Teaching American History Grant Lesson Plan Format
Teacher:
Names: Susan Toohey/ Michael Young
Email Addresses: susan.toohey@ops.org and Michael.young@ops.org
Schools: TAC. Curriculum and Learning
Lesson Information:
Lesson Title: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. 1911
Suggested Grade Levels: 9-12
Major Themes/Concepts:
Labor laws
Child and women labor abuses
Factory safety issues
Progressive Movement
Unions
Labor strikes
Labor
Lesson Objectives:
The student will:
1. Analyze the causes and effects of the Triangle Factory Fire
2. Develop skills to analyze images
3. Evaluate the importance of the Triangle Factory court case
Background Information.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Trial
by Doug Linder (2002)
It was a warm spring Saturday in New York City, March 25, 1911. On the top three floors of the ten-story
Asch Building just off of Washington Square, employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory began putting
away their work as the 4:45 p.m. quitting time approached. Most of the several hundred Triangle Shirtwaist
employees were teenage girls. Most were recent immigrants. Many spoke only a little English.
Just then somebody on the eighth floor shouted, "Fire!" Flames leapt from discarded rags between the first
and second rows of cutting tables in the hundred-foot-by-hundred-foot floor. Triangle employee William
Bernstein grabbed pails of water and vainly attempted to put the fire out. As a line of hanging patterns
began to burn, cries of "fire" erupted from all over the floor. In the thickening smoke, as several men
continued to fling water at the fire, the fire spread everywhere--to the tables, the wooden floor trim, the
partitions, the ceiling. A shipping clerk dragged a hose in the stairwell into the rapidly heating room, but
nothing came--no pressure. Terrified and screaming, girls climbed through streamed down the narrow fire
escape and Washington Place stairway or jammed into the single passenger elevator.
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Dinah Lifschitz, at her eighth-floor post, telephoned the tenth floor headquarters of the Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory: "I heard Mary Alter's voice on the other end. I told her there was a fire on the eighth floor, to tell
Mr. Blanck." Lifschitz tried next to alert the workers on the ninth floor. She got no answer. "I can't get
anyone! I can't get anyone!", she yelled. On the eighth floor, only Lifschitz and Samuel Bernstein remained
in the gathering smoke and flames. Bernstein told Lifschitz to escape, while he attempted a daring dash
through the blaze into the Greene Street staircase. He ran up to the ninth floor, but found the fire so
intense he could not enter. He continued up to the tenth floor where he found panicked employees
"running around like wildcats." Some employees had fled through the elevator, but now that it had stopped
running the only escape route was to the roof on top of the Asch building. Assistant cashier Joseph Flecher
looked down from the tenth floor roof to see "my girls, my pretty ones, going down through the air. They hit
the sidewalk spread out and still."
Fifteen feet above the Asch building roof, Professor Frank Sommer was teaching his class at the New York
University Law School when he saw dozens of hysterical Shirtwaist workers stumbling around on the roof
below. Sommer and his students found ladders left by painters and placed them so as to allow the
escaping employees to climb to the school roof. The last tenth-floor worker saved was an unconscious girl
with smoldering hair who was dragged up the ladder. Of the approximately seventy workers on the tenth
floor, all but one survived.
In the hell of the ninth-floor, 145 employees, mostly young women, would die. Those that acted quickly
made it through the Greene Street stairs, climbed down a rickety fire escape before it collapsed, or
squeezed into the small Washington Place elevators before they stopped running. The last person on the
last elevator to leave the ninth floor was Katie Weiner, who grabbed a cable that ran through the elevator
and swung in, landing on the heads of other girls. A few other girls survived by jumping into the elevator
shaft, and landing on the roof of the elevator compartment as it made its final descent. The weight of the
girls caused the car to sink to the bottom of the shaft, leaving it immobile. For those left on the ninth floor,
forced to choose between an advancing inferno and jumping to the sidewalks below, many would jump.
Others, according to survivor Ethel Monick, became "frozen with fear" and "never moved."
