’s liberation. The tragic circumstances surrounding the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory resulted in 146 garment workers perishing. Those workers were almost exclusively women and girls that had immigrated to the U.S. from Eastern and Southern Europe. The tragic loss of life from the fire was compounded by the factory’s owners locking exit doors and stairways, in part to keep employees from meeting with union organizers during their shifts. This negligent action led victims to leap to their deaths from the factory’s windows in order to escape the fire.
In the aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, a groundswell of women and girls (many of them from immigrant communities) campaigned for new labor protections. They also cited the tragedy as an example of their limited employment opportunities, which often led to exploitation and dangerous work environments. Their tireless advocacy resulted in new labor laws. Furthermore, it demonstrated the power of organized women pursuing and achieving political, social, and economic reform – a hallmark of the Progressive Era most-notably found in the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
The Women’s Suffrage Movement had begun nearly a 100 years earlier during the 19th century. The movement achieved important victories by the end of that century, including securing the right to vote in several states. However, the ultimate goal of the movement was to gain the right to vote nationwide and this would require a constitutional amendment. Led by numerous suffragettes, including Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, a vigorous campaign was waged and included picketing the White House and state legislatures around the country. Finally, a women’s suffrage amendment to the U.S. Constitution was approved by Congress on June 4, 1919, nearly 41 years after it had first been introduced. The resulting 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified by the required three-fourths of U.S. states on August 18, 1920.
In both the Labor and Women’s Suffrage movements, music played an important role. Occasionally, popular songs of the day were co-opted and had their lyrics modified to fit the message of a movement. But oftentimes, new music was composed specifically for the movement, with lyrics articulating themes and goals, or expressing the personal experiences of those in the movement.
Dozens of songs were written about the journey to suffrage for women. Many, like the popular song, “Suffragette March-Song” contained inspirational lyrics and were crafted with the intention of being sung by activists at gatherings or events. However, songs also expressed the hardship and grief of a movement. In chronicling the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, “Die Fire Korbunes” is a kind of musical elegy that expresses the profound loss grieved by the families of those who died in the fire. However, the song’s lyrics also offer a moral rebuke of the economic system that cultivated the tragic circumstances. Featuring Yiddish lyrics and Klezmer music, the song tells the story of the tragic fire and is composed in a traditional Jewish style of music that represents the community and culture of many of the victims.
Objectives
- Know (knowledge):
- The time period and goals of the Progressive Era
- The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and its aftermath
- How the Labor and Women’s Suffrage movements achieved certain goals of Progressivism
- The political, social, and economic reforms during this time period
- Music from the time that expressed the experiences of the movements
- Mastery Objective
- Students will be able to describe the history of the Progressive Era, explain the role of the Labor and Women’s Suffrage movements in achieving Progressive goals, and articulate how music expressed the experiences of those movements during this time by analyzing primary sources, viewing images and video, and listening to music.
Activities
Disclaimer:
This lesson contains primary source documents and other materials that may include terms and images reflecting the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times that today are considered offensive and demeaning. Teachrock.org does not endorse the views expressed in these documents, but recognizes the value such materials provide for historical inquiry. For guidance on introducing controversial historical materials into the classroom, we suggest reviewing this document from The Library of Congress.
Preparation:
- For the Knowledge Café activity, setup four “café tables” by placing four large sheets of paper (“café table cloths”) on each table and by providing writing utensils (preferably markers or other colorful pens/pencils) on each table. For Part 1 of the lesson, place one copy of Handout – “Die Fire Korbunes” Knowledge Café Activity on each table. For Part 2 of the lesson, place one copy of Handout – “Suffrage March-Song” Knowledge Café Activity on each table.
Motivational Activity:
- Display Image 1, Fire Exit Sign and “Keep Your Fire Escapes Clear” Poster. Ask students:
- What are these images and what is their purpose? (Emergency materials to guide the public to safety during a fire.)
- Where else might you see these kinds of signs? (All types of buildings and numerous other public and private locations.)
