Teachers Unite!d
name: label: associated institution
content: American Federation of Teachers
notes: label: Description
content: The American Federation of Teachers was founded in Chicago in 1916. The union grew rapidly in its first decade, but in the years following World War I, membership declined. Because joining the union often resulted in teachers losing their jobs, memorabilia like this button reflected a shared sense of pride. It is a lime-green pinback button with the American Federation of Teachers shield at left and another image of hands with a pole in the center with the slogan, "Teachers Unite!" A small graphic on the front reads “Allied Printing Trades Council Union Label.” This label signifies that the button was produced by a company whose employees are members of the Printing, Publishing, and Media Workers Sector of the Communication Workers of America or the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
label: Description
content: Throughout the early twentieth century, the Federation fought against low salaries and sexism toward female teachers. It was generally distrusted across the country after allegations of communist infiltration surfaced in the late 1930s. Later, throughout the Civil Rights Movement, the Federation opposed segregation and forced its locals to desegregate after 1954.
label: Description
content: By the 1980s, over 600,000 members represented the union and boasted buttons like this one. It was made in 1986 as the Federation led the movement for educational reform. In 1985, Federation president Albert Shanker emphasized the need for improved teacher certification methods. He also emphasized the importance of educational technique over subject matter.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Teaching
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Education
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Vicki L. Thorn
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1986.0773.124
label: accession number
content: 1986.0773
label: catalog number
content: 1986.0773.124
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Button
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: green (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: red (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: blue (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: aluminum (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 1/4 in x 2 1/4 in x 1/8 in x 2 1/4 in; 5.715 cm x 5.715 cm x .3175 cm x 5.715 cm