It took only eighteen minutes to bring the fire under control, and in ten minutes more it was practically "all
over." Water soaked a pile of thirty or more bodies on the Greene Street sidewalk. Doctors pawed through
heaps of humanity looking for signs of life. Police tried desperately to keep crowds of hysterical relatives
from overrunning the disaster scene. Officers filled coffins and loaded them into patrol wagons and
ambulances. The bodies were taken to a temporary morgue set up on a covered pier at the foot of East
Twenty-sixth Street. Firemen searched the burned-out floors of the Asch building, hoping to find survivors.
What they mostly found were, according to Chief Edward Croker, "bodies burned to bare bones, skeletons
bending over sewing machines." Four hours after the fire, workers discovered a lone survivor trapped in
rising water at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
Looking for Blame
Within two days after the fire, city officials began announcing preliminary conclusions concerning the tragic
fire. Fire Marshal William Beers stated that the fire probably began when a lighted match was thrown into
either waste near oil cans or into clippings under cutting table No. 2 on the Greene Street side of the eighth
floor. Despite an announced policy of no smoking in the factory, Beers reported that fire investigators
picked up many cigarette cases near the spot of the fires origin, and that many employees reported that
smoking on the premises was commonplace. Fire Chief Edward Croker told the press that doors leading
into the factory workplace appeared to be locked and that his men had to chop their way through doors to
get at the fire.
Many pointed fingers at New York City's Building Department, blaming it for an inadequate inspection of the
Triangle Shirtwaist factory. District Attorney Charles Whitman called for "an immediate and rigid"
investigation to determine whether the Building Department "had complied with the law." Coroner
Holtzhauser, sobbing after his inspection of the Asch Building, declared: "Only one little fire escape! I shall
proceed against the Building Department along with the others. They are as guilty as any." Defending the
Department against charges he called "outrageously unfair," Borough President George McAneny said the
building met standards when plans were filed for it eleven years earlier, and that the Department was
seriously understaffed and underfunded and rarely had time to look at buildings except those being
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constructed.
Calls for justice continued to grow. Rev. Charles Slattery, rector of a church a few blocks from the fire
scene, told his congregation that "It will perhaps be discovered that someone was too eager to make
money out of human energy to provide the proper safeguards." At an emotional protest meeting on
Twenty-Second Street four days after the fire, relatives of the dead broke into hysterical cries of despair.
People began fainting, and over fifty persons were treated. The editor of a socialist paper told the crowd
that "These deaths resulted because capital begrudged the price of another fire escape." At Cooper Union,
a banner stretching across the platform said: "Locked doors, overcrowding, inadequate fire escapes....We
demand for all women the right to protect themselves." Fire Chief Croker issued a statement urging "girls
employed in lofts and factories to refuse to work when they find [potential escape] doors locked."
Much of the public outrage fell on Triangle Shirtwaist owners Isaac Harris and Max Blanck. Harris and
Blanck were called "the shirtwaist kings," operating the largest firm in the business. They sold their
medium-quality popular garment to wholesalers for about $18 a dozen. They ran their factory by hiring
machine operators and allocating to each about six sewing machines from among the 240 machines on the
ninth floor. The operators hired young girls and women, usually immigrants, who he would then instruct in
the art of shirtwaist-making. The girls earned whatever the machine operator chose to pay them.
Overworked and underpaid, garment workers struck Triangle in the fall of 1909. Management responded
by hiring prostitutes to "strike women" and thugs and plainclothes detectives "to hustle them off to court on
flimsy pretexts," according to an article in Survey magazine. The strike soon spread to other shirtwaist
manufacturers. By Christmas, 723 employees had been arrested, but the public largely sided with labor.
After thirteen weeks, the strike ended with new contracts establishing a 52-hour maximum work week and
wage increases of 12 to 15%.
Two weeks after the fire, a grand jury indicted Triangle Shirtwaist owners Isaac Harris and Max Blanck on
charges of manslaughter.
The trial was held in December of 1922. After the defense and prosecution had presented their cases,
the jury retired to deliberate. After just less than two hours of discussion, the jury returned a verdict of
not guilty. The District Attorney moved for a second trial of Harris and Blanck in March 1912 based
on manslaughter indictments involving different victims than those in the first trial. The case was
dismissed, however, on grounds of Double Jeopardy. In March of 1914 twenty-three individual suits
for damages against Triangle were settled for an average of just $75 per life lost.
