On August 3, 1981, almost 12,000 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) went on strike. The union, which represented the workers who direct airplanes to ensure flight safety, demanded higher wages and better working conditions. President Reagan ordered PATCO members to return to work, and when they did not, he fired them. In this inquiry, students will investigate the compelling question, “What is the legacy of the PATCO strikes?
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About the inquiry
Compelling Question
What is the legacy of the PATCO strikes?
Standards
D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people's perspectives.
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins with a collaborative source analysis activity in which students examine a series of photographs documenting the air traffic controllers’ strike. Students work in small groups to analyze the photographs (Sources A-C), generate a list of adjectives that describe the strike, and record their observations in a graphic organizer. After analyzing the photographs, students then move to the deliberation stage by comparing President Ronald Reagan’s response to the strike with its eventual outcome (Sources D-E). The teacher may circulate throughout the activity, asking students to justify their comparisons and prompting them to consider how Reagan’s actions influenced the results of the strike. Next, students finalize the graphic organizer by producing an evidence-based claim that answers the compelling question.
Formative Tasks
COLLABORATE: Make a list of adjectives to describe the strike based on the photographs
DELIBERATE: Compare Reagan’s response to the result of the strike
PRODUCE: Create a claim that answers the compelling question
Sources
Source A: “Air traffic controllers picket near a fence at DFW Airport’s FAA tower during the PATCO strike”, 1981, UTA Libraries, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
Source B: Chick Harrity, “PATCO members at a picnic in Ft. Hunt Park during a strike”, 1981, Library of Congress
Source C: Bernard Gotfryd, “Pan Am departures showing delays due to PATCO strikes”, 1981, Library of Congress
Source D: James Sterling Young, “Interview with James A. Baker, III”, 2004, Ronald Reagan Oral History Project, University of Virginia
Source E: Judith Stepan-Norris & Jasmine Kerrissey, “...Unions are still a dim shadow of the midcentury glory days”, 2023, Fortune
Summative Performance Task
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Taking Informed Action
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