THEATER
Rosie the Riveter Study Guide
A Musical by Jeff Duncan and Brian E. Buckner
This project is supported in part by the Ford Motor Company Fund, James A. and
Faith Knight Foundation, Delta Pilots Charitable Fund, Michigan Council for Arts
and Cultural Affairs, Michigan Humanities Council, and the National Endowment
for the Arts.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
About Rosie the Riveter and the Study Guide, the Ford Motor
Company Bomber Plant at Willow Run, and Wild Swan Theater
pp. 3-4
Suggested Activities for Your Classroom
1. About American Sign Language (ASL) in Wild Swan
Theater Productions: Making Theater Accessible to Everyone
2. The Great Migration--I pick up my life, And take it with me…”
3. Rosie the Riveter and the Changing Workforce
4. Using Oral History to Learn About the Past—What did you
do during…? Where were you when…?
pp. 5-12
Annotated Bibliography - Selected Print, Online, Film, and
Historic Site Resources
pp. 13-15
Connections to Michigan Grade Level and High School Content
Expectations
pp. 16-17
Acknowledgements
p. 17
Handout # 1 –American Sign Language Alphabet Chart
Excerpts from Reviews of the Broadway Production
of Spring Awakening
p. 18
Handout #2 –Scene from the play Rosie the Riveter between
Berenice and Miss Langley
pp. 19-20
Handout #3 -- Analyzing Historical Resources
p. 21
Handout #4 – Good Work Sister
p. 22
Handout #5 —“Women in Industry Must Not Be Coddled
or Kidded,” New York Times, June 16, 1943
p. 23
2
ABOUT ROSIE THE RIVETER AND THIS STUDY GUIDE
Created for 4 -12 grade audiences, Rosie the Riveter, tells the remarkable story of the women
who filled thousands of factory jobs left empty by men suddenly called to war. The iconic
“Rosie the Riveter,” offers a unique lens for examining historical themes and barriers to
economic opportunity and equality that resonate to this day. With the cooperation of the
Michigan Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA), we are thrilled to be
uncovering and sharing the stories of these trailblazing women who were among the millions
who altered forever our nation’s workforce and workplace. We believe these Michigan
“Rosie’s” offer a distinctive voice and our goal is – with their participation – to present their
story. By attending these performances and accessing associated resources, audiences will have
the opportunity to learn about the role of women and industry in building Michigan's "Arsenal of
Democracy."
th
th
Written by playwright Jeff Duncan with a soaring music score evocative of the era by composer
Brian E. Buckner, Rosie the Riveter features four fictional women inspired by interviews with
those who worked at the Willow Run and Detroit bomber plants. It will introduce audiences to
stories of a diverse group of women who helped redefine the roles, expectations, and
occupational choices of women. The play provides a sensitive and accessible exploration of race,
culture, and diversity as these women found themselves working side by side with people
different from themselves.
We have witnessed how theater engages emotions, inspires curiosity, and tells stories of cultural
and historical significance. Musical theater allows us to examine values, dreams, and constraints
encountered by women during wartime. Original Songs like Coal, Coal, Coal, Jump Jim Crow,
Girl Like Me, and The Heart is Tough communicate myriad aspects of the human experience.
We believe Rosie the Riveter will be another Wild Swan Theater experience that encourages
audiences to dream big and imagine a brighter future–just as many of these “Rosies” did.
The Rosie the Riveter Study Guide offers discussion questions, activities, and resources that can
be used to deepen understanding. The suggested activities in this study guide are intended to
introduce some of the key themes and topics in the play—women in the wartime workforce, Jim
Crow laws, the migration of southerners to the north, We have identified related Grade Level
and High School Content Expectations so you can see how classroom curriculum goals can be
explored and reinforced. We strive to ensure that each Study Guide is useful and useable, so
please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any suggestions
at [email protected]. Thank you!
ABOUT THE FORD BOMBER PLANT AT WILLOW RUN
Completed in 1941, the Ford Motor Company Bomber Plant at Willow Run was the largest
factory in the world under a single roof. Henry Ford’s automobile mass-production technology
was applied to build B-24 bomber planes. Initially, the plant was the “problem child of war
production” plagued by labor and housing shortages that earned it the nickname “Willit Run?”
Workers were recruited from the South and women were hired and employee housing was
constructed. Production began in 1942 and continued until June 28, 1945. During that time, the
3
Ford Motor Company produced almost half of the B-24s built--8,685 out of 19,256. At its peak,
the 67-acre plant employed 42,000 workers and was producing one plane every hour.
Rosie the Riveter will introduce students to the authentic stories of those who helped redefine
roles, expectations, and the economic and occupational choices of women. This new production
will feature four fictional women inspired by conversations with those who worked at the
Willow Run and Detroit Bomber Plants. Themes to be explored in Rosie the Riveter include:
• Changing and conflicting expectations for women—Tension existed between the economic
roles and popular images of women during wartime and the views of women’s proper sphere
after the war.
