American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > The Mill Bell Rings

The Mill Bell Rings

Details

Author
Christine Mullen
Topic/Subject Area
Industry, Occupation, Work; Family, Children, Marriage, Courtship
Historical Era
Rise of Industrial America, 1878–1899
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5), Middle School (6–8)
Creation Date
2008
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that child labor laws have evolved and that the National Child Labor Commission had a major impact on this evolution. Students will understand that many mills which used child labor were located in Massachusetts, some within their own towns.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Websites

 

 

Teaching Plan

  1. Pre-activities: This lesson will take place in the middle of a unit on industrialization. Students will already have an understanding of mill working conditions and that children were used for their cheap labor. They will have completed a read aloud and discussion on the book Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop, giving them insight into the life of a young mill girl. In the room display images of local or New England mills or factories. In a classroom within Franklin or Hampshire Counties in Massachusetts, I would suggest displaying images from the “Collection Items” above such as those of the New Home Sewing Machine Co., Russell Cutlery, Starrett Co., Minute Tapioca Factory, and the Sprague Co. In addition display the “Table of the Lowell Mills” and review the schedule with the students. This will set the mood and tone of the lesson and allow for some discussion about the mills where many children were employed.
  2. Have the students read the advertisements looking for girls to work in the mills and then examine the 1875 census to show how many children their age were working in the mills.
  3. Next give each student a picture of a child at work. Use pictures from the History Place or another site with photographs by Lewis Hine. Teachers should select pictures with discussion questions in mind.
  4. Have the students brainstorm a list of ideas and thoughts about what it might have been like to do the job of the person in their photograph.
  5. Next have the children write a first-person story about the child in their photograph using their knowledge of millwork.
  6. After the students have written and shared their stories, lead them in a brief discussion regarding the Child Labor Laws. Begin by showing them the pamphlet from the National Child Labor Commission from the “Collection Items.” Discuss the meaning behind pamphlets such as these.
  7. Finally, review the Child Labor Project’s timeline of child labor, stressing the importance of the Child Labor Commission and the Lewis Hine photographs, and how these two things impacted the child labor laws.