Introductory/Anticipatory Set:
Project one of the Triangle Factory Fire images located at
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/photos/cartoon_display.html?sec_id=10 on an overhead
transparency or power point slide. The following political cartoon could be used.
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Conduct a discussion with students concerning the image. Questions could include:
1. The author is depicting what historical event?
2. What symbolism is used?
3. Does the cartoonist present a bias viewpoint? Explain.
4. Is this an accurate assessment of what happened in the Triangle Factory Fire?
Material/Resources:
United States history, American government, and/or economics textbook and pertinent handouts.
D. Linder. Famous Trials.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm
Cornell University. The Triangle Factory Fire.
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/default.html
Famous Trials. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial. 1911
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration “Cartoon Analysis Worksheet”.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/cartoon.html
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The Process/Procedures of Instruction:
1. Do one or more of the following before discussing the Triangle Shirtwaist Trial: (a) assign
pertinent readings in the United States history textbook that relates to the Triangle Factory fire
or related incidents (b) provide students with handouts that provide a brief summary of the
historical background related to the fire [The teacher could use the Historical Background
included with this lesson that is provided by Professor Linder] (c) conduct one class period in
a computer lab where students can review one or more websites that discuss the Triangle
Factory fire.
2. Conduct a teacher led oral discussion of the following:
a. Background of the historical event
b. Summary of selected local, state, or federal laws that relate to the event
c. Key issues and results of the trial
Learning Advice (Suggestions for teaching the lesson):
1. Conduct one class period in a computer lab where students can access D. Linder’s Famous
Trials located at http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm
2. Provide students with handouts and/or books, website addresses, etc. that address the
historical event before a discussion of that event.
3. Discuss events/issues related to the historical event such as: freedom of contract, Muller v.
Oregon (1908), Lochner v. New York (1905), the Progressive Movement, Rose
Schneiderman (a Women’s Trade Union League organizer), New York labor laws, labor
unions, labor strikes, etc.
4. NOTE: Teachers should select one aspect of the trial to discuss for a one-day lesson. The
topic is obviously too extensive to discuss in one day. This lesson should only be introduced
to students after they have been exposed to the various historical events/personalities in earlier
lessons/discussions.
5. Teachers could emphasize some constitutional issue i.e. double jeopardy, related to the trial
for a discussion on or near Constitution Day in September of each school year.
Summary/Conclusion:
Students will analyze the causes and effects of the Triangle Factory fire with reference to the trial and
any subsequent laws passed to address the issues involved. Students will also develop skills to
analyze primary sources.
Assessment Activities:
Option 1:
Assign students one of the political cartoons “New York Evening Journal 3/31/1911”or
“Inspector of Buildings” located at Famous Trials. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial. 1911
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/triangleimages.html Instruct
students to use the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration “Cartoon Analysis
Worksheet located at http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/cartoon.html as
a guide for the analysis.
Option 2:
Instruct student to select one of the images located at the following website:
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The Triangle Shirtwaist Trial: Selected Images and analyze the image using the National
Archives and Records Administration Photograph Analysis Worksheet located at
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/photo.html
Option 3:
Teachers also have the option of creating their own evaluative tool, utilizing the following
Photograph Analysis Rubric, or creating their own modified version of the Photograph
Analysis Rubric for analyzing political cartoons.
This rubric is created to use when evaluating assignments that require students to do an
analysis of a photograph.
Photograph Analysis Rubric
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
100 – 90 % 89 – 80 % 79 – 70 % 69 – 60 % 69 % and under
Accuracy of No mistakes, Few if any Some, but not Several Many mistakes
Analysis scholarly and mistakes. Any many, mistakes made. Does not
accurate. Excellent mistakes were mistakes made. Fair show an
analysis of the minor in nature. made. Good analysis of adequate analysis
photographs Very good analysis the of the
shown. analysis of the shown. photograph photograph.
photograph shown.
shown.
Integrated Used many details Used many Used some Used one or Used no historical
pertinent in a thorough and details to details to two details; details. Made
historical expert manner. illustrate topic. illustrate topic. alluded to factual errors.
details into the details
analysis vaguely.