• Women’s participation in the workforce and entry into non-traditional occupations--For
many middle class American women, wartime production demands required their entry into
the workplace. The aviation industry saw the greatest increase in female workers. More than
310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry in 1943, representing 65 percent of the
industry’s total workforce (compared to just 1 percent in the pre-war years).
• Discrimination in the workplace based on class, culture, race, or gender --The Great
Migration resulted in the massive relocation of southern (black and white) workers and
southern belief systems—to southeastern Michigan..
ABOUT WILD SWAN THEATER
Wild Swan Theater is dedicated to producing professional theater of the highest artistic quality
for families and to making that theater accessible to everyone including low income, minority,
and disabled children through low ticket prices and innovative outreach programs.
Wild Swan Theater was founded in 1980. Since its inception, the company of professional adult
actors, dancers, musicians, visual artists, and American Sign Language performers has
performed for hundreds of thousands of children in its home base of Ann Arbor and in schools,
theaters, museums and public libraries throughout Michigan. Since the beginning, Wild Swan
has been committed to making theater accessible to audiences with special needs. Our ground
breaking work for deaf, blind, and developmentally and physically disabled patrons has
redefined accessibility across the nation and around the world. In the early 1980s, Wild Swan
was one of the first theater companies in the nation to incorporate American Sign Language
(ASL) for hearing impaired audiences and audio-description for visually impaired theater-goers
into all of our mainstage performances. All the components of Wild Swan productions, scripts,
acting, music, and dance, are selected and developed for their outstanding artistry with the theory
that children should experience the very best in the arts. Almost all scripts are original, created
especially for Wild Swan. Original music is composed for every play and performed live onstage
by noted musicians like award-winning folk musician David Mosher, harmonica virtuoso Peter
“Madcat” Ruth, Motown veteran Vincent York, and Ann Arbor’s world-famous duo, Gemini.
4
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR CLASSROOM
1. About American Sign Language (ASL) in Wild Swan Theater (WST)
Productions: Making Theater Accessible to Everyone
Materials Needed
• Handout # 1 American Sign Language Alphabet Chart and Excerpts from Reviews of
the Broadway Production of Spring Awakening
Objectives
By participating in this activity, students will:
• Understand the purpose and use of ASL in communications
• Develop some skill by practicing the use of ASL to communicate with others
• Reflect on the impact of ASL performers on a live theatrical production
Background
Wild Swan Theater strives to create theater productions that all audience members can enjoy.
ASL is the language that children and adults who are deaf use to communicate. WST shadow
interprets all of its performances for the deaf that are part of its season of productions at
Washtenaw Community College.
In the early 1980s, we were one of the first theater companies in the nation to incorporate ASL
into all of our mainstage performances, and invented a new aesthetic for the theater by fully
integrating ASL actors into the central action of the play. When you see a Wild Swan production,
you will notice that the people who do the signing, the interpreters, are part of the production and
wear costumes just like the rest of the actors. When you attend a WST production, you will see
the signing completely woven into the performance. That way people who are deaf can see what
the speaking actors are doing and what the signing actors are doing at the same time.
Recently the Deaf West Theatre’s production of Spring Awakening opened to wide critical
acclaim on Broadway. This new production revived an already revolutionary musical by
choreographing ASL into the production. Its success demonstrates how arts and culture thrive
by being inclusive and serving more communities.
Instructional Sequence
• Discuss with students how and why Wild Swan Theater uses ASL in its performances.
• Ask whether students have used ASL to communicate or have seen ASL interpreters.
• Copy and distribute or project Handout #1 American Sign Language (ASL) Alphabet
Chart and Excerpts from Reviews of the Broadway Production of Spring Awakening
• Ask student to “sign the alphabet” or make the letters of the alphabet using the chart or have
them try spelling their name using sign language or try spelling words and phrases.
o Share the review excerpts of Spring Awakening with students prior to viewing the
performance. Discuss and assess the reviewers opinions of the play.
o Provide some specific questions to guide student observation during the performance
to:
o How do the ASL interpreters and actors works together to communicate ideas,
feelings, and emotions?
5
•
o What are the different layers of communication—visual and auditory—that are used
to tell the story?
o What do you think are the advantages for the hearing audience and the deaf audience
of using ASL interpreters in a performance?
After students have seen the play, ask students to think about how these reviews aligned with
their experience of Rosie the Riveter. In what ways do they think American Sign Language
added a new dimension to Rosie the Riveter. Discuss student observations and responses to
viewing questions:
o How did the ASL interpreters and actors works together to communicate ideas,
feelings, and emotions?
o What were the different layers of communication—visual and auditory—that are used
to tell the story?
o What did you think were the advantages for the hearing audience and the deaf
audience of using ASL interpreters in a performance?
o Ask students to prepare written comments or a short review of Rosie the Riveter that
focuses on how it uses ASL shadow interpreters help tell the story.
