Eighth Grade Development of an Industrial, Urban and Global U.S. Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Project
Essential Questions
Enduring Understandings GLCEs Assessments
District Resources
1. How did transportation improvements change America from 1800-1888?
2. How do government
policies affect minority groups?
3. How do governmental
policies impact economic development?
4. How did expansion impact
America?
5. How did life in the United States change due to post Civil War immigration and migration?
6. How did geography impact
American lives during the 1800s?
7. How did industrialization
and organized labor have a lasting impact on American society?
---Select one of the following--- A. How has the nation
addressed tensions
Expansion creates problems and opportunities. Immigration creates change in America. Governmental policies impact all facets of society. Historical decisions have continuing impact. Key Terms & Vocabulary Transcontinental Railroad Land grants Mineral rights Homestead Act Unions Plessey v. Ferguson Dawes Act of 1887 Tariffs Immigration Melting Pot Child Labor ----------------------------------------Balance of Power Liberty v. Security Government and Social change Movement of People
Social Movement— U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the United States in 1898 focusing on similarities and differences in territory, including the size of the United States and land use population, including immigration, reactions to immigrants, and the changing demographic structure of rural and urban America (E3.2), systems of transportation (canals and railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad), and their impact on the economy and society (E1.4, 3.2) governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs, banking, land grants and mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) economic change, including industrialization, increased global competition, and their impact on conditions of farmers and industrial workers (E1.4, 2.1, 3.2), the treatment of African Americans, including the rise of segregation in the South as endorsed by the Supreme Court’s
Required: Eighth Grade Development of an Industrial, Urban and Global U.S. Unit Assessment Formative: District:
Eighth Grade Development of an Industrial, Urban and Global U.S. Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Project
between states and federal governmental power?
B. How has the nation balanced liberty interests with security interests?
C. How have governmental policies, the action of reformers, and economic and demographic changes affected social change?
D. How has the nation addressed the movement of people into and within the United States?
decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and the response of African Americans the policies toward American Indians, including removal, reservations, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the response of American Indians
U6.2.1 United States History Investigation Topic and Issue Analysis, Past and Present – Use historical perspectives to analyze issues in the United States from the past and the present; conduct research on a historical issue or topic, identify a connection to a contemporary issue, and present findings (e.g., oral, visual, video, or electronic presentation, persuasive essay, or research paper); include causes and consequences of the historical action and predict possible consequences of the contemporary action. Economic Change-- U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the United States in 1898 focusing on systems of transportation (canals and railroads, including the
Eighth Grade Development of an Industrial, Urban and Global U.S. Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Project
Transcontinental Railroad), and their impact on the economy and society (E1.4, 3.2) governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs, banking, land grants and mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) economic change, including industrialization, increased global competition, and their impact on conditions of farmers and industrial workers (E1.4, 2.1, 3.2) Political Thought— War- U6.2.1-- United States History Investigation Topic and Issue Analysis, Past and Present – Use historical perspectives to analyze issues in the United States from the past and the present; conduct research on a historical issue or topic, identify a connection to a contemporary issue, and present findings (e.g., oral, visual, video, or electronic presentation, persuasive essay, or research paper); include causes and consequences of the historical action and predict possible consequences of the
Eighth Grade Development of an Industrial, Urban and Global U.S. Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Project
contemporary action. The following GLCEs can also be addressed in this Era: U4.2.3 --Westward Expansion – Explain the expansion, conquest, and settlement of the West through the Louisiana Purchase, the removal of American Indians (Trail of Tears) from their native lands, the growth of a system of commercial agriculture, and the idea of Manifest Destiny. (E2.1) (National Geography Standard 6, p. 154) U4.1.3 Challenge of Political Conflict – Explain how political parties emerged out of the competing ideas, experiences, and fears of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton (and their followers), despite the worries the Founders had concerning the dangers of political division, by analyzing disagreements over relative power of the national government (e.g., Whiskey Rebellion, Alien and Sedition Acts) (C3) foreign relations (e.g., French
