The Green Vale School 5th Grade proudly presents NEWSIESNEWSIES Iselin Theater February 10, 2012 Newsies New York “Newsies” Strike Against Jack Sasha M David Jeffrey M the World and Journal, 1899 Racetrack Frick B Newspaper boys, also called and Brooklyn in New York City; Les Timothy M 'newsboys' or 'newsies', were the Newark, Jersey City, Plainfield, main distributors of newspapers Trenton, Elizabeth, Paterson, and Crutchy Max S to the general public from the Asbury Park, New Jersey; Mount Mush Ralph F mid-19th to the early 20th Vernon, Yonkers, Troy, and Boots James A century in the United States. The Rochester in New York State; and Kid Blink Ryan S Newsboys Strike of 1899 was a New Haven, Connecticut, Fall youth-led campaign to force River, Massachusetts, and Skittery Chas M change in the way that Joseph Providence, RI. Snipe George E Pulitzer and William Randolph The strike lasted from July 18, H e a r s t ' s n e w s p a p e r s Specs Andrew S 1899, through August 2, 1899. compensated their child labor The publishers ultimately decided Bumlets Alberto C force. Their strike was a to offer the “Newsies” a response to a decision by The Dutchy Hayes H compromise, which they accepted. Evening World and The Evening Marion C The new higher price for the Itey Journal, parts of the national newspapers remained, but the Jake Jake K Pulitzer and Hearst newspaper companies agreed to buy back all empires, to raise the wholesale Pie Colette H unsold papers at a 100% refund. price they charged street During their short strike, the Snitch Nicole P vendors. The “Newsies” “Newsies” demonstrated that organized and demanded that the Snoddy Chris L workers, even children, could fight original price be restored. When for rights against powerful Peanuts Christian C Pulitzer and Hearst refused, 300 employers and be successful. Hines JJ W boys went on strike. One boy was quoted as saying, “We’re Brooklyn Newsies here fer our rights an’ we will Sources: The New York Times, What We Saw, 1851- Spot Conlon Blaise D die defendin’ ’em.” Eventually 2001 the strike spread to Harlem, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Nathan S Swifty Long Island City, Staten Island Newsboys_Strike_of_1899 Crazy A Luke K
The World Sweatshop Girls Ensemble
Pulitzer Trace V Harriet Kristin C Denton Molly M Sarah Natalie H Aileen Lindsay M Lucy Shaelin M Mayer Jacobs Henry B Jonathan Arjun S Pauline Katie B Esther Jacobs Delaney E Seitz Zoee B Tyler H Agnes Katherine C Snyder Employee Lawrence N Shopkeeper Caroline K Mary Ashby D Oscar Will V Policeman Marshall W Morris Philip D Sally Katie P Sam Kassandra H
Weasel Eric P Susan Jesse D Nun Josie C Patrick’s Mother Ondine F Joseph Pulitzer was born But Pulitzer paid a price for his in Mako, Hungary in rigours, and his health was undermined SPECIAL THANKS TO: 1847, the son of a wealthy as well as his ever-failing eyesight. His Jewish father and a doctors ordered a European vacation. devout, Roman Catholic, Instead of boarding the steamer in New Jessica Chen for her musical German mother. Joseph York, he met with financier Jay Gould, direction and accompaniment was educated at private and negotiated the purchase of The New schools and by tutors in Budapest. At York World which was then in financial seventeen, he decided to become a soldier straits. Under his leadership, The World Dee Dee Copp, along with and unsuccessfully tried to enlist in the became the largest circulation newspaper Lindsay, Ashby, Katherine, Sa- Austrian Army, Napoleon’s Foreign in the country. sha, and Jessica for their set art- Legion and even tried the British Army In the early part of his career, istry for service in India, but his frail health Pulitzer opposed large headlines and art. and bad eyesight prevented his dream. Later, however, as his fight with William However in Hamburg, Germany, he Randolph Hearst and The New York for his Stephen Wilder encountered a bounty recruiter for the Journal increased in the 1890s, the two construction help U.S. Union Army and immediately giants went to ever larger headline type enlisted and fought in the Civil War in and more fantastic art. They engaged in Nancy Parker, and our class Lincoln’s Calvary. questionable practices until Pulitzer After the war, Pulitzer moved to St. decided things had gone too far and cut mothers Aimee Eberle, Louis and, first doing odd jobs, the back. Pulitzer defended his methods, Katy Shea, and Sara Hu, young, spunky Pulitzer had built himself though, saying that people had to know for organizing our cast party a reputation as a tireless, enterprising about crime in order to fight it. journalist. By 1872, at age twenty-five, he Pulitzer died aboard his yacht in the was offered a controlling interest in a harbor at Charleston, South Carolina, on ALL