2. The Great Migration--“I pick up my life, And take it with me…”
Materials Needed: Handout # 2 Scene from the play, Rosie the Riveter, between Berenice
and Ms. Langley
Objectives
By participating in these activities, students will:
• Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions influence events.
• Compare and contrast characters, settings, or events in a story.
• Describe how a particular story’s plot unfolds in a scene from a play.
• Imagine and role play a new set of actions and responses.
• Collaborate as a group to imagine
Background
The “Great Migration,” lasting from 1915 to 1970, involved six million people and was one of
the largest internal migrations in U.S. history. African Americans were driven from the South by
laws, rules and customs that discriminated, intimidated, and terrorized. Referred to as Jim Crow
laws, they controlled all aspects of African American lives and took away many of the rights
which had been granted to blacks through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Under Jim
Crow, African Americans endured daily injustices and humiliations. African Americans were
pulled to the North, Midwest, and West by the promise of better opportunities. However, they
discovered obstacles to housing, employment, and education existed outside the South. In his
book, Black Boy, Richard Wright wrote about his arrival in the North: “I had fled one insecurity
and embraced another.” Poetry was another art form of the “Great Migration” and Langston
Hughes explores the theme of migration in poems such as One Way Ticket (1949), in which the
narrator expresses sadness and regret when he or she says, “I pick up my life, And take it with
me…”
6
The “Great Migration” contributed to explosive population growth in many cities, including
Detroit. According to the Detroit African American History Project,
http://www.daahp.wayne.edu/biographiesDisplay.php?id=57 “From 1910 to 1920, the population
of Detroit's African-Americans community grew from 5,741 to 40,838, an increase of over
600%, with most of those migrating over the span of just a few years. By 1960, 482,229 African
Americans lived in Detroit, representing 28.9 % of the city's population. Their migration
transformed both the South from which they left and the North where they sought better
opportunities. In terms of housing, employment, political power, and most other aspects of life,
the increased number and percentage of African Americans in the Detroit metropolitan area
speak to the struggles and strivings of Detroit's African American community and the
industrialization of the United States.”
Glossary
Jim Crow-- The name Jim Crow is often used to describe the segregation laws, rules, and
customs which arose after Reconstruction ended in 1877 and continued until the mid-1960s.
Throughout the 1830s and '40s, the white entertainer Thomas Dartmouth Rice (1808-1860)
appeared on stage as "Jim Crow" -- an exaggerated, highly stereotypical black character. Below
are the words from the song, "Jim Crow," as it appeared in sheet music written by Rice.
"Come listen all you galls and boys,
I'm going to sing a little song,
My name is Jim Crow.
Weel about and turn about and do jis so,
Eb'ry time I weel about I jump Jim Crow."
Instructional Sequence
• Invite students to work in pairs or select two students to read and act out the dialogue from
Handout #2 --Excerpted from the play, Rosie the Riveter.
• In this scene, Berenice gives her employer Ms. Langley her notice, tells her that she is going
to stop being a maid in order to seek a better paying job in the north. Ms. Langley says some
things that are hurtful to Berenice and barely hides her disdain for Berenice’s choice. Even
though she doubts that she will really get the job or that things will work out well for her,
Berenice tries to stay calm and polite. Ask students to further explore the characters, setting,
and story by asking:
o Who are the characters in this scene?
o Describe what is happening in this scene? Where does this scene take place?
o How would you describe each character’s feelings? How are the characters
interacting with each other in this scene?
o What feelings are being expressed in this scene? What are the consequences of this
conversation?
o What do you learn about Ms. Langley from this scene? What do you learn about
Berenice?
o What do you think Berenice is really thinking behind each of the actual lines she
speaks?
“Replay” the scene and have one actor play Ms. Langley, one actor play Berenice, and a third
actor speak aloud what Berenice is really feeling after each of the lines written in the script. (For
7
example: Berenice says something like: "I really appreciate what you done for me." What she
thinks might be: "You never did anything for me.")
Extending Learning Activities
• In another scene from the play, Kathryn tries to explain to her parents why she wants to make
a change in her plans for her future. They are very against her decision to leave college to
work at the bomber factory even though she commits to returning to her studies when the war
is over. Ask students to consider which side they would choose in this argument and identify
the pros and cons of each side. Invite students to work in group of three to role play the
scene. Have students switch roles and replay the scene. Which arguments were the most
persuasive? Why? Can they role play other examples of disagreements between parents and
children where it was a challenge to understand or accept the other perspective?
• Visit http://www.georgeking-assoc.com/gointochicago/poetry.html Read, analyze and
discuss Langston Hughes poem One-Way Ticket or Bound No’th Blues
• Visit http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2015/onewayticket/panel/1/intro Learn
about artist Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series of 60 paintings completed in 1941 that
chronicles the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban
North.
• http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/ A landmark four-part series, The Rise and Fall of Jim
Crow explores segregation from the end of the civil war to the dawn of the modern Civil
Rights Movement. Includes lesson plans, actvites and resources for teachers.