Eighth Grade Development of an Industrial, Urban and Global U.S. Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Project
Revolution, relations with Great Britain) (C3) economic policy (e.g., the creation of a national bank, assumption of revolutionary debt) (C3, E2.2) U4.1.4-- Establishing a National Judiciary and Its Power – Explain the development of the power of the Supreme Court through the doctrine of judicial review as manifested in Marbury v. Madison (1803) and the role of Chief Justice John Marshall and the Supreme Court in interpreting the power of the national government (e.g., McCullouch v. Maryland, Dartmouth College v. Woodward, Gibbons v. Ogden). (C3, E1.4, 2.2) U4.3.3-- Analyze the antebellum women’s rights (and suffrage) movement by discussing the goals of its leaders (e.g., Susan B.Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton) and comparing the Seneca Falls Resolution with the Declaration of Independence. (C2) U4.3.4 --Analyze the goals and
Eighth Grade Development of an Industrial, Urban and Global U.S. Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Project
effects of the antebellum temperance movement. (C2) U4.3.5-- Evaluate the role of religion in shaping antebellum reform movements. (C2) U4.2.3 Westward Expansion – Explain the expansion, conquest, and settlement of the West through the Louisiana Purchase, the removal of American Indians (Trail of Tears) from their native lands, the growth of a system of commercial agriculture, and the idea of Manifest Destiny. (E2.1) (National Geography Standard 6, p. 154) P4.2 CT2
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
Title GLCEs Included Resources Needed Resources Suggested
Resources Lesson 1 Laying
Tracks
for the
Future
U6.1.1
Clip of Great Native American Nations:
Lakota Sioux: Indians of the Plains on United
Streaming.
American History: At the Western Frontier
Video(Discovery Education video clip—what
would make you move?)
Transcontinental Railroad Teachers Guide on
PBS
Computer with internet connection
Video projector
Computer lab for creating Prezi or Comic
Lesson 2 New
Faces in
New
Places
U6.1.1 Links, maps and images about
immigration in the late 19th
century.
Lesson 3 The
Homest
eaders
U6.1.1 “Become a Billionaire”
Vocabulary Organizer
Articles found on
http://www.nps.gov/home/historycul
ture/exodusters.htm titled
“Exodusters” and
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/pro
gram/episodes/seven/theexodust.htm
Projector or computer lab
Interactive quiz
which
determines the
user's
suitability as a
homesteader.
http://www.pbs
.org/wnet/fronti
erhouse/quiz.p
hp
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
, which contains “Personal Excerpts
from Exodusters”
Vocabulary Quick Reference
Lesson 4 Workers
Unite!
U6.2.1
U6.1.1
Excerpt from A People’s History of
American Empire, by Howard Zinn
titled “Certain White Men,” and
“The Pullman Strike”
Background information on rural
and urban life in late 19th
century
Document Projector
Computers
Discovery Education video: The American
Industrial Revolution
Lesson 5 Free,
Yet Not
Free
U6.1.1 PBS website tools “The Rise and Fall of Jim
Crow” at
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/tools.html
The Discovery Education video: Plessy and
the Era of Jim Crow
Computer lab or computers for each student
Document Projector
Strange Fruit,
Billie Holiday
Lesson 6 The
Great
Shortcut
U6.1.1 The Discovery Education video:
U.S. Takes Over Construction of
Panama Canal
A Segment of: 20th Century Turning
Points: 1900-1907
Virtual tour of the Panama Canal
found at
http://www.panamatours.com/Panca
nal/Canal_pics.htm
Document Projector
LCD Projector and speakers
Computers with internet access to
goanimate.com
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
Lesson 1 Title: Laying Tracks for the Future Grade Level: 8 Unit of Study: Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States GLCE: U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the United States in 1898 focusing on similarities and differences in territory, including the size of the United States and land use population, including immigration, reactions to immigrants, and the changing demographic structure of rural and urban America (E3.2), systems of transportation (canals and railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad), and their impact on the economy and society (E1.4, 3.2) governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs, banking, land grants and mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) economic change, including industrialization, increased global competition, and their impact on conditions of farmers and industrial workers (E1.4, 2.1, 3.2), the treatment of African Americans, including the rise of segregation in the South as endorsed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and the response of African Americans the policies toward American Indians, including removal, reservations, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the response of American Indians. Abstract: Expansion creates problems and opportunities. Key Concepts: How did transportation improvements change America from 1800-1898? Sequence of Activities:
1. Brainstorm with the class the major changes and improvements in transportation and communication that occurred because of the Civil War. Use the United Streaming video American History: at the Western Frontier (or clips from it) as a basis for discussion.
