DISCRIMINATION ON THE HOMEFRONT:
BLACK WORKERS FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS IN CHICAGO 1942-1945

By Mark Foley, M.Ed.

American History Teachers Collaborative Fellow – Summer 2007

 

 

ABSTRACT

 

Students work in groups to examine four different discrimination complaints brought against the Dodge-Chrysler Engine Plant in Chicago during World War Two.  These complaints were filed with the Federal Employment Practices Committee, which was charged with ensuring equal opportunity for minority workers within American businesses that received Department of Defense contracts.  Resources include handwritten letters from minority citizens to President Roosevelt and Chicago Mayor Kelley and the bureaucratic responses to these letters.  Groups share their findings in a large class discussion format.  Students then engage in original research to locate and examine contemporary cases of discrimination in the workplace.  During the assessment phase students tie the two areas of research together to answer a simple question: how far have we come?

 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS/ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS

 

  1. What is discrimination in the workplace?
  2. What is the role of the government in fighting injustice in the workplace?
  3. How can a citizen make the government work for him or her?
  4. How have citizenÕs ideas about the role of government changed?
  5. How far has America come in solving the problem of discrimination?

 

ASSESSMENT

 

  1. Document analysis of first order document.
  2. Document analysis of one second-order document.
  3. Graphic organizer and guiding questions for second order documents.
  4. Summary of contemporary discrimination issue.
  5. Research paper explaining historical and contemporary discrimination cases and answering essential question five above.

 

TIES TO NATIONAL PRIMARY SOURCE OR SOURCE

 

It is recommended that the teacher explain the purpose of the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) established by President RooseveltÕs Executive Order 8802 and amended by Executive Order 9346 before the students begin this lesson.  This could be done in several ways, including a short lecture or a reading assignment.  However it is done, this information should include a synopsis of the 1941 March on Washington Movement and the changes these protests created, specifically the issuance of Executive Orders 8802 and 9346.  It is essential for students to be given copies or summaries of these EOs (especially 9346) or the EOs should be explained in some detail.  Later on in this lesson students will be asked to judge the validity of actual complaints made under the auspices of EOs 8802 and 9346.

 

SETTING THE PURPOSE

 

Once the background information has been established, it is time to use some documents.  In the large group format give each student a copy of the letter from James Small to Mayor Kelly, the response to Small from the MayorÕs office, SmallÕs letter to FDR, the response to Small from the PresidentÕs office, and the memo from FEPC Examiner Gibson to FEPC Regional Director Henderson explaining the case, and a research packet, which should include three document analysis worksheets, one Òsequence chainÓ graphic organizer, and one copy of the guiding questions.

 

Ask the students to quickly skim through the documents and to choose one document they find to be particularly interesting.  Ask the students to analyze that document using their first document analysis worksheet.

 

When most students are finished inform them that you will be analyzing these documents with them at this time. Take a vote on which document the students would like to analyze.  Through a teacher-led discussion work with the students analyzing the document while answering the questions on a projected document analysis worksheet.

 

Next, project a copy of the Òsequence chainÓ graphic organizer and work as a class to place the documents in order.  Mr. SmallÕs case is not a completed file.    After placing the documents in sequence discuss this case.  How do the students think the case was resolved?  Did Mr. Small seem to have a legitimate complaint?  How did he get the attention of the government and what do his efforts say about his perspective on the role of government?  Is he silly, or do you think he is smart?  Would you do something like this if you felt that you were being discriminated against?  Why or why not?

 

ANALYSIS OF LOCAL PRIMARY SOURCES

 

After working with the Small documents and discussing the concepts underlying the interactions between citizens and the FEPC, place students in mixed-ability groups.  Assign, or have the students choose a facilitator for each group who will direct the discussion times.  Give each student in the group a copy of their groupÕs first-order document. Have them complete their second document analysis worksheet together with the facilitator directing the discussion while each student records the information.  Monitor groups.

 

Once students have completed their analysis of the first-order document, it is time to jigsaw the second-order documents.  Hand out the second-order documents to each group and make sure each student in the group has one unique document.  Note: this is a good place to differentiate the learning.  As some students are better readers than others, it is wise to take the time to assign documents to certain members of each group, giving the advanced readers more difficult documents and lower-level readers simpler or easier-to-understand documents.

 

Have the students analyze the second-order documents on their own using their third document analysis worksheet.  When students are finished they should come back together as a group.  Direct the facilitators to lead a discussion that allows each student to place the documents in sequence in their graphic organizers and answer all of the guiding questions.

 

When groups have been given enough time to complete their analysis and their group discussion, it is time to discuss the cases as a class.  Give each group a couple of minutes to choose and prep their speaker and then begin calling on speakers to stand and summarize their case for the class.  This will require some directed questions from the teacher but the goal is an informal discussion of what the students have learned about their individual and the complaint that person brought forth.  Be sure to ask the students to make judgments about the validity of each case based upon what they have learned about Executive Orders 8802 and 9346. 

 

Once all of the groups have completed their summaries it is time to take the next step.  In order to complete the three-tier method of document analysis give the students a day or two in the computer lab to locate news articles about contemporary discrimination cases.  They should find, summarize and correctly cite at least one case during this time.

 

Once cases have been found, bring the students back together as a large group and discuss the contemporary cases.  Have an informal, large-group discussion of the cases and help the students make the connections between the complaints that were filed against Dodge-Chrysler during WWII and the modern-day examples.  This may be a good opportunity to have minority students share about their own personal stories of discrimination that they, or someone they know, have faced. 

 

When the students are ready assign the essay.   They should use their contemporary summaries and the information they gathered about their Dodge-Chrysler case to write a 1-2 page essay that addresses essential question five.  Grade the essays using the rubric.

 

ANNOTATED LIST OF MATERIALS AND RESOURCES