• Visit http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/ The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University
strives to become a leader in social activism and in the discussion of race and race relations.
Many of the artifacts and media pieces within the Jim Crow Museum contain explicit images
of violence, nudity, offensive language, and other mature themes. Because of this, the
Museum is recommended for those 12 years of age and older. The museum tour offers a
"room of dialogue," where visitors are encouraged to discuss what they've seen and how the
objects might be used to promote tolerance and social justice.
• http://www.tolerance.org/publication/teaching-new-jim-crow Lessons developed by
Teaching Tolerance of the Southern Poverty Law Center to support high school teachers who
want to explore the myriad issues surrounding race and justice in our society from Michelle
Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,
3. Rosie the Riveter and the Changing Workforce
Materials Needed
• Handout # 3 -- Analyzing Historic Resources
• Handout #4 – Poster, Good Work, Sister, ca. 1942
• Handout #5 -- Newspaper article—“Women in Industry Must Not Be Coddled or
Kidded,” New York Times, June 16, 1943
• Video--Supervising Women Workers, US Office of Education Training Film, 1944 (10:36)
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ennfIXvQYs4
• Video--MANPOWER , The Office of War Information, 1943 (8:39)
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKrHfTGWxQ4
8
Objectives
By participating in this activity, students will:
• Examine apply critical reading and thinking skills to selected media and their portrayals of
women in the 1940s
• Consider how media can shape public perception and perpetuate bias.
• Discuss how messages about male/female roles and stereotypical beliefs are transmitted and
reinforced
Glossary
Sexism -- 1. prejudice or discrimination based on sex; especially discrimination against women
2. behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex
Stereotype -- To believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the
same
Background
The needs of the homefront and the battlefront during World War II resulted in the expansion of
job opportunities for women. The US government and industry sought to attract women workers
to jobs that through a vigorous recruitment campaign. Persuading the American public to
support the war effort was undertaken by artists, film makers, and writers. Women answered the
call to fill millions of jobs left empty by men suddenly called to war with more than 6 million
women joining the workforce during World War II.
Working was not new to women. These new opportunities were especially significant for
African-American and working class women often relegated to low-paying factory, domestic,
and farm work. Among the white middle class, the division of labor dictated that women were in
the home and men were in the workforce. The need for workers in all employment sectors
challenged this traditional arrangement and many women entered the workforce for the first
time. Women worked not only out of patriotism, but also because of economic necessity and the
personal satisfaction that came with their work. Much of this satisfaction was the result of doing
work that had been thought too difficult for women. When women started working at
traditionally male jobs they challenged the assumptions and biases of male employees and male
controlled unions. There were no federal laws to protect women and discrimination and sexism
were a part of the wartime workplace. Newspaper articles, training films, and workplaces
practices addressed the “problems in supervision” presented by these new workers.
Rosie the Riveter, the title of a popular song, soon characterized the new woman industrial
worker. Rosie was further popularized in print and in film including Norman Rockwell’s cover
on the Saturday Evening Post magazine. Once women entered the war industries in large
numbers, they were found in every area of production including shipbuilding, munitions
manufacturing, and aircraft manufacturing. The most common Rosie the Riveter was not the
burly woman operating a heavy duty riveting gun in a shipyard. It was a 110 pound woman
operating a light weight riveting gun assembling aircraft components. Southeast Michigan
factories --the “Arsenal of the Democracy”--recruited and hired thousands of women workers.
In 1942, two Briggs Manufacturing plants in Detroit had a total of 870 female workers or 2 % of
the workforce. By the end of 1943, they had 11,049 workers or 45 % of the total workforce. In
9
June 1942, only 8 % of the workers at Willow Run were women. In April 1943 when the plant
employed 35,000 workers, women accounted for 43% of that total.
Instructional Sequence
• Invite students to participate in a general discussion about World War II and its impact on
women’s lives by sharing some of the background information and asking questions such as:
o How did World War II influence and change the experience of American women?
o How did the experience of the war both challenge and reinforce traditional
women’s roles
o What opportunities and challenges did the war present to women in the
workplace and in the home?
• Introduce students to several 1940s resources that reflect specific responses to women in the
wartime workplace.
• View the films and distribute or project copies of the poster and newspaper articles.
• Organize students into small groups and invite them to analyze and discuss a selected
resource using Handout # 3 Analyzing Historical Resources
• Ask students to broaden your perspective by talking to women they know--grandmothers,
mothers, aunts, sisters, neighbors, etc.--about today’s workplace and ask them question such
as:
o What do you think has changed for women in today’s workplace? What do you
think has stayed the same?
o Have you encountered sexism in the workplace? If so, can you give some
examples?
o Are there other places in today’s world that you have encountered sexism or
sterotypes?
