From the Industrial Revolution and the communist revolutions of the twentieth century to modern globalization and the current economic crisis in the United States, the struggles between free markets and government-controlled economics have determined who would get access to scarce resources and the ways in which various societies have balanced fairness and equality. Providing students with a personal experience of both systems can help them develop their own sense of fairness and equality as well as help them understand the economic motives of revolutionary groups, entrepreneurs, social movements, and political candidates. In this article, the author describes the "Homework Pass" activity which can be used at the start of a modern world history course or during any unit in which particular attention will be focused on economic issues (such as the Industrial Revolution). The activity enables students to explore how societies distribute scarce resources. It's also an activity that can be drawn upon throughout the year when economic issues come to the fore. (Contains 1 figure.)