The Battle of the Overpass and its Lasting Impact on Labor History

Brandon J. Sethi

AHTC Lesson Plan

National Archives and Records Administration

Great Lakes Region (Chicago)

Abstract:

The Battle of the Overpass was a defining moment in the struggle for workers rights when Walter Reuther and Richard Frankensteen were attacked by as many as forty of Henry Ford’s “servicemen”. This lesson looks at the events leading up to the ‘battle’ as well as the events after as a means of exploring the immediate impact on labor relations resulting from the passage of the 1936 Wagner Act. Students will conduct a variety of activities during a series of lessons intended to last approximately 3 days. The mini-unit relies heavily on the use of primary sources obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration in Chicago, IL and incorporates other primary and secondary sources found online.

Essential Questions:

1. How does the media shape the way people view different events in history? What role can images play in shaping the way we perceive different events in history?
2. Why is there conflict between the corporations and the everyday workers? How does that conflict get resolved?
3. What is the purpose of a union? What are different arguments for and against unionization?
4. How did the Wagner Act of 1936 shape the debate over Unions?
5. How and why have the influence, role and intent of unions changed since 1937? If so, how?
6. Are unions necessary today?

Assessment:

Students will be assessed in a variety of ways throughout and at the conclusion of the mini-unit. Strategies for assessing include but are not limited to quick checks for understanding, exit slips, photo and article analysis and culminating with a writing exercise connecting current events with the events occurring on top of the highway overpass in Detroit, MI, 1937 where the students will be assigned to write either a defense or opposition regarding unions. This exercise will be in the vein of a DBQ where they will use the documents procured from the NARA in Chicago. Various handouts and questions for specific daily lessons can be found in the section of this document titled “Daily Lessons”.

Setting the Purpose:

This lesson will occur during the unit on Industrialization of the 20^th century with an emphasis on workers rights. The mindset for this unit follows the curriculum guide for Urbana Middle School of the Urbana School District and is taught with 8^th graders in mind. Teaching strategies will take into account heavily the needs of all students and attempt to reach all of those students in a way that engages them in the content, making it real and relevant to their daily lives.

The actual series of lessons will follow a mini unit exploring life in the Lowell Mills of Boston, MA. In those lessons students will explore the working conditions of textile mills and the difficulties faced by workers in those dangerous conditions. From there students will gain an understanding of the importance of unions and their role in creating a sustainable middle class and making the industrial workplace a safer space for workers to be.

Daily Lessons:

Day 1: Students will be exploring the Wagner Act which formally allowed for the creation of unions in the United States.

Day 2: Students will look at union busting techniques used in the Ford plants. The lesson ends with looking at an article from the Onion Newspaper, a satirical news source and a new touch on union busting.

Day 3: Students will be exploring the actual events from the overpass that day as well as reading a news article written many years later that seeks to explore the implications the battle had on labor history in America.