Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • What are the signs of living a comfortable life in today’s America?
  • Summarize the challenges that working class Americans face.

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of investigative journalist and author of Northwestern University professor Kevin Boyle introducing Bartolomeo Vanzetti and describing his immigration to the United States. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #1: Bartolomeo Vanzetti (4:39).

  • Based on the clip, what was Bartolomeo Vanzetti’s nickname? Why?
  • What did Vanzetti do on June 9th, 1908? Describe his “trip.”
  • According to Kevin Boyle, what did Vanzetti experience upon reaching the United States? How did his experience compare to others’ experiences?
  • Why was Vanzetti “terrified?”
  • Where did Vanzetti ultimately end up, according to Boyle?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage.

  We recommend having your students complete the activity in a jigsaw format to save time. Or, depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students engage in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student is responsible for completing one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.

  Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• BACKGROUND

  Direct students to the background section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following four video clips that provide background information on the growth of the American industrial system and its impact on immigration and class. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #2: American Industrial System (3:19).

  • In what two ways was the American industrial system “constructed?”
  • Based on the clip, what did the majority of Americans do for work in 1900?
  • Which people were not “burdened” by the American industrial system?
  • According to Kevin Boyle, who was J.P. Morgan? Characterize his wealth.

• Clip #3: Middle and Working Class (5:29).

  • Who made up the “middle class,” and what did these individuals provide?
  • How does the image of the middle class home shown in the clip depict the American industrial system?
  • According to Kevin Boyle, what two changes were made possible in middle class homes because of the American industrial system?
  • Based on the clip, which class was burdened by the American industrial system?

• Clip #4: Core Industrial Areas (7:03).

  • What is a “core industrial area,” and where was this located in the United States? Where else was there a core industrial area?
  • To where did the core industrial area “reach out,” and how did it impact these areas? Why?
  • According to Kevin Boyle, why did people begin to move to the core industrial areas?
  • How did the United States meet its “demand” for new workers?

• Clip #5: Immigration (6:17).

  • According to Kevin Boyle, how were immigrants often viewed in the United States?
  • Where did “most” European immigrants move to? How did those individuals compare to those immigrating to the United States?
  • What was Bartolomeo Vanzetti “trained” to do? Summarize his “problem.”
  • Based on the clip, in what other way was Vanzetti’s family impacted mass industrialization?
  • Other than the economy, to what else is immigration “tied?”

• DAILY LIFE

  Direct students to the daily life section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following four video clips that detail the experiences of lower class individuals during the American industrial age. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #6: Wages in the U.S. (5:45).

  • According to Kevin Boyle, how did wages in the American industrial system compare to wages in Europe?
  • What did most immigrants “plan” to do?
  • Summarize the “tricky part” about wages in the United States?
  • How was the U.S. economy “volatile,” and what impact did this have on the working class?

• Clip #7: Incredibly Dangerous (3:38).

  • What made American industry “dangerous?”
  • Based on the clip, what was the typical working schedule during the time?
  • Why were accidents “gonna happen?”
  • Compare the dangers in various industries, as described by Kevin Boyle.

• Clip #8: Work, Fear, & Death (7:04).

  • What was Bartolomeo Vanzetti's first job in America, and why was he soon “out of work?”
  • According to Kevin Boyle, what was Vanzetti’s second job and what problems did he experience?
  • To what did Vanzetti begin “spiraling?”
  • Summarize the “great fear” of the working class and how they tried to remedy the fear.
  • Based on the clip, what conditions did the working class of the time face?

• Clip #9: Other Institutions (6:09).

  • To whom did working families “reach out” to for assistance?
  • Why did working class people “connect” with religious institutions?
  • According to Kevin Boyle, what other organizations did working class people join? Why?
  • Based on the clip, what was the purpose of unionization?
  • Through what organizations did some working class people try to “imagine” a different world?

• REFLECTION

  After students share their findings from the lesson, direct them to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following video clip in which Northwestern University professor Kevin Boyle discusses Bartolomeo Vanzetti's downward spiral and shift to anarchism. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #10: Downward Spiral (2:12).

  • What did Bartolomeo Vanzetti experience during his “spiral downward?”
  • According to Kevin Boyle, what political philosophy did Vanzetti encounter? Summarize this philosophy.

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished with the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Describe how the story of Bartolomeo Vanzetti can be used to describe life during the American industrial age. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your response.