Day One

Prior to class, arrange the primary sources in folders according to perspective. Here are perspectives and the documents and images which should be included:

Management

• Henry C. Frick


• Andrew Carnegie


• Fort Frick During the 1892 Homestead Strike


• Alexander Berkmann Attempts to Assassinate Henry C. Frick


• Student Handout 2-Carnegie Correspondence to Frick


• Student Handout 3-Frick Explains

Church

• Rev. James J. McIlyar


• Rev. Father John J. Bullion


• Student Handout 4- Burial of the Dead


• Student Handout 5-Eulogy of the Dead


• Student Handout 6-The Homestead Incident

Pinkertons

• Color Engraving of The Homestead Strike, by W.P. Synder, 1892


• Coroner Inquiry Report of Pinkerton Detective Edward Spear


• Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Cover


• Coroner Inquiry Report Cover of Pinkerton Mike Conners


• Statement to Coroner regarding Mike (T.J.) Conners


• Conners" Biographical Information for Press


• Student Handout 7-Pinkerton Stories from Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette


• Student Handout 8-Pinkerton Testimony


• Student Handout 9-Sworn Statement by Pinkertons

Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers/Strikers

• Strike at the Carnegie steelworks in Homestead, Pennsylvania, 1892


• Advisory Board members of the Homestead Steel Strike


• Hugh O'Donnell


• The World Cartoon, July 7, 1892


• The Modern Baron with Ancient Methods


• Biographical Information for Rutter


• Coroner Inquiry Report Cover of George Rutter


• Coroner Inquiry Report Reverse Side[FIX ME ’–"“”]George Rutter


• Student Handout 10-Preamble of Constitution of Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers


• Student Handout 11-O'Donnell Speech and Action


• Student Handout 12-"Tyrant Frick" Song

1. Explain to your students that they are going to learn about a very pivotal moment in history for labor/management relationships in the United States: July 6, 1892. Disseminate Student Handout 1-Summary of Battle of Homestead and ask them to read it silently.



2. Display Student Handout 12-Homestead Map on an overhead projector. Point out number 6, the place where the Pinkerton barges landed, and ask students to locate strategic points the union might have watched by strike breakers (numbers 3, 6, 8, and 9).



3. Lead a general discussion about the summary:
   
   
   • Do you think the events were inevitable, or do you think they could have been avoided?
   
   
   • What do you think about the workers" actions? Were they justified?
     (On the one hand they were banding together to fight for their jobs upon which they and their families depended. On the other hand they trespassed on company property and resorted to violence.)
   
   
   • What do you think you would do to protect your jobs and see that you are being paid fairly? Would you join a union?
   
   
   • Does an employer have the right to run his company as he sees fit, without organized worker representation? Why were Frick and Carnegie opposed to a union?
   
   
   • What do you think about Frick's use of Pinkertons to escort strike-breakers into the company?
   
   
   • Why do you think this was a pivotal moment for labor/management relationship?
   
   [At Homestead before the 1892 strike, the union had succeeded in affecting company policy (workers" wages) to a limited degree. This was unusual. If the union had a chance to increase its power and influence with large corporations, this was one of its better chances. The fact that it failed to do so, dictated the heavy-hand of management rule for years to come. Because Homestead workers were able to make the Pinkertons surrender, other strikes looked to Homestead for inspiration. Most strikes during this period, however, ended favorably for management.]


4. Ask students to name the different perspectives/players in this strike. List them on the board. The list could include such people as: union workers, non-union workers, Pinkertons, management, church/pastors, townspeople, outsiders, strikers" families, sheriff, government officials, and state militia.



5. After the list of perspectives is completed, circle union workers, Pinkertons, management, and church/pastors. Explain to students that they will be exploring each of these perspectives in more depth. Divide the class into four groups. Assign each group a perspective and hand them the corresponding folder which you prepared prior to class. In addition to the folders, disseminate to each student in the group the related worksheet to help analyze the materials in the folder. The worksheets are labeled according to perspective:
   
   
   • Student Worksheet 1-Management Perspective
   
   
   • Student Worksheet 2-The Church Perspective
   
   
   • Student Worksheet 3-Pinkerton Perspective
   
   
   • Student Worksheet 4-Workers" Perspective
   
   
   There are multiple sources to review in each folder, so allow the remainder of class for this activity.



6. Those who have not completed the worksheets may copy the sources and complete the questions for homework. For more detailed information about July 6, 1892, students may wish to read First Shot-Homestead Strike and After the Battle=Homestead Strike.

Day Two

1. When your class enters the room, ask them to sit in the groups they were assigned to yesterday and to take out their perspective worksheets. Handout out Student Worksheet 5-Note Taking of Different Perspectives for note taking purposes during the upcoming class discussion. Allow students a few moments to fill in the answers for their perspective.



2. Next ask each group to tell about their assigned perspective of the Homestead Strike. Please make sure to include:
   
   
   • What was the main reason for the strike?
   
   
   • What was your part in the events?
   
   
   • How did you feel about the other parties involved in the strike?
   
   
   • What were the outcome/consequences of the event?
   
   
   To enliven the discussion, you may wish students to do this in first-person. ("I felt the main reason of the strike was to gain full control of the company…etc.") You can use the Teacher Guide to Student Worksheet 5-Note Taking of Different Perspectives for a guide during this discussion.



3. After students have shared the various perspectives, ask them if they noticed another perspective we have not yet mentioned in the analysis of their sources. You are looking for the response of "The Press." Ask students in what ways the Press can influence the coverage of events? (They can choose to cover something or not cover something. They can show a bias through language to a particular group or region.) Ask for volunteers to give specific examples from their sources of ways the press influenced the coverage of their group's perspective.



4. Finally, ask students to write a newspaper article about the events at Homestead from a well-rounded and unbiased perspective. They may use the notes they have taken from the other perspectives. Make sure your students:
   
   
   
   • Open with an interesting/creative sentence to capture the readers" attention.
   
   
   • Maintain objectivity.
   
   
   • Near the beginning of the article (1st paragraph) answer the questions: who, what, when, where, why.
   
   
   • Organize their main ideas and supporting sentences with logical structure.
   
   
   • Address main reasons for the Homestead Strike, relationships of those involved, and outcome of the event.
   
   
   • Use specific quotes from primary sources as elaboration.
   
   
   • End with a final, interesting thought.
   
   
   • Edit their work (use appropriate grammar, spelling, mechanics)
   
   
   You may wish to show your students the grading rubric before they begin the assignment.



5. Students can begin this article in class and complete it for homework.