Demonstrated Excellent Clearly Understood Followed Thinking not
learning and understanding of understood the the directions, justified; no
understanding the photograph photograph well. photograph had a basic evidence that
and made knowledge of knowledge of the
connections the photograph was
between facts and photograph. acquired.
ideas.
Mechanics Grammar is Grammar is Occasional Distracting Fragmented
Grammar without flaws and quality in nature. errors but not errors, sentences and
professional in enough to difficult to grammar very
nature. distract. read. difficult to
understand.
Creativity Very clever; Displays creative Shows some Attempts No analysis
creatively analysis. creative analysis, but Indicated.
analyzed. analysis. not clearly
stated.
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General Notes (Extension Activities):
Students could be assigned one or more of the following activities:
1. Select a Internet website that addresses the historical event and write an analysis of the
website with reference to historical accuracy, author bias, source of the information, use of
primary sources, and value for a student wanting to learn more about this particular event.
2. Select a written document, political cartoon, photograph, or map that relates to the historical
event. Use the pertinent National Archives and Records Administration analysis worksheet to
evaluate the primary source.
3. Review two or more United States history textbooks (or two other sources) that discuss the
historical event and write an analysis of the similarities and differences. Or have students
utilize the Venn Diagram located at ReadingQwest.org Venn Diagrams. [Access link to Venn
diagram with summary blanks] http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/venn.html
4. Instruct two students or groups of students to engage in a cooperative endeavor where one
student/group represents the defense attorney and one student/group represents the prosecutor.
The two students/groups engage in an oral debate in the classroom after conducting research.
Bibliography:
Books:
Urofsky, Melvin I. And Finkelman, Paul. A March of Liberty. A Constitutional
History of the United States. From the Founding to 1890. Vol. 1. 2nd Edition.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Urofsky, Melvin I. And Finkelman, Paul. A March of Liberty. A Constitutional History
of the United States. From 1877 to the Present. Vol. 1. 2nd Edition. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2002.
Urofsky, Melvin I. And Finkelman, Paul. Documents of American Constitutional and
Legal History. Vol. 1. 2nd Edition. “From the Founding Through the Age of
Industrialization.” New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Urofsky, Melvin I. and Finkelman, Paul. Documents of American Constitutional and
Legal History. Vol. II. 2nd Edition. “From the Age of Industrialization to the
Present.” New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
We the People. The Citizen and the Constitution. Calabasas, CA: Center for Civic
Education. 1995.
Magazines:
“Business History.” Magazine of History. Fall, 1996. Pp. 5-33. [Series of articles and lesson
plans about business history].
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“Labor History.” Magazine of History. Winter, 1997. Pp. 5-68.
[Series of articles and lesson plans about labor history].
Internet:
Cornell University. The Triangle Factory Fire.
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/default.html
D. Linder’s Famous Trials.http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm
Famous Trials. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial. 1911
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html
History Matters. Making Sense of Documentary Photographs.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/Photos/
“Photograph Analysis Guide. The Library of Congress. The Learning Page.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/educators/workshop/sah/photo.html
ReadingQwest.org Venn Diagrams. [ Access link to Venn diagram with summary blanks].
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/venn.html
Teaching with Historic Places. Photo Analysis Worksheet.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/photoana.htm
US National Archives and Records Administration. Analysis Worksheets.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration “Cartoon Analysis Worksheet”.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/cartoon.html
VennDiagram. Com Venn Basics.
http://www.venndiagram.com/intro.html
What Are Primary Sources. Learning Page. Library of Congress.
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/educators/workshop/discover/primary.html
“What Did You See? Photo Analysis Guide.” The Library of Congress. The Learning
Page. http://memory.loc.gov/learn/educators/workshop/discover/guide4.html
Directions for uploading lesson plans to the TAHG website:
1. Save the lesson plan to a disk or your computer hard drive.
2. Access the TAHG website located at http://amhist.ist.unomaha.edu/
3. Follow the directions for uploading your lesson plan to the TAHG website.
4. Notify Michael Young via email michael.young@ops.org of the title of each lesson plan
uploaded
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5. Contact Michael Young if you need a copy of the instructions for uploading lessons plans to
the TAHG website
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