Extending Learning Activities
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNQ9q4zsmSA
Women on the Warpath, Ford Motor Company, 1943
Documentary by the Ford Motor Company about women working in traditionally 'male roles'
. The film shows many different factory and industry jobs filled by woman, in particular it
concentrates on scenes of the Willow Run Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft production
plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
• Continue examination of the media today and the portrayal of women could focus on specific
issues, such as violence against women, the status of women in society, international
women’s issues, sex and gender in schools, social justice, and the links between sexism other
forms of oppression (such as racism, homophobia, classism, ablism, etc.). Students can
produce essays, group presentations, collages and other works to explore and discuss these
topics.
4. Using Oral History to Learn About the Past—What did you do during…?
Where were you when…?
Objectives
By participating in this activity, students will:
10
•
•
•
•
Understand that oral history is a way of gathering information to increase understanding
about specific time, place, person, or event.
Analyze, interpret, and conduct research using oral histories.
Use oral history interview techniques to gather information about the past.
Understand that all of us have important stories to share.
Background
Oral history provides opportunities for students to learn about the lives of ordinary Americans
from a variety of perspectives. The stories and memories of everyday people are an essential
supplement to the written record. Oral history projects are a way for students to not only learn
history, but to do history. They can be a fun and effective way to build bridges between students
and the community. By conducting oral history interviews students build both knowledge and
skills. They learn to do research, ask questions, actively listen, transcribe, edit, and design
finished products. Wild Swan Theater worked with the Michigan Chapter of the American Rosie
the Riveter Association to connect with —“real” Rosie the Riveters-- who built bombers at
Willow Run and elsewhere. Their unique and compelling voices shaped the development of
Rosie the Riveter.
Instructional Sequence
• Ask if students know of any family stories, that have been passed down from generation to
generation, about World War II and the “homefront”—women working outside the home, industry
converting from peacetime to wartime manufacturing--building bombers, tanks, and weapons;
rationing; victory gardens; etc. Students could interview individuals in their community about a
•
•
wide variety of related topics such as: Immigration/Migration stories—moving to new parts
of the world or country for better opportunities or Wartime work—employment outside the
home in traditional or non traditional occupations or new responsibilities at home during the
war or topics of their own choosing.
Have students watch and listen to interviews with residents of the Bay Area about their
wartime experiences during World War II at
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/rosie/
Organize students into pairs or small groups and use the following questions from two
excellent resources developed by the Library of Congress and the National World War II
Museum to plan their own Oral History Project presentations (from
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/oral-historyguidelines.html and http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/usinghistory/procedure.html).
o What are the goals and objectives of your project? List the objectives and goals
you want to achieve from collecting oral history information. From this information,
write a short mission statement describing your project (no longer than 100 words)
o Who will you interview? The person you choose to interview should be able to help
you accomplish the project goals and objectives.
o What kind of research will you do ahead of time? Give yourself plenty of time to
research your subject on-line and make a trip to the library.
o What do you want to find out? Prepare your questions in advance. Make sure you
ask the questions that will provide your interviewee the opportunity to share their
memories and opinions with you.
11
•
•
o Where will the interview be conducted? Decide on a centrally located place that is
comfortable and inviting to the interviewee, as well as you. The location should be
free from visual and sound distractions.
o What kind of equipment or supplies will you need? Obtain a tape recorder or video
camera far enough in advance to practice using it properly. Be prepared to take along
an extra audio or video tape, pens, a notebook, an extension cord, or fresh batteries.
o What products will result from your oral history? Transcripts, videotape library,
exhibits, research papers, etc.
Select a date for Oral History Project presentations. Allow time for each group to describe
their interview and research results. Invite students to summarize and share their experience
with the interviews and what they learned about their research topics by asking questions
such as:
o What was the most surprising piece of information your interviews generated? Why
was it surprising?
o What types of interview questions led to relevant, interesting answers? What types of
interview questions were less effective?
o Was it hard to keep interview subjects on the topic? What strategies worked to pull
the person back to the focus of the interview?
o What good follow-up questions did you ask?
o What might have made the interview more productive?
o Did you question the accuracy of the information the interview subject provided?
Why?
o What other sources might you check to see if the interview subject provided accurate
information?
o How do these oral histories affect the way you understand past events, people, or
places?
Discuss and decide on ways to share these stories with others in your school or community.
Extending Learning Activities
Check out other projects that use personal stories and memories to create a more inclusive
portrait of past people, places and events such as:.
• http://www.thehistorymakers.com/ The HistoryMakers: is the nation’s largest African
American Video Oral History Archive.
• https://storycorps.org/ StoryCorps’ mission is to provide people of all backgrounds and
beliefs with the opportunity to record, share and preserve the stories of our lives.
• http://storycorpsu.org/teacher-resources/ StoryCorpsU introduces students to the power of
their own voice. “Introduction to StoryCorps Lesson Plan” is a customizable lesson plan for
students in grades 8-12 that is designed to teach students interviewing and storytelling skills
using StoryCorps content. This lesson plan also includes a list of recommended recordings,
organized by themes of relevance and interest to young people.