2. Connect the students’ brainstormed ideas of changes to the “What Next” question for
Southerners after the Civil War.
3. Use the included background information and extensive features on the PBS American Experience website on the Transcontinental Railroad to help students understand the development and importance of this railroad, as well as its effects on various groups of people. There is an interactive map activity on this site (see links on CISD social studies website.
4. Watch clip of Great Native American Nations: Lakota Sioux: Indians of the Plains on
United Streaming. Discuss how the Native Americans would have felt having their land basically taken away from them.
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
5. Have students work with a partner to create mock interviews about the effects of the railroad on the Native American population. Use the following website for questions and answers: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/sfeature/sf_interview.html
6. Use the information gathered in the interviews to write a news article, Prezi, comic strip on www.bitsrips.com to demonstrate how the Transcontinental Railroad changed the lives of Native Americans.
Connections: English Language Arts Newspaper writing/interview skills Mathematics Instructional Resources: Equipment/Manipulative Computer with internet connection Video projector Computer lab for creating Prezi or Comic Student Resources Teacher Resources Clip of Great Native American Nations: Lakota Sioux: Indians of the Plains on United Streaming. American History: At the Western Frontier Video(United Streaming video clip—what would make you move?) Transcontinental Railroad Teachers Guide on PBS
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
Lesson 2 Title: New Faces in New Places Grade Level: 8 Unit of Study: Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States GLCE: U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the United States in 1898 focusing on similarities and differences in territory, including the size of the United States and land use population, including immigration, reactions to immigrants, and the changing demographic structure of rural and urban America (E3.2), systems of transportation (canals and railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad), and their impact on the economy and society (E1.4, 3.2) governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs, banking, land grants and mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) economic change, including industrialization, increased global competition, and their impact on conditions of farmers and industrial workers (E1.4, 2.1, 3.2), the treatment of African Americans, including the rise of segregation in the South as endorsed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and the response of African Americans the policies toward American Indians, including removal, reservations, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the response of American Indians Abstract: Immigration creates change in America. Key Concepts: How did expansion impact America? How did life in the United States change due to post Civil War immigration and migration? How did city life change following immigration? Sequence of Activities: --Suggestion for teachers— Have students in partners/small groups select 2-4 activities from the list below to
demonstrate understanding of immigration issues and opportunities facing the United States at the end of the 19th century.
1. Create visuals to accompany Emma Lazarus’ “New Colossus” showing a line by line
understanding of the poem. Students will then write their own “Welcome to America” poem (either “refining” New Colossus or an entirely different poem). This new poem should also include visuals to demonstrate students’ understanding of new immigrant populations coming to America and the opportunities and issues facing the United States. Suggestion to use: http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/activities/a_immigration/activity2/index.html
2. Create an illustrated series of maps of different immigrant groups that show the
migration of each group from homeland to different parts of the United States in the late 19th century. This should include point of entry and migration patterns and final
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
destination settlements, immigrant population numbers. Maps should also demonstrate the contributions each group made to the American culture. (At least 4 different immigrant populations should be covered on separate maps—one map could synthesize the information).
3. Write a decade diary (10 years) from the perspective of an immigrant. This diary must have at least 20 entries that provide details into the life of the immigrant over the course of his/her assimilation into America. It needs to include the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why). This might also include information about clothing, food, migration of immigrants, etc.
4. Select a city (San Francisco, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Denver, and Portland) and, using Library of Congress Maps and Google Earth, compare and contrast past and present urban areas. Ideas for student study: sanitation, schools, government buildings, housing structures, streets/roads, infrastructure/transportation, significant geographical features, industrial areas, etc.
Suggestion: The teacher should print and provide Library of Congress maps to students to avoid student confusion.
5. Create a graphic organizer of Westward Expansion identifying all the different
ideas/inventions that impacted the settlement of the West. Students will then depict the information using a blank map of the United States.
