GROUP ASSIGNMENT: FACTORY LIFE
Directions: Explore the assigned resources on your topic and try to imagine life before and after the key moments in history. List at least five (5) adjectives to describe how life must have been within the context of your topic and answer the following questions. Consider your topic with the context of how an individual would respond to these social, cultural, technological, and historical changes. Be prepared to share your information with the class.
Answer the following questions:
Directions: Explore the assigned resources on your topic and try to imagine life before and after the key moments in history. List at least five (5) adjectives to describe how life must have been within the context of your topic and answer the following questions. Consider your topic with the context of how an individual would respond to these social, cultural, technological, and historical changes. Be prepared to share your information with the class.
- Explore the early motion videos from “Inside an American Factory: Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904” [From the Library of Congress American Memory Project], including, for example:
- Browse “The Triangle Fire, March 25, 1911 Photo Gallery,” including the link to Cornell University’s “The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Website” from the EDSITEment-reviewed New Deal Network. The Triangle Fire caused the deaths of several young working women and prompted reforms.
Answer the following questions:
- How would you describe working in a factory in the early 20th century?
- What is the relationship between the factory worker and the machines such as those depicted in the Westinghouse videos?
- Think about "Girls taking time checks," "Girls winding armatures," and the panoramic overviews. What do these images suggest about an individual factory worker's own place within the factory at large?