- With Image 1 still displayed, instruct students to look around the classroom, identify any objects that could be considered an emergency material, and note where they are located (answers could include: fire alarm on wall, fire extinguisher on wall in a case, fire sprinkler in ceiling, evacuation route sign on wall by classroom door, etc.). Then, ask students:
- What objects do you see and what is their purpose?
- Where are they located and why might they be located in that area?
- Have you noticed signs posted and objects placed in certain locations in other buildings outside of this school? If so, what buildings? Do they serve a similar purpose? If so, what purpose do they serve?
- Do you think buildings post and place these objects voluntarily or are there rules for posting and placing these objects?
- How and why might those rules have been established?
Procedure
Part 1: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the Labor Movement
- Organize students into pairs for a Think-Pair-Share activity. Display Image 2, New-York Tribune, March 26, 1911. Instruct student pairs to skim the image, paying particular attention to the large text and headlines. Direct student pairs to focus on the following questions from the Library of Congress – Teacher’s Guide: Analyzing Newspapers sheet and to share their answers with the class:
- What do you notice first?
- What details indicate when this was published and where it was published?
- What more do you want to know, and how can you find out?
- Distribute Handout – The Progressive Era (Teacher’s Guide). Review the handout directions and instruct student pairs to complete Section 1 of the handout. Then, ask students:
- In your own words, what was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire?
- The tragedy “leads to” what after the fire?
- How might those “reforms” have happened?
- Inform students that the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire happened during a time period known as the Progressive Era. Instruct student pairs to complete Section 2 of Handout – The Progressive Era. Then, ask students:
- In your own words, what was the Progressive Era?
- What might be the goals of Progressivism?
- How might the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire have been a motivation to achieve certain progressive goals? How might those goals have been achieved?
- Explain to students that they will be viewing part of the 1950 film, With These Hands which dramatizes the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Play Clip 1, Excerpts from With These Hands and instruct students to take notes (pause and replay sections of the video as necessary). Instruct student pairs to focus on the following questions from the Library of Congress – Teacher’s Guide: Analyzing Motion Pictures sheet and to share their answers with the class:
- Who do you think created this film? Who do you think was the intended audience?
- What was the purpose of this film? What feelings or ideas do you think its creators wanted to communicate?
- Considering the film, what conclusions might you draw about the actions that led to the tragic loss of life from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?
- Inform students that many of the goals of the Progressive Era were shared and facilitated by the Labor Movement. Instruct student pairs to complete Section 3 of Handout – The Progressive Era. Then ask students:
- In your own words, what was the Labor Movement?
- How might you describe a “union”?
- How might the Adamson Act of 1916 be an example of achieving progressive goals?
- How might the Adamson Act of 1916 connect to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?
- Apart from newspaper articles, how else might the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire have been documented at the time of the tragedy?
- Organize students into small groups and prepare the classroom for a Knowledge Café activity (see Preparation section above or on the handout). Then, guide student groups through the activity as necessary via the instructions on Handout – “Die Fire Korbunes” Knowledge Café Activity. Once student groups have completed the activity, instruct groups to hang each “café table cloth” around the room. Finally, have each group explain their answers to the questions on each café table cloth.
- Distribute Handout – “The Fire’s Sacrifices” Exit Ticket (this activity can be completed in class, assigned for homework, or a combination of both). Instruct students, now working independently, to follow the directions on the handout. Once completed, have students share their writing with the class and turn in their writing.
Part 2: Women’s Suffrage and Progressive Democracy
- Guide students in a discussion reviewing what they explored in Part 1 and preparing them for what they will be exploring in Part 2 of the lesson. Discussion questions to ask students could be:
- What was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and who “mostly” perished in the fire?
- Considering the circumstances of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and those who perished in it, what methods might women have had in order to enact change in American society during this time?
- How might those methods connect to the goals of the Progressives and the history of the Labor Movement?
- Organize students into pairs for a Think-Pair-Share activity. Display Image 3, “The suffrage watchfire before the White House”. Instruct student pairs to focus on the following questions from the Library of Congress – Teacher’s Guide: Analyzing Photographs & Prints sheet and to share their answers with the class:
- What do you notice first?
