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The Chicago flag is well-known for its design with the iconic four red stars, which represent Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire, the 1893 world’s fair, and the 1933 world’s fair. Since many things have happened in Chicago since 1933, some people have championed the idea to add a fifth star to the flag.
In this activity, kids get to decide what they think a fifth star on the Chicago flag would represent. Ask them to write or draw an explanation for their choice. Share about your fifth star on social media using the hashtag #CHMatHomeFamilies.
In this blog post, CHM curatorial intern Brigid Kennedy recounts the life of Margaret Haley as part of a series in which we share the stories of local women who made history in recognition of our online experience: Democracy Limited: Chicago Women and the Vote.
Born in 1861 in Joliet, Illinois, Margaret Haley was a suffragist and advocate for the rights of educators. Haley credited her interest in activism and reform to her idolization of Irish nationalist heroes (she took care to remind readers of her autobiography that Padraic Pearse, too, was a schoolteacher) and to her experiences of the US Civil War and its aftermath in her youth, writing, “No child upon the Illinois prairies in the twenty years that followed Appomattox could grow up without the consciousness that men lived in causes and for causes.”
Margaret Haley poses for a photograph in Chicago. 1927. DN-0083935, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society
At sixteen, Haley began teaching in a one-room school near Morris, Illinois; after twenty-four years of teaching, she became vice president of the Chicago Teachers Federation (CTF), a position she would remain in for the rest of her career. The CTF was open only to elementary school teachers, most of whom were women.
In 1902, the CTF formally allied itself with the Chicago Federation of Labor—affirming that teachers, too, were workers—seeking a coalition with a group of men who had the right to vote in support of progressive labor policies. Following this affiliation, Haley worked explicitly for women’s suffrage, and her organizing was crucial to Illinois’s 1913 expansion of voting rights for women.
Certificate of Affiliation between the Illinois State Federation of Labor and the CTF. 1915. Chicago Teachers’ Federation records (Chicago History Museum). Box 43
Haley became known for battling for the rights of women and grade school teachers: against University of Chicago President William Rainey Harper’s centralized administration plan that would remove agency from individual educators; for restructuring Chicago’s property taxes so the richest corporations’ taxes would help support public schools; and against the school board’s Loeb Rule, which instituted year-long contracts for teachers and forbade them from affiliating themselves with any labor unions or organizations led by nonactive teachers—like the CTF.
After a victory in a state tenure law that mitigated the effects of the Loeb Rule, the CTF’s luck began to run out, and the organization took hit after hit in the following years. The Great Depression had huge consequences for the city’s public schools. The Board of Education cut arts, home economics, and physical education programs and laid off half of kindergarten teachers, half of principals, and nearly all junior high teachers. In 1937, the CTF dissolved and became part of the newer Chicago Teachers Union.
Haley, in the plumed hat, in a women’s suffrage parade, c. 1911. CHM, ICHi-010601
Haley’s autobiography is as much a history of Illinois education policy as it is her own recollections. She believed many problems with the education system remained unresolved and used her autobiography to try to win readers over to her cause. “It is only in the hope that my experiences may be a field map that I have marked them down,” she wrote.
Unable to find a publisher, Haley’s autobiography went unpublished until after her death in 1939. In her last years, Haley was disappointed in the state of the issues to which she’d devoted her life—but her work led the way for national movements for the rights of both women and teachers that continue to this day. Chicago is a city in which people have, timeand time again, fought for better conditions for students and teachers—perhaps this is, in part, Haley’s legacy.
Margaret Haley (center) stands in a group, February 13, 1932. ICHi-085352
For Educators:
Student Reading and Response Guide
Vocabulary
- Suffragist: a person who believed that suffrage (the right to vote) should be extended to women
- Irish Nationalist: a person who believed that the Irish people are a nation and that there should be an independent Irish nation
- Appomattox: On April 9, 1865, near the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union general Ulysses S. Grant, effectively bringing the Civil War to an end.
