U.S. Labor & Immigration History
at the New Croton Dam
Lesson Plan:
Blood, Sweat, and Tears;
Immigrant Life & Labor
At the New Croton Dam
Historical Inquiry Question
How did different people experience the building of the New Croton Dam between 1892 and 1905? What factors shaped their experiences, choices, and actions?
Content Knowledge
As a result of this lesson, students will have reflected on the nature of history as agreed upon stories told from different points of view. This program emphasizes the perspectives and problems of the immigrant workers.
Students will look closely at a case study that illustrates some of the problems of immigrants in industrial era workplaces. This program contributes to a broader analysis ofthe economic, social, and political implications of rapid industrial growth in the late nineteenth century. As thousands ofimmigrants poured into New York City every day during this period, it was difficult for recently arrived immigrants to make any demands of their employers because they were so easily replaced.
Some school groups, if appropriate, might connect this program to a broader discussion ofhow and why American workers’ rights have changed over time and what this suggests about the global labor market of the early 21st century.
Skills
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Determine the central ideas or information of a primary source; provide a summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
- Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
- Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an historic place or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Common Core Standards
Industrialization, Urbanization, and Calls for Reform (1850s‐1914)
11.7 Key Idea: The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly industrial and urbanized society was facilitated by technological change in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that altered the nation politically, economically, and socially.
11.7.b In the second half of the 19th century, tremendous industrial growth was
accompanied by waves of immigration and population movement toward urban centers.
11.7.e The economic, social, and political implications of rapid industrial growth created a demand for progressive reforms to improve the lives and working conditions of workers.
11.7.f New immigrants, Native Americans, African Americans, and women attempted to
influence the government to enact policies to address discrimination against them.
11.7.g The government began to regulate industrial and financial systems in order to provide economic stability.
11.7.h Industrialization led to the creation of labor and agricultural organizations that strove to protect the rights of their members.
11.7.i Technological change and innovation improved the standard of living for many but not all, and solved many problems while also creating new challenges for the country to overcome.
Prior Knowledge
As the population of New York City grew throughout the 19th century, engineers designed an ever expanding water supply system to meet increasing demand for clean water. A work force of over 1500 laborers built the New Croton Dam between 1892 and 1906 to expand the size of the Croton Reservoir. Contractors hired immigrants because they often arrived with relevant building skills, no choice but to work for low wages, and no affiliation with organized unions.
In the late 19th century, business owners controlled wages and working conditions, in part, because workers did not have a legal right to organize unions, bargain collectively, or use work stoppages to stand up for themselves. Courts and local government often authorized police or even militia to break them by protecting replacement workers. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, a series of large and sometimes violent labor strikesdrew attention to poor working conditions and social instability. Workers would eventually have the right to collective bargaining and basic protections under state and federal laws but in 1900, few enforceable laws existed.
Participants should also review these historical terms, events, and themes:
Immigration, Industrialization, Urbanization, Collective Bargaining, Unions, 8-hour Movement, Child LaborMovement, Haymarket, Homestead, Pullman strikes, Health and Safety, Muckraking journalism and the Progressive Era. For political cartoon: socialism, anarchism, mafia, vagabond
Evaluation
The caption students write, present, and discuss will help you to understand if this lesson was successful.
1 - Proficient, 2 - Satisfactory, 3 – Beginning
_____Student can determine the central ideas or information of a primary source.
_____Student can provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
_____Student can Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats in order to address a question or solve a problem.
_____Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an historic place, noting discrepancies among sources.
Possibilities for Differentiation
Visit the New Croton Dam for a tour first. This offers an interactive experience that gives students background.
You can simplify this lesson plan by asking the entire class to work on the same source. You might discuss any additional sources as a group. You can also simplify by only doing part 1. Another way to do it is do Part 1 as a pre-visit activity and Part II as a post visit activity.
Resources Needed
All primary sources are included in an attached power point file.
Part 1 Sources:
Process of Lesson:
INTRODUCTION
PART 1
Connect
- Divide class into five groups. Each group gets one primary source.
(a)Working Conditions Source: Photo, Riggers Moving Rocks
(b)WagesSource: Photo,Muckers, Waterboy, & Masons
(c)ImmigrationSource: Political Cartoon, Where the Blame Lies
(d)KatonahSource: Photo, Workers Move House
(e)The Strike of 1900Source: Illustration, The Strike of 1900
(f)Living ConditionsSource: Photo, The Bowery Labor Settlement
- Provide each group with a PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS TOOL. Ask students to record their answers.
Observation
Describe what you see
What do you notice first?
What people and objects are shown?
Find something small but interesting.
What do you notice that you can’t explain?
Reflection
What’s happening in the image?
What tools were used to create this image?
Why was it created? What was the purpose of it?
What can you learn from examining this image?
If someone made this image today, what might be different?
What would be the same?
Wonder
Ask each group to present their primary source to the class and to discuss their observations, reflections, and questions. What more do you want to know and how can you find out? List questions for each source on the board. Each group will record these questions on their PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS TOOL.
PART 2
Investigate
Give each group an additional primary source.
(a)Working Conditions Photo, Riggers Moving Rocks
Newspaper notes about injuries
(b)WagesPhoto, Muckers, Waterboy, & Masons
Wage scale, Edward Wegman, The Design and Construction of Dams, p502 – 503, Eight-hour law, Factory Inspector Report
(c)ImmigrationPolitical Cartoon, Where the Blame Lies
Letter to Editor about immigrant labor
(d)KatonahPhoto, Workers Move House
Katonah to be wiped out, The Sun, Feb 9, 1896
(e)The Strike of 1900Illustration, The Strike of 1900
General Roe Takes Command, The Sun, April 18, 1900
(f)Living ConditionsPhoto, The Bowery Labor Settlement
Report from health inspector, letter from Lena Pettinato
Construct,Express, & Reflect
- Each team will read and summarize their second source. Then, each team willconstruct new understandings of their original source. Ask them to write a caption for their original source.
- Each group will present their original document with its caption to the rest of the group.
- Lead a group discussion. Use a discussion wheel to outline various points of view.
How did ------experience the construction of the New Croton Dam? What did this structure mean to them? What factors shaped their experience, choices, and actions?