• http://www.archives.gov/boston/exhibits/homefront/#prices During World War II fewer
manufactured goods were available because of military needs. A system of rationing and
price controls was established and affected virtually every household in the United States.
12
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY - SELECTED PRINT, ONLINE,
FILM, AND HISTORIC SITE RESOURCES
Print
• Baime, A.J. The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America
at War New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014
The Arsenal of Democracy tells the incredible story of how Detroit answered the call, centering
on Henry Ford and his son Edsel, who, when asked if they could deliver 50,000 airplanes, made
an outrageous claim: Ford Motor Company would erect a plant that could yield a “bomber an
hour.”
• Colman, Penny. Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II.New
York: Crown Publishers, 1995.
The award-winning account of how 18 million women, many of whom had never before held a
job, entered the work force in 1942-45 to help the United States fight World War II. Their
unprecedented participation would change the course of history for women, and America,
forever. An ALA Best Book for Young Adult., An ALA Notable Book, A Bulletin of the Center
for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
• Honey, Maureen. Bitter Fruit: African American Women in World War II. Columbia:
University of Missouri Press, 1999.
Despite the participation of African American women in all aspects of home-front activity during
World War II, advertisements, recruitment posters, and newsreels portrayed largely white
women as army nurses, defense plant workers, concerned mothers, and steadfast wives. In Bitter
Fruit, Maureen Honey corrects this distorted picture of women's roles in World War II by
collecting photos, essays, fiction, and poetry by and about black women from the four leading
African American periodicals of the war period: Negro Digest, The Crisis, Opportunity, and
Negro Story.
• Hyde, Charles K Arsenal of Democracy The American Automobile Industry and in World
War II Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 201.3
Throughout World War II, Detroit's automobile manufacturers accounted for one-fifth of the
dollar value of the nation's total war production, and this amazing output from "the arsenal of
democracy" directly contributed to the allied victory.
• O’Callaghan, Timothy J. Ford in the Service of America: Mass Production for the Military
During the World Wars Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2009.
This is the history of the Ford Motor Company's achievements and products during World Wars
I and II. It demonstrates how, in addition to well-known contributions like jeeps, Eagle Boats and
B-24 Liberators, Ford also produced key items ranging from squad tents and the ultra precision
gun director to tanks and aircraft engines.
• Peterson, Sarah Jo. Planning the Homefront: Building Bombers and Communities at Willow
Run. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2013.
Located twenty-five miles west of Detroit, the bomber plant at Willow Run and the community
that grew up around it attracted tens of thousands of workers from across the United States
during World War II. Together, they helped build the nation’s “Arsenal of Democracy,” but
Willow Run also became the site of repeated political conflicts over how to build suburbia while
mobilizing for total war.
13
Isabel Wilkerson The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
New York: Vintage, 2011.
In this epic masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the
great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled
the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.
•
Online
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/thehenryford/sets/72157627623493156/?ytcheck=1 (108
images of the Ford Motor Company Bomber Plant at Willow Run) The Ford Motor
Company’s Willow Run Bomber Plant began production in 1942 and continued until June
28, 1945. During that time, the Ford Motor Company produced almost half of the B-24s
built--8,685 out of 19,256. Construction on the Bomber Plant began in March, 1941. When
completed, it had almost 5,000,000 square feet of floor space and an assembly line that was a
mile long. In addition, an airport with six runways and three hangars was built adjacent to the
plant. By 1944, one plane was completed every 62 minutes. At its peak, the plant employed
more than 40,000 workers and operated around the clock. The Willow Run Bomber Plant
also had an Apprentice School and regular training programs for workers and military
mechanics. The images in this collection highlight employees on the workforce, the B-24 and
the stages of its assembly.
• http://www.daahp.wayne.edu/biographiesDisplay.php?id=57Detroit African American
History Project, The Great Migration Wayne State University's Education Technolgy
Services/Computing and Information Services and the Walter P. Reuther Library/College of
Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs have collaborated on this Web site which is designed
to provide high school and college students, as well as the general public with insights and
facts regarding the rich history of African Americans in Detroit.
• http://cds.library.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/tocCS.html An Oral History of Rhode
Island Women during World War II, “What Did You Do in the War Grandma?”
• http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/rosie/ In collaboration with the City of
Richmond and the National Park Service, the Regional Oral History Office has collected and
made avaible ot the public dozens of interviews with residents of the Bay Area about their
wartime experiences during World War II.
• http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/oral-historyguidelines.html Oral History Guidelines from the National World War II Museum with a
long and excellent list of sample questions.
• http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/resources/rohotips.html Tips for interviewers from the
Regional Oral History Office
• http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-teachers/classroom-resources.html
• The National WWII Museum is dedicated to providing materials you can use in your
classroom to teach about the war. We offer free, primary-source driven lesson plans, image
galleries, and other resources to make teaching WWII easier for you and more interactive for
your students.
