Women’s Labor Assignment

Topic: For this Assignment, you will put yourself in the shoes of a newly-arrived female immigrant in the first 10–15 years of the 20th Century; you will write a letter home to loved ones regarding your experiences living in a settlement house in New York City and working in a factory. (Refer to the Dubois & Dumenil course text for information regarding the settlement house movement.)

Review the following web sources for this letter Assignment:

Content: In your letter home, identify the year of your letter, and your country of origin (i.e., Germany, Poland, Ireland, etc.).

Include your thoughts about arriving in the United States, and your initial thoughts about the city of New York.

Address your experiences living in a settlement house in New York City.

Consider your work in a factory. Identify the type of factory in which you work; consider the working conditions, hours, pay, etc.

Unionization: Indicate that you have been approached about joining a union, and consider what might be some of the challenges and advantages of becoming involved in a union.