- What people and objects are shown?
- What, if any, words do you see?
- What’s happening in the image?
- What more do you want to know, and how can you find out?
- Explain to students that they will be viewing a video about the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Instruct students to listen for and take notes about the figures in the movement that are highlighted in the video. Play the Library of Congress video, The Unlikely Rebel. (Pause and replay sections of the video as needed. Utilize this transcript of the video if necessary.) Then, ask students:
- Who were the two suffragettes featured and mentioned in the video? (Lucy Burns and Alice Paul.) What is the origin of the term, “suffragette”? (A derogatory term invented by the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.)
- What organization did Lucy Burns a co-lead? (The National Women’s Party.)
- Why were suffragettes picketing the White House? (“[…]to get the attention of both the public as well as members of Congress and the President to support a federal amendment for women’s voting rights[…]”)
- How might the activism of the Women’s Suffrage Movement connect to the goals of Progressivism?
- Instruct student pairs to complete Section 4 and 5 of Handout – The Progressive Era (Teacher’s Guide). Then, ask students:
- In your own words, what was the Women’s Suffrage Movement?
- How might the 19th Amendment be an example of achieving progressive goals?
- How might the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the 19th Amendment connect to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the Labor Movement?
- Organize students into small groups and prepare the classroom for a Knowledge Café activity (see Preparation section above or on the handout). Then, guide student groups through the activity as necessary via the instructions on Handout – “Suffrage March-Song” Knowledge Café Activity. Once student groups have completed the activity, instruct groups to hang each “café table cloth” around the room. Finally, bring students back together as a large group and have each group explain their answers to the questions on each café table cloth.
- Distribute Handout – “Suffrage March-Song” Exit Ticket (this activity can be completed in class, assigned for homework, or a combination of both). Instruct students, now working independently, to follow the directions on the image. Once completed, have students share their writing with the class and turn in their writing. Then, ask students:
- Do you think movements like those examined in this lesson are happening today? If so, explain.
Summary Activity:
- Display Image 4, Starbucks Workers United Logo. Then, ask students:
- What is this image? (The logo for the labor group, Starbucks Workers United.)
- Who is Starbucks Workers United? (A movement of Starbucks employees who are endeavoring to unionize Starbucks stores.)
- Open the webpage for Starbucks Workers United. Examine the website as a class, and then ask students:
- What might be the goals of Starbucks Workers United?
- How might Starbucks Workers United achieve those goals?
- Display Image 5, “Thousands of Starbucks workers go on a one-day strike on one of the chain’s busiest days of year”. Instruct students to view the image and read the text caption. Then, ask students:
- How might the Red Cup Rebellion strategy allow Starbucks Workers United to achieve their goals?
- If you had to describe the Starbucks Workers United movement, what would you say?
- How might the Starbucks United Workers movement connect to the historical movements and time period examined in this lesson?
Extension Activities:
- Examine the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives.
- View the PBS film, The Vote which is “the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote.”
- Explore more songs from the Women’s Suffrage Movement at the Library of Congress.
- View this video on YouTube of the Metropolitan Klezmer’s 2019 onstage performance of “Di Fire Korbunes” at New York City’s Museum of Eldridge Street.
- View the film, Triangle: Remembering the Fire which “marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire, an event that changed the course of history and stands as a cautionary tale for today.”
- Analyze former President Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, “Progressive Covenant with the People” during the 1912 Presidential Election by listening to a sound recording and reading a transcript of it at the Library of Congress website.
- Participate in an interactive StarCups Coffee Election Simulation via the UCLA Labor Center’s StarCups Curriculum.
Handouts
Handout – “Die Fire Korbunes” Knowledge Café Activity Handout – “Suffrage March-Song” Exit Ticket Handout – “Suffrage March-Song” Knowledge Café Activity Handout – “The Fire’s Sacrifices” Exit Ticket Handout – The Progressive Era Handout – The Progressive Era (Teacher’s Guide) Transcript of “The Unlikely Rebel” Video
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Social Studies Standards
History
- D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
- D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.
- D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.
