T H E A T E R

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.

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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

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ABOUT ROSIE THE RIVETER AND THIS STUDY GUIDE

Created for 4th-12th 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."

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 wildswan@wildswantheater.org. 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

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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.

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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?

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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…”

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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

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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

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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

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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:

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• 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-history-

guidelines.html and http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/using-

history/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.

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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.

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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.

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• 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-history-

guidelines.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.

15

• 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.

16

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)

17

English Language Arts Grade Level and High School Content Expectations 5th - 12th Grade

• Reading Narrative Text

• Reading Comprehension

• Reading Attitude

• Speaking Discourse

• Listening and Viewing Conventions

• Listening and Viewing Response

Arts Education Grade Level and High School Content Expectations 5th - 12th Grade

Arts Education – Theater

• 1 Perform

• 2 Create

• 3 Analyze

• 4 Analyze in Context

• 5 Analyze and Make Connection

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

18

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

19

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.

20

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?

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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?

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Handout #4 – Good Work, Sister

23

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