- Coalition: an alliance of various organizations for combined action
Text Questions
- What are three of Haley’s accomplishments?
- Why would Haley believe that suffrage was essential for improving the rights of educators?
- What do you think Haley’s legacy is?
Journal Prompt
- Who is a leader you admire? Why did you choose this person?
Chicago has played a starring role in many movies, plays, books, poems, and songs. Inspiring writers for many years, our city is the backbone of their creativity. Their works help us understand different places and times in the city’s history.
Continuing our exploration of the white stripes on the Chicago flag, which represent the North, South and West Sides of the city, kids will get to write a poem about the city or their own neighborhood or town. Share your poem on social media using the hashtag #CHMatHomeFamilies.
Chicago is known as a city of neighborhoods. It has 77 official community areas and each one is home to multiple neighborhoods. Across the city, these neighborhoods have unique qualities that make them special places to live and work. Today’s activity continues our exploration of the white stripes on Chicago’s flag, which stand for the North, South, and West Sides of the city, with a focus on where you live!
What makes your neighborhood or town memorable? Using activity cards provided in our worksheet, kids can personalize them with the places and things that make their own neighborhood or town special. They can use the cards to create a visual storyboard or tell a story about where they live. Share your stories on social media using the hashtag #CHMatHomeFamilies.
The white stripes on the Chicago flag stand for the places we live: the North, South, and West Sides of the city. Chicago is world-famous for its skyscrapers, beautiful parks, public art, and sports venues, but the city’s neighborhoods are also home to some distinctive architecture and special places that keep community bonds strong. Today’s activity explores wonderful landmarks found throughout the city.
What are your favorite Chicago landmarks? Discover more about some famous and not-so-famous places throughout the city as you play a fun guessing game about landmarks. Share your riddles on social media using the hashtag #CHMatHomeFamilies.
Chicago grew and prospered largely because of its waterways, the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Both of them provided water, food, transportation, and fun for area residents. These waterways are represented on the city’s flag by two blue stripes.
The view from Lake Michigan looking west at the Chicago skyline during sunset, August 2019. Photograph by CHM Education DepartmentT
In today’s activity, discover how the Chicago River has changed over time. Then have fun creating and singing a song together about the river to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Share your song with us on social media! #CHMatHomeFamilies
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a formative event in Chicago’s history and is represented by the second star on the city’s flag. Today, we’ll be looking at artifacts that melted in the fire and inquiring about what they may have been.
Who wants to be a history detective? Ask your kids to examine the images of melted artifacts and think about how they used to look. Then they can express their creativity when they make their own artifact. When your kids have finished, take a picture of their artifact and share it on social media! #CHMatHomeFamilies
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a formative event in Chicago’s history and is represented by the second star on the city’s flag. Today, we’ll be looking at artifacts that melted in the fire and inquiring about what they may have been.
Ask your kids to use their deductive reasoning and creative skills to create an artifact of their own. When they’re done, take a picture of their artifact and share it on social media! #CHMatHomeFamilies
As non-native people moved to Chicago—or Checagou, as the native people of the area called it—they had to decide what to bring with them. In today’s activity, kids will reflect on, write about, and draw what they would bring if they moved to a new place.
What makes an object precious? Is it useful or does it remind you of happy memories? Ask your kids to think about what items are important to them and write out the reasons why. Then, have them illustrate the objects they listed. When they’re done, take a picture of their work and share it on social media! #CHMatHomeFamilies
Today we’re kicking off our weekday CHM at Home family activities! These daily challenges are an opportunity for your family to learn and have fun together. Over the next two weeks, we’ll investigate the Chicago flag as a starting point for exploring the city’s rich history. Each activity will encourage your kids to share their ideas and express their creativity.
The Chicago flag can be found throughout the city, but do you know what its stars and stripes symbolize? Discover the meaning behind the flag’s design and create your own. When you’re done, take a picture of your flag and share it on social media! #CHMatHomeFamilies