- D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
California History–Social Science Content Standards
11.2 Students analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large scale rural-to-urban migration, and massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.
- 9. Understand the effect of political programs and activities of the Progressives (e.g., federal regulation of railroad transport, Children’s Bureau, the Sixteenth Amendment, Theodore Roosevelt, Hiram Johnson)
Connecticut Secondary Social Studies Framework
US-2. Immigration, Industrialization, and Progressivism
- US.His.10.a. Describe how individual and group perspectives about gender and sexuality in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are documented in historical records while noting possible limitations (e.g., We’wha, Vaudeville, bicycles, women’s suffrage and education).
- US.His.1.a. Evaluate how the Progressive Era is a result of immigration and industrialization (e.g., anti-lynching, Settlement House Movement, improved working conditions, childrens’ rights).
- US.Civ.12.a. Analyze how people in the Progressive Era used and challenged laws to advance social, political, economic, and environmental reforms (e.g., Populist Party, B’nai B’rith, National Woman Suffrage Movement, Sierra Club, Niagara Movement, Socialist Party of America).
District of Columbia Social Studies Standards
Driving Concept 2: Rise of Industrial and Progressive America
- US2.18 Analyze the ways different immigrant communities resisted economic, social, and political oppression, including through labor activism and the establishment of community organizations
- US2.20 Analyze the reasons for the rise of organized labor, evaluate the effectiveness of at least one labor tactic, and analyze at least one reaction to the labor movement, including the interactions between the federal government and labor groups.
- US2.21 Use primary and secondary sources to analyze a case study, such as the Homestead strike, to evaluate the extent to which labor movements were able to create change.
- US2.22 Analyze the ideological and strategic debates of the feminist movement of the early 20th century, and connect the debates to other reform movements of the time.
- US2.24 Analyze the political response to industrialization, progressivism and the labor movement, and evaluate the efficacy of federal policies under Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft in furthering the aims of different groups.
- US2.26 Evaluate the impact of progressive and populist movements on economic, social and political inequality in America.
Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework Standards
Topic 7. Progressivism and World War I [USI.T7]
- 1. Explain what Progressivism meant in the early 20th century and analyze a text or images by a Progressive leader (e.g., Jane Addams, William Jennings Bryan, John Dewey, Robert La Follette, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Upton Sinclair, Lewis Hine, William H. Taft, Ida Tarbell, Woodrow Wilson).
- 3. Analyze the campaign for, and the opposition to, women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; describe the role of leaders and organizations in achieving the passage of the 19th Amendment (e.g., Carrie Chapman Catt, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells-Barnett the National Woman Suffrage Association, National Women’s Party, League of Women Voters).
New Jersey Student Learning Standards – Social Studies
Era 6. The Emergence of Modern America: Progressive Reforms (1890–1930)
- 6.1.12.CivicsDP.6.a: Use a variety of sources from multiple perspectives to document the ways in which women organized to promote government policies designed to address injustice, inequality, and workplace safety (i.e., abolition, women’s suffrage, and the temperance movement).
- 6.1.12.CivicsPR.6.a: Use a variety of sources from multiple perspectives to evaluate the effectiveness of Progressive reforms in preventing unfair business practices and political corruption and in promoting social justice.
- 6.1.12.HistoryCC.6.c: Analyze the successes and failures of efforts to expand women’s rights, including the work of important leaders and the eventual ratification of the 19th Amendment (i.e., Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Lucy Stone).
- 6.1.12.HistoryCA.6.a: Evaluate the effectiveness of labor and agricultural organizations in improving economic opportunities and rights for various groups.
Social Studies – National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
- Theme 1: Culture
- Theme 3: People, Place, and Environments
- Theme 4: Individual Development and Identity
- Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
- Theme 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Common Core State Standards
College and Career Readiness Reading Information Text Standards for Grades 9-12
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9 Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”), including how they address related themes and concepts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing for Grades 9-12
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 9-12
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards
JU.9-12.13 I can explain the short and long-term impact of biased words and behaviors and unjust practices, laws and institutions that limit the rights and freedoms of people based on their identity groups.
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