Women, Children, Labor and the Progressive Era Unit

Nancy Deaton

AHTC 2006 Summer Fellowship

Illinois State Archives, Springfield

High School US History

Setting Purpose

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Day 1—Identifying Problems of the Progressive Era

1. Look at photos

a. As a class examine the “Box Factory Girls” photo. Without telling them the title, have students analyze the image using the National Archives and Records Administration’s photo analysis worksheet. Discuss what time period this might have come from and then share the title of the photo.

b. Then display the “Office Girls” and “At Work in a Candy Factory” photos and discuss how they are from the same time period and how they might be related to the “Box Factory Girls” photo.

2. Read descriptions of women workers

a. Give groups of students copies of Sweatshop Girl Descriptions 1 and 2. Have groups read them and take notes on the Sweatshop Women Descriptions Organizer identifying surprising findings and patterns noticed.

b. Discuss as a class what they noticed and then brainstorm a list of challenges that these women working in sweatshops faced.