Process
In order to create a compelling and complete speech, you must research four components. Each person in your group must take one section.
Each person in the group must pick a role. The topics include:
Photograph Analyzer - You will critically examine multiple photographs and their captions (if they are available) to obtain a sense of the work children did and their opinions of it. These photographs were taken by Lewis Hine, a well-known child labor photographer.
Photographs of Child Labor by Lewis Hine
National Child Labor Committee Collection by Lewis Hine
Lee Gallery of Lewis Hine Photographs
Library of Congress (NCLC Collection) by Lewis Hine
Multimedia Library - Lewis Hine Photographs
Mother Jones and the March of the Mill Children Reporter - Mother Jones was an influential person in regards to labor. She led a march of children to have an audience with Theodore Roosevelt. You need to determine the role Mother Jones played in investigating child labor. You also must determine the motives of the march, the significance it had, and what happened when Mother Jones went to meet President Roosevelt.
Chapter 10 of Mother Jones' Autobiography
Chapter 14 of Mother Jones' Autobiography (Look more towards the middle and the end for the information)
Mother Jones and Publicity
March of the Mill Children - Background and Summary (You will have to download the PDF)
March of the Mill Children - Short Summary
Muckraker Investigator - Muckraking journalism was a popular and important part of the Progressive Era. Both articles and photographs revealed truths about America that were controversial and disappointing. Lewis Hine was a muckraking photographer who worked with the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). You must research the background and significance of muckrakers. You must also determine the role and significance of Lewis Hine and the NCLC.
Lewis Hine and His Assignment with the National Child Labor Committee
Lewis Hine in Virginia
Timeline of the National Child Labor Committee
Lee Gallery of Lewis Hine Photographs
Background and Purpose of Lewis Hine - NOTE: This site may originally come up as an advertisement. Please close out of the pop-up to get to the information.
Details Detective - You must research a variety of components about child labor. This will include the background of child labor, the family situations of child laborers, the motives behind the employment of children from the family's perspective, how employers felt about hiring and employing their youngest workers, the wages and conditions involved, and some basic statistics on child laborers.
Summary of Child Labor
How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis (Chapter 15)
Lewis Hine and His Assignment with the National Child Labor Committee
U.S. Department of Labor - American Labor in the 20th Century (You'll have to look sharp for child labor statistics)
Children's Labor - A Problem by Emma Brown
Statistics (look throughout the reading)
For some extra details, please look at:
Quotes from Samuel P. Gompers (You will have to click on "Quotations" and then "Child Labor")
After you have collected your information, your group must come together to evaluate and compare the findings. In a sense, you will each become experts on your topic. Therefore, you must educate your other group members on your topic(s) and insight. After all of the information has been shared, you must deliberate as a group on the question posed in the "Task" section: Is the employment of children labor or slavery?
Using your decision, write a speech that you will present to President Roosevelt. Please include the components mentioned in the "Task" section. Your speech must be between 5 - 8 minutes in length. Every person in your group should read for at least one minute. Please include a printed copy for me that I can use to follow along as you give your speech. Spelling and grammar will be taken into account!
Make sure you practice your speech for good public speaking skills! I expect to hear inflection, appropriate pacing, and diction. I also want to see eye contact.
Please refer to the "Evaluation" to have a more detailed understanding of the expectations and the specifics of the grading criteria.
I would be more than happy to review a copy of your speech if you wish.