Film
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ennfIXvQYs4 Supervising Women Workers, US Office
of Education Training Film, 1944 (10:36) Training film for supervisors with advice for
managing women workers.
14
•
•
•
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKrHfTGWxQ4 MANPOWER , The Office of War
Information, 1943 (8:39) This is a 1943 government film that shows how industries and
factories were responding during World War Two to the need to hire and train new workers.
It includes a look at the hiring of women and African Americans to meet the labor shortage
and promotes various initiatives to meet the desperate need for labor during the war, with
how women entered the workforce for the first time in unprecedented numbers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pblYHQHBKSM Danger: Women at Work Vision
Educational; ca. 1943 (9:37) Women working at war production in Britain during World
War II. Safety tips for what to wear and not to wear on the factory floor.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/TheLifeandTimesofRosietheRiveter/
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter. In the PBS series The American Experience.
http://www.pbs.org/thewar/edu_overview.htm The wealth of themes explored in THE WAR
offer an extraordinary educational opportunity for your classroom. The materials on this web
site are specifically designed to help teachers use THE WAR and its themes not only to teach
the history of the Second World War, but also to bring the powerful medium of storytelling
into the classroom.
Historic Sites
• http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/ The Yankee Air Museum is open year-round on
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
47884 D Street, Belleville, MI 48111 (at Willow Run Airport) The Story of the Yankee Air
Museum begins in 1941 when Willow Run Airport was built by the Ford Motor Company to
serve as an airfield for their B-24 Bomber Plant. This was the first aircraft manufacturing
complex to use Ford’s automotive mass production technique, a leading technological
innovation of the time. Ford Motor Company built 8,685 B-24 Liberators from 1942 until the
end of World War II.
• http://www.rosietheriveter.org/ An unusual urban national park, the Rosie the Riveter/WWII
Home Front National Historical Park is located on the waterfront in Richmond, CA. It is the
flagship national park for telling stories of the home front efforts across the United States.
15
RELATED MICHIGAN GRADE LEVEL AND HIGH SCHOOL
CONTENT EXPECTATIONS
Grade Level Content Expectations for Grades 5-8 Social Studies
K1.1 Understand and analyze important temporal, spatial, political, and economic relationships,
patterns, and trends.
K1.2 Understand historical, geographical, political, and economic perspectives.
K1.3 Understand the diversity of human beings and human cultures.
K1.4 Analyze events and circumstances from the vantage point of others.
K1.6 Apply social studies concepts to better understand major current local, national, and world
events, issues, and problems.
.
Reading and Communication
P1.2 Analyze point of view, context, and bias to interpret primary and secondary source
documents.
P1.4 Communicate clearly and coherently in writing, speaking, and visually expressing ideas
pertaining to social science topics, acknowledging audience and purpose.
Inquiry, Research, and Analysis
P2.1 Understand the scientific method of inquiry to investigate social scientific and historical
problems.
P2.3 Know how to find and organize information from a variety of sources, analyze, interpret,
support interpretations with evidence, critically evaluate, and present the information orally and
in writing; report investigation results effectively.
P2.4 Use multiple perspectives and resources to identify and analyze issues appropriate to the
social studies discipline being studied.
Grades 9-12 USHG Standards and Expectations
K1.4 Understand historical and geographical perspectives.
K1.5 Understand the diversity of human beings and human cultures.
K1.6 Analyze events and circumstances from the vantage point of others.
K1.7 Understand social problems, social structures, institutions, class, groups, and interaction.
K1.8 Apply social studies concepts to better understand major current local, national, and world
events, issues, and problems.
Thematic Analysis of United States History Eras 6-9
7.2 World War II -- Examine the causes and course of World War II, and the effects of the war
on United States society and culture, including the consequences for United States involvement
in world affairs.
7.2.3 Impact of WWII on American Life – Analyze the changes in American life brought about
by U.S. participation in World War II including
• mobilization of economic, military, and social resources
• role of women and minorities in the war effort
• role of the home front in supporting the war effort (e.g., rationing, work hours, taxes)
16
English Language Arts Grade Level and High School Content Expectations
5 - 12 Grade
• Reading Narrative Text
• Reading Comprehension
• Reading Attitude
• Speaking Discourse
• Listening and Viewing Conventions
• Listening and Viewing Response
th
th
Arts Education Grade Level and High School Content Expectations
5 - 12 Grade
Arts Education – Theater
• 1 Perform
• 2 Create
• 3 Analyze
• 4 Analyze in Context
• 5 Analyze and Make Connection
th
th
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Brian E. Buckner
Nancy Bryk
Hilary Cohen
Jeff Duncan
Dorothy Ebersole
Jamie Fidler
Kim Godek
Donnaleen Lanktree
Kathy Pawlicki
Sandy Ryder
Michelle Trame Lanzi
We are indebted to the following women, who generously shared their stories and provided the
inspiration for Rosie the Riveter.
