Part 1: Bread and Roses for Workers and Owners
(15-20 minutes)
- The teacher will convene the class/group and review the Jewish Time Jump: New York game. In this discussion it is critical that students understand the perspectives of the different historical characters.
- Begin by asking students to list all of the characters they can remember from the game, including: workers (both union members and those who did not join unions), factory owners, reporters and newspaper editors, allies to workers such as members of the Women’s Trade Union League, and shtarkers (tough guys hired by owners to beat and intimidate strikers).
- Ask: Who were the different people or characters we have read about or encountered in the game?
- What did this character or group want, and how did they try to achieve their goals?
- These can be listed or displayed visually (on whiteboard, blackboard, projector, or large paper) so students can see them clearly. All of these people relate to labor, so there is no need to shift out of the labor frame (Jewish Time Jump: New York has many frames: women’s history, labor history, immigrant history, Jewish history).
- If you have completed Module 2, you may want to bring out the chart you made of “Working Conditions” and “Reasons Workers Stayed” for reference during this activity.
- After you have developed a close-to-comprehensive list, ask:
- Which characters do you relate to the most, and why?