6. Discuss with partner/group what life was like for the wealthy and poor families in the United States using provided images. Create a T-chart showing comparisons and contrasts between the two classes of society. From the T-chart write a 3 paragraph summary which explains class divisions in the United States.
7. Create a comic strip cartoon depicting the immigrant experience in the United States. Connections: English Language Arts “New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus Diary/journal writing Mathematics Proportions/ratios using city maps Music/Band Find music resources of “New Colossus” and music from different immigrant populations
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Instructional Resources: Equipment/Manipulative Student Resources Blank Maps Teacher Resources http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/immigration/index-flash.html http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/activities/a_immigration/activity2/index.html http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/theycame/student_page.html Google Earth http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/cityhome.html (Library of Congress maps for #4) http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/amwing/html/el_amwing_hatchlg.htm (image of wealthy family) http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19198/19198-h/images/img210.jpg (image of tenement family) http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA01/Davis/photography/images/tenementfamily.jpg (image of tenement family) http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/ (site for analysis worksheets for photos, cartoons, etc) http://www.hippocampus.org/US%20History%20II
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Lesson 3
Title: The Homesteaders
Grade Level: 8
Unit of Study: Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States
GLCE: U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the
United States in 1898 focusing on similarities and differences in territory, including the size of
the United States and land use population, including immigration, reactions to immigrants, and
the changing demographic structure of rural and urban America (E3.2), systems of transportation
(canals and railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad), and their impact on the economy
and society (E1.4, 3.2) governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs,
banking, land grants and mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) economic change, including
industrialization, increased global competition, and their impact on conditions of farmers and
industrial workers (E1.4, 2.1, 3.2), the treatment of African Americans, including the rise of
segregation in the South as endorsed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and
the response of African Americans the policies toward American Indians, including removal,
reservations, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the response of American Indians
Abstract: Governmental policies impact all facets of society.
Key Concepts: How do government policies affect minority groups? How do governmental
policies impact economic development?
Sequence of Activities:
1. Display the advertisement, “Become a Billionaire.” Have students make a decision on
whether they would take the risk to “Become a Billionaire.” Ask the students if the
United States should ever give away land for next to nothing. Weigh the pros and cons.
2. Expand on the idea of the ever-changing frontier in the United States. Explain that after
the Civil War there was an even greater craving for the expansion and settlement of the
west.
3. Teach students the key terms needed for this lesson. Use the vocabulary organizer for
the definitions and fill in the Historical Context as the lesson evolves.
Include: Economy, National Bank Act, Land grants, Mineral rights, Homestead
Act, Exodusters.
4. Go to the following websites: http://www.nps.gov/home/historyculture/exodusters.htm
titled ―Exodusters‖ and then read ―Personal Excerpts from Exodusters‖ from
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/episodes/seven/theexodust.htm (You could
read this as a group or allow students to read individually).
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
5. Answer the following questions:
1. Who were the Exodusters?
2. Why did they move and where did they move to?
3. What did the Homestead Act allow the Exodusters to accomplish?
4. What were some obstacles they had to overcome?
5. Write three diary entries from the perspective of an Exoduster about life after you've
moved. What is good? What is bad? What is life like?
6. Have students create a list of ways the government has impacted jobs and land
distribution (both past and present) by surveying parents and other adults in the
community. Students will work in small teams to develop a reliable survey to collect
data. By creating a Venn diagram, students will demonstrate ways the government
impacts jobs/economy/land in the past and the present.
Extension:
1. The FRONTIER HOUSE Web site contains an interactive quiz which determines the
user's suitability as a homesteader. Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Pioneer?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/quiz.php
Connections:
English Language Arts
Surveying/Interviewing
Writing a diary entry
Mathematics
% economic growth, data collection/tabulation
Instructional Resources:
Equipment/Manipulative
Projector or computer lab
Student Resources
―Become a Billionaire‖
Vocabulary Organizer
Articles found on http://www.nps.gov/home/historyculture/exodusters.htm titled ―Exodusters‖
and http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/episodes/seven/theexodust.htm, which contains
―Personal Excerpts from Exodusters‖
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Teacher Resources
Vocabulary Quick Reference
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Vocabulary Organizer:
Word Definition Historical Context /
Justification
Economy
National Bank
Act
Land Grants
Mineral Rights
Homestead Act
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Exodusters
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Vocabulary Quick Reference:
Economy:
The system that results from choices we make as consumers, workers, business owners and
managers, and government officials.