Marylouise Blanco
Clara Doutly
Lenore Groner
Helen Jedele
Phyllis Lenhard
Vivian Litchard
Mallie Mellon
Loraine Osborne
Betty Pazdro
Marge Walters
17
Handout # 1
American Sign Language Alphabet Chart
Excerpts from Reviews of the Broadway Production of Spring Awakening
“Signing has been integrated here so deftly that you’re compelled to feel the
language’s fluidity has a natural place in musical theater. It’s an example of the
extreme care that’s been taken to make Spring Awakening a completely shared
experience between deaf and hearing cultures.” Washington Post, September 27,
2015
“It almost goes without saying that the visual nature of ASL lends itself to this kind
of theatrical impact, affecting even predominantly hearing reviewers…Even for
deaf theatergoers accustomed to gathering meaning through visual language, the
design elements of Spring Awakening create such an optically rich experience that
audiences have no choice but to engage.” The Atlantic, October 18, 2015
“…the current relevance of ASL further enables Spring Awakening to bridge the
divide between deaf and hearing worlds. The show’s critical success reflects some
of the ways in which modern mainstream audiences are encountering ASL anew,
but it also presents a vision of how culture can be simultaneously inclusive,
revelatory, and thrilling, giving audiences a space to encounter both deaf and
hearing experiences of the world.” The Atlantic, October 18, 2015
18
Handout # 2 Scene from the play, Rosie the Riveter, written by Jeff Duncan
BERENICE
(To audience.) I knew I was going to like this better than being a maid for Miss Langley, a white
lady back in Chattanooga. (KATHRYN takes on role of MS. LANGLEY.)
Ms. Langley, can I talk to you a moment?
LANGLEY
Why, yes, of course, Berenice. What is it? Your family alright?
BERENICE
Yes’m. I just wanta give you my notice.
LANGLEY
Your notice? You mean you’re quittin’?
BERENICE
Yes, ma’am. In two weeks. So you have time to find someone to take my place.
LANGLEY
But why, Berenice? Haven’t I treated you alright?
BERENICE
Oh, you have, ma’am. You’ve treated me fine.
LANGLEY
Then why are you quitting? What’re you going to do?
BERENICE
Me and my husband gonna work at the Willa Run factory in Dee-troit.
LANGLEY
But… Do y’all have a job secured?
BERENICE
No ma’am. But they beggin’ people to come work there, to build planes. Flyers everywhere, and
ads in the papers and on the radio. Even pay the bus fare there. And they hire colored same as white.
LANGLEY
You know they’ve had riots in Detroit, don’t you? Race riots. Bad ones.
BERENICE
Yes’m. But we know how to stay outa trouble.
LANGLEY
Now I know y’all think it’s better for you up there, for the colored, but they don’t understand y’all
the way we do. They don’t have dealin’s with colored people. Except for race riots. We don’t have
race riots in Tennessee.
19
BERENICE
No ma’am, but with Lucas and me both workin’, we can do alright.
LANGLEY
But what if y’all can’t get jobs. What if they’re lyin’ and don’t hire colored folks?
BERENICE
Well, that’s a chance we willin’ to take, Ms. Langley. They say they be needin’ workers real bad.
LANGLEY
I just don’t want y’all to wind up destitute, Berenice. Broke and homeless.
BERENICE
I ‘preciate that, Ms. Langley, but—
LANGLEY
Besides, I don’t wanta lose you! You’re the best maid I ever had. And Lord have mercy your
barbecue…!
BERENICE
I ‘preciate that, ma’am, but…
LANGLEY
(Pause.) You’re bound and determined, aren’t you?
BERENICE
Yes’m, I guess I am.
LANGLEY
After all I’ve done for you. Given you.
BERENICE
And I ‘preciate it, Ms. Langley, I really do, but—
LANGLEY
But! Always that “but”! I didn’t know you could be so stubborn and hard-headed, Berenice! So
ungrateful! I’m disappointed in you.
BERENICE
I’m sorry, Ms. Langley, but—
LANGLEY
You don’t know how good y’all have it here, Berenice. But you’ll find out. I just hope you don’t
find out in a way that’s too hard.
(LANGLEY actor exits.)
BERENICE
(To audience.) How good we have it? In the segregated Jim Crow South?
20
Handout # 3 -- Analyzing Historical Resources
1. What type of resource is this?
2. What is the date of this resource?
3. How would you describe this resource?
4. What do you think was the purpose of this resource?
5. Who do you think created it?
6. Who are the people who appear or are referenced in it?
7. Who do you think was the intended audience?
8. What messages or ideas do you think its creators wanted to communicate?
9. Do you think they succeeded? Why or why not?
10. What surprises you about the message or content of this resource?
11. After examining this resource, what questions do you have about women in the wartime
workplace?
12. What do you think were their challenges? What do you think were their opportunities?
21
Handout #4 – Good Work, Sister
22
Handout #5 —“Women in Industry Must Not Be Coddled or
Kidded,” New York Times, June 16, 1943
Published: June 16, 1943
Copyright © The New York Times
23