OUR PARENTS small German-language paper, Westliche October 29, 1911. In his will he provided who did their part in helping with Post. After a series of shrewd business two million dollars for the establishment costumes, props, accessories and deals, by 1878 he was the owner of the St. of a school of journalism at Columbia memorizing lines Louis Post-Dispatch, and a rising star on University in New York City. By the the journalistic scene. Pulitzer was terms of his will, the prizes bearing his famous for working at this desk from name were established in 1915. Pulitzer early morning until midnight or later, Prizes are awarded every year to honor interesting himself in every detail of the achievements in journalism, literature, paper. and music. The Real Deal
Jack Kelly/Morris Cohen: So was Spot Conlon: Spot was the actual older mill girls from turning out,” he Jack Kelly really the leader of the 1899 leader of the Brooklyn newsies, the told Mrs. Hanson, “but your daughter is Newsies strike against Joseph Pulitzer toughest group of newsies around. He a child, and her you could control.” and William Randolph Hearst? The was really pretty excited to help out answer is no. Jack Kelly is a totally with the strike, and encouraged his B. Denton/Nellie Bly: The character of fictional character based on real newsies and other newsies to strike as Denton was cast as a male reporter newsies such as Morris Cohen and Kid well. Spot was known for the pink (“B” standing for Brian) in the original Blink. (That’s right…. Kid Blink.) suspenders he always donned. movie; however, “our girl Denton” is Morris was said to have helped begin based on the famous female reporter, the strike, and help lead the rally at Mush Meyers: Mush was a trouble Nellie Bly. Today, few Americans Irving Hall. maker. He often defaced other’s recognize that name. But 100 years property just for fun. He was named ago, you would have been hard-pressed Louis “Kid Blink” Ballatt: Kid Blink “Mush” because he was “mushy” when to find any American who did not. was actually the “strike leader” and in it came to love. He was very romantic Nellie Bly burst upon the scene at a the end, ended up turning on his with the ladies, but with others, he was time when a woman's place was, in the newsies along with another newsie just obnoxious. words of one newspaper editor, named Dave Simmons, (not our David "defined and located by a single word Jacobs however—he didn’t exist.) Kid Boots McLennan: Boots started out as — home." But Bly's "push-and-get- Blink had been named after a legendary a shoe shiner before he became a there" style helped to change the way one eyed man who went by the name of newsie. After his mother died, he began reporters did their jobs. Her gift was to “Blink”. Since he was indeed a “kid”, to sell papers because he could make get the story behind the story through he went by Kid Blink, because he more money that way. All of the other pluck and charm. People she obviously also only had one eye. newsies were aware that he used to interviewed seemed to trust her, and shine shoes, so they called him Boots. would tell her details that other Racetrack Higgins: In real life, At 11, he was also one of the youngest reporters could not get. At times, she Racetrack was a lot like he was in the strike leaders. went undercover to expose show. He was a gambler, spending wrongdoing. From the beginning, Bly's most of his days at the tracks. Harriet Hanson: Harriet Hanson was favorite stories focused on helping the However, he did not live with the other actually the leader of the Georgia mill less fortunate. It was no surprise when newsies in a lodging house. He lived girls. She organized fellow workers to she accepted an assignment from The with one of his grandparents in a little strike for improved labor conditions. World newspaper in New York City to apartment, and was forced to go to Harriet and nearly two thousand other pose as a mentally ill girl. This kind of school. He would often ditch school to mill girls turned out during the 1836 investigative reporting was new to sell the morning edition of the Lowell strike—nearly one-third of the newspapers at the time. Bly was one of newspaper, or go down to the track. workforce. The factory owners fired the its pioneers. When the price of newspapers was strike leaders for “mutiny” and raised one tenth of a cent, it bothered blacklisted them. A factory agent Sources: Kroeger, Brooke, Nellie Bly: Daredevil Reporter, Feminist (Random House, 1994) Racetrack the most. He gathered the visited Harriet’s mother and scolder her "Harriet Hanson Robinson." Encyclopedia of World Biography. newsies together and they decided to for not being able to control her own 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 2 Feb. 2012