The National Banks: 1863-1913 In 1863, Congress passed the first National Bank Act providing for a supervised system of
"National Banks." The Act setup operational standards for the banks, established minimum
amounts of capital to be held by the banks, and defined how the banks were to make and
administer loans. In addition, the Act imposed a 10 percent tax on state banknotes, thus
effectively eliminating non-federal currency from circulation. Source:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/moneymatters/a/fedreserve.htm
Land Grants:
Land granted to citizens of the United States for a small fee.
Mineral Rights:
Rights to the minerals in the piece of land even though the land was owned by the government or
another person. A small fee could be paid to file a “claim” to the mineral rights of a specific
piece of land.
Homestead Act:
In May 1862, Congress passed the Homestead Act, which declared that any citizen of the United
States could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land, most of it west of the Mississippi.
After payment of a nominal filing fee, homesteaders were to "improve" their land by living on it,
building a dwelling, and planting crops. If the settlers fulfilled these requirements, and stayed on
the land for a period of five years, the land became their property. However, the Act's seemingly
lenient requirements proved impossible for many would-be homesteaders.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/resources/lp1.html
Exodusters:
A specific group of Homesteaders who settled primarily in Kansas. These African Americans
from the South were fleeing racial oppression and rumors of the reinstitution of slavery after
Reconstruction.
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Exodusters
Introduction
In 1879, an African-American man from Louisiana wrote a letter to the governor of Kansas that
read in part: "I am very anxious to reach your state, not just because of the great race now made
for it but because of the sacredness of her soil washed by the blood of humanitarians for the
cause of black freedom."
This man was not alone. Thousands of African-Americans made their way to Kansas and other
Western states after Reconstruction. The Homestead Act and other liberal land laws offered
blacks (in theory) the opportunity to escape the racism and oppression of the post-war South and
become owners of their own tracts of private farmland. For people who had spent their lives
working the lands of white masters with no freedom or pay, the opportunities offered by these
land laws must have seemed the answer to prayer. Many individuals and families were indeed
willing to leave the only place they had known to move to a place few of them had ever seen.
The large-scale black migration from the South to Kansas came to be known as the "Great
Exodus," and those participating in it were called "exodusters."
Conditions in the Post-War South
The post-Civil War era should have been a time of jubilation and progress for the African-
Americans of the South. Slavery was nothing more than a bad memory; the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution had granted them citizenship; the Fifteenth Amendment
outlawed suffrage discrimination based on race, color, or previous slave status. However, many
Southern whites sought to keep blacks effectively disenfranchised and socially and economically
inferior.
One way whites in power attempted to prevent black equality was through denial of African-
American participation in the political process. Freed blacks were great supporters of the
Republican Party, which was the party of Lincoln and emancipation. Much of the white South,
however, remained loyal to the Democratic Party and professed hatred for all Republicans, black
or white. When blacks turned out in droves to cast their ballots for Republican candidates, they
were often met at the polls by whites employing creative means to keep the African-Americans
from ever seeing the inside of the voting booth. Many African-Americans were prevented from
casting their ballots and assuming their places as full members of the society. In addition to
maintaining some semblance of the post-war balance of power, these methods also helped elect
white Democrats.
Economic obstacles unique to their condition also prevented many freed blacks from moving
ahead. After having been slaves for most of their lives, they knew only how to be farmers. Even
for those that did possess or acquire alternative skills, the region's lack of alternatives to farming
as well as determined white supremacy blocked the freedmen's advance. As farmers, they had no
money to purchase land of their own, and many were actually forced to go back to work for the
very same whites who had held them in bondage for so many years. The only difference was that
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
the white landowners now paid them with a share of the crop which, after deductions for food
and other necessities, amounted to a ridiculously low wage for their work. Though this did not
technically constitute a master-slave relationship, it likely seemed hardly better than one to the
African-Americans that had to endure such humiliation and frustration. Many of the freed blacks
had few other skills, however, and often had families of their own to support. It must have
seemed a no-win situation.
