JURY TRIALS FOR THE CLASSROOM Haymarket Affair: Excercises with the Jury Resources from the Chicago Historical Society

The Haymarket Affair:Exercises with the Jury

Lessons on the American jury system developed by: Beverly Ellison, North Carolina; Jack Rousso, Washington; Ann Schulzki, Colorado; and Lora Radke, Wisconsin, in conjunction with the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago and The Chicago Historical Society

Objectives

By utilizing primary and secondary sources related to and recounting the Haymarket Riot and the trial of the Haymarket Anarchists, students will:

• gain an understanding of the political, social and economic atmosphere/conditions which existed in late 1800, big-city America (tied to development of the market economy, industrialization and immigration);
• examine how the composition of a jury can impact the outcome of a trial;
• explore and define BIAS , and analyze the impact of BIAS on the deliberation and decision process of the jury

Procedures/Methods

Students will acquire necessary background information and vocabulary (to be determined by the instructor as will vary on a class to class basis, i.e., U.S. History or U.S. Government classes and the amount of time allotted to study this case, etc.)

Students may access information in a variety of ways:

• textbook
• excerpted readings
• play published by the American Bar Association lecture
• Internet search
• photos (students research and present)

Activities

• create a perfect juror for one side of the Haymarket case

• conduct a voir dire of Haymarket jurors or read transcripts with questions;

• reflective writing on this case (topics may include: how jurors may have been biased and how that affected the outcome of the trial; what does the outcome of the trial tell us about justice in society and the role of bias, what about today - Rodney King, 0.J. Simpson, or Emmet Till, Sacco and Vanzetti, etc.)

• comparison/contrast exercise between Haymarket and Twelve Angry Men ;

• role play the play published by the American Bar Association on Haymarket.

Materials

Materials will vary depending on the class and the purpose for which the instructor is teaching this event. Materials may include:

• textbook (U.S. History or U.S. Government)
• transcripts from trial
• visuals (photos, statistics, etc.)
• play
• information re: similar/different cases
• video ( Twelve Angry Men)

Assessment

Assessments will vary depending on teacher's objectives and outcomes. Assessment may be based on the following:

• knowledge/understanding of the facts and/or vocabulary;
• writing project (ex. reflection)
• participation (ex. role playing)
• comprehension of significance of case (ex. through comparison activity and/or follow-up to voir dire activity)

Standards

This/These lesson(s) may meet state-specific standards in areas such as history, civics, reading, writing, economics, etc.

Vocabulary

This list is subject to revision based on the teacher utilizing the list. Some suggested terms for U.S. History include:

nativism anarchy ArbeiterZeitung martial law "moral economy"

syndicalism socialism radicalism red scare communism

anti-radicalism 8-hour day movement International Working People's Assoc. (IWPA) Knights of Labor

Some terms for U.S. Government may include:

bias voir dire defense

stereotyping indictment prosecution

Bibliography

August Spies, et al vs. State of Illinois," Vol. 1, Barnard and Gunthrop, Law Printers, Chicago, IL, 1887.

"The Chicago Anarchists of 1886," The Century Magazine, Vol. XLV, April 1893, No. 6.

"Good Men and True," The Chicago Mail, June 25, 1886, Five o'clock edition.

Transcripts of the Haymarket Square Trial, Exam of Potential Jurors, pp. 57-63, 103-111.

Hull, Paul C. The Chicago Riot - A Record of the Terrible Scenes of May 4.1886 . Belford, Clarke and Co., Chicago and New York, 1886, pp. 5-37.

Selected Photos related to the Haymarket Affair.

Other Resources

The Chicago Historical Society

The American Bar Association

Adelman, William. Haymarket Revisted , The Illinois Labor of History Society, Terre Haute, IN, 1976.

Henry, David. The History of the Haymarket Affair , Collier Books, NY, 1963.

Hill, Frederick Trevor. "Decisive Battles of the Law: The Chicago Anarchists' Case," Harper's Monthly Magazine May 1907, pp. 889-900.

Kogan, Bernard (ed.) The Chicago Haymarket Riot - Anarchy on Trial - Selected Source Materials for College Research Papers, D.C. Heath and Co., 1959.