This Curriculum unit explores the textile industry at the turn of the century to present. It includes information on the employment of women, children, and immigrants used in the early textile mills, and the unhealthy and unsafe conditions of textile mills. It contains information on the cloth making process and the occupational and health hazards that accompany this process. This unit discusses the importance of Unions in the workplace and the reforms in the textile industry with the help of government agencies and laws. Lastly, this unit provides information on the exploitation of workers in foreign countries that manufacture cloth for American companies.
This curriculum unit is written using an interdisciplinary approach and can be used for high school students of various learning levels. This unit incorporates the discipline areas of History/Social Studies, Business, English, Geography, Computers, and Library Media. It is supplemental material to be used with high school textbooks, and is written in small sections that can be used as single lessons or a final culmination project.
(Recommended for History/Social Studies, grades 10-11)
