Introduction
In June of 1909, a fire prevention specialist sent a letter to the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory warning them of inadequate safety measures and offering improvements to be made considering fire safety. The letter was ignored by the owners, just two years before a deadly fire at the factory took 146 lives.
In September of 1909, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union supported Triangle Shirtwaist Factory workers in going on strike for fair wages, reduced hours, and union representation. Because many women's garment factory workers faced the same conditions, there was an organized strike of twenty thousand workers in which they walked out on the job in November of 1909. What started as a smaller protest against one particular factory became a bigger movement against inhumane working conditions.
The fire of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory became a rallying cry for better working conditions and set off a second set of protests. We will be researching the strikes taking place both before and after the fire.
Task
You are going to:
Conduct research on protests before and after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, completing art centered notes that will be explained further below.
With a partner, you will create one strike poster from before the fire advocating for better wages and hours, and one strike poster from after the fire advocating for better safety in factories. You and your partner will present your posters to the class talking briefly about each poster.
Individually, you will complete a Flipgrid that will be graded as an assessment, detailing what you have researched.
Process
RESEARCH: Investigate the information found at Triangle Shirtwaist Factory women strike, win better wages and hours, New York, 1909 | Global Nonviolent Action Database (swarthmore.edu) and Demonstration of Protest and Mourning for Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Victims, April 5, 1911 | IDCA (iowaculture.gov). Then, find one source of your own regarding the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory labor conditions and strikes. To record the data you find, take art centered notes. Draw sketches with captions or create your own colorful graphic organizer. You can be creative in choosing how you'd like to create art centered notes.
COLLABORATION: Assigned partners will be sent out prior to class. You will spend an hour of class creating two strike posters. The first poster you create will have to do with the strikes prior to the fire. This poster should focus on long hours, low wages, and unsanitary conditions. The second strike poster will correlate with protests after the fire, which should focus on the lack of safety procedures and how the tragedy could have been prevented. After both posters have been created, each pair will share their posters talking briefly about what set off the first and second set of protests.
INDIVIDUAL: You will summarize what you have learned about the Triangle Shirtwaist protests by creating a three to five minute Flipgrid. You are encouraged to show your art based notes in your video or to use them as a reminder of what you would like to say. There are more details on this task under the evaluate section of this Webquest.
Evaluation
Create a three to five minute Flipgrid detailing what you have learned about the women who worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, both before and after the fire. What changed after the initial protests? What changed after the fire? What were the primary factors behind the strikes, and how were these factors different after the fire? Be sure to use your notes and prior activities to cite detailed, thorough information. Your video will be worth 15 points and will be evaluated based on the following:
*Presentation: The student should be prepared for the video and confident discussing the protests. The student should make eye contact with the camera and use different tones of voice to convey meaning behind points made.
*Accuracy: The student has taken accurate, detailed notes and uses them to accurately discuss the topic, thoroughly discussing the history of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
*Effort: It is clear that the student has spent a considerable amount of time organizing and completing the Flipgrid. The student is not just listing off broad, watered down information. The student is visible in the video and engaged with the material being presented.
Feel free to incorporate references and different resources to show that your information is credible.