Module 06: "Which Side Are You On?" The Flint Sit-Down Strike, 1936-37

Assignments

Module Quiz

Take the interactive quiz to check your comprehension of key themes and details from the module. The quiz will assist you in your preparation for class discussion, exams, and writing assignments. You can choose to email the results to your instructor.

Module Evaluation

Please assist the project team for the Digital History Reader by completing the short survey below. Your responses will be very helpful to further development.

Module Evaluation: US 06 - The Sit Down Strike of 1936

Suggested Writing Assignments and Classroom Discussion

  1. Imagine that it's the winter of 1936-37 and that you're an employee in one of GM's Flint plants. A fellow worker approaches you and asks you to participate in the sit-down strike that has just broken out in Fisher One and Two. Would you join in the strike? Why or why not? Include specific references to evidence in the documents to support your position.

  2. Is the sit-down strike a legitimate tactic to use in a labor dispute? Was the UAW right to implement a strike at GM's Flint plants in the winter of 1936-37? Why or why not? Be sure to include specific references to documents in this module to support your position.

  3. Imagine that it's January 1937 and that you're a member of the editorial board of a major American newspaper. You have been assigned to write an editorial on the Flint strike. What position would you take on the strike, and what broader significance would you attribute to it? Incorporate specific references to the documents in this module into your editorial.

  4. Imagine that you're a participant in the Flint sit-down strike of 1936-37. Write a song (like the ones presented in the module) to express your experience. How was factory work before the strike? What do you hope to accomplish by taking part in the sit-in? What obstacles do you face? What events have you witnessed or participated in? What is your feeling about the union? about GM? Who are your heroes, and what have they accomplished? Who are your adversaries? You can include answers to these or other questions in your strike song, although don't feel pressured to respond to them all. It might also be easiest to compose new words to a tune you already know.