The era of Reconstruction in the South lasted from 1865 to 1877. During these years, federal
troops occupied the states of the former Confederacy to ensure compliance with laws and
regulations governing Southern states' re-entry into the Union. Though the protection these
troops provided to African-Americans was often minimal, it had been better than nothing.
President Rutherford B. Hayes ended Reconstruction in 1877 and pulled the U.S. troops out of
the South. This gave the white ruling class of the South free reign to terrorize and oppress freed
blacks without interference from the U.S. Army or anyone else. Murders, lynchings and other
violent crimes against blacks increased dramatically. It was likely at this point that many
African-Americans began to feel that leaving the South forever was their only real chance to
begin new lives. Movement to parts further west, such as Kansas, began almost immediately
after the end of Reconstruction.
Black Migration to Kansas Prior to the Great Exodus
What was it about Kansas that particularly attracted African-Americans to that state? At the time
that many blacks began to consider abandoning the South, there was certainly a good deal of
frontier land available elsewhere. Besides slick (and often misleading) promotion of town sites,
what drew freed men and women to Kansas?
First, purely logistical and geographic factors must be considered. Kansas, while certainly never
considered a part of the South (except by pro-slavery Missourians prior to the Civil War), is
much closer to the South than far-off spots like California and Oregon. Getting to Kansas was a
much simpler and less expensive task than getting to such faraway places. For those coming
from many parts of the South, a boat or train ride to St. Louis was the real beginning of their
journey to Kansas. While conditions on these boats and trains were never ideal, riding in any
form was certainly preferable to walking. Many arrived in St. Louis with little idea how they
would get across Missouri and into Kansas. They must have felt, however, that whatever
hardships they faced on that leg of the journey would be less significant than those left behind in
the South.
Another factor—a human one—also played a role in the selection of Kansas as the new
Promised Land. The exploits of anti-slavery activists like John Brown gave Kansas an almost
holy sacredness to many African-Americans. In Kansas, blood had been spilled to keep slavery
out. The memories of John Brown and other abolitionist warriors lived on in the hearts and
minds of freed men and women and made Kansas seem the ideal place to begin anew.
Many of the African-Americans that migrated to Kansas prior to the 1879 exodus came from
Tennessee. There a popular movement sprang seemingly from nowhere in 1874, leading to a
"colored people's convention" in Nashville in May 1875. Many town promoters, including the
notable Benjamin "Pap" Singleton, saw this convention as a way to convince people to migrate
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
to Kansas. The convention resulted in the designation of a board of commissioners to officially
promote migration to Kansas. This board would later stipulate that would-be migrants needed at
least $1,000 per family to relocate to Kansas; very few interested in doing so had such funds.
Nevertheless, many freed blacks determined to leave Tennessee anyway. Promoters like
Singleton became known as "conductors" and began leading African-American families to
Kansas.
Obviously, black migration to Kansas did not begin (or end) with the exodus of 1879. Thousands
of freed blacks made their ways to Kansas throughout the decade of the 1870s. Since their
migration was more gradual, however, few whites took notice. This was certainly not the case
when the well-publicized exodus took place in 1879.
The Exodus of 1879
The great 1879 exodus of African-Americans was largely influenced by the outcome of 1878
elections in the state of Louisiana, in which the Democratic Party made major gains by winning
several congressional seats and the governorship. Freed blacks, largely Republican supporters,
were coerced, threatened, assaulted and even murdered to keep them away from the ballot box.
When the final tallies were in and the Democrats claimed almost total victory, many black
Louisianans knew that the time had come for them to abandon their state and join those already
in Kansas. Senator William Windom, a white Republican from Minnesota, introduced a
resolution on January 16, 1879, which actually encouraged black migration out of the South. The
Windom Resolution, together with southern white bigotry and the letters and newspaper articles
of those blacks already in Kansas, led many southern freed men and women to finally decide to
make their ways to Kansas. By early 1879, the "Kansas Fever Exodus" was taking place.
The 1879 exodus removed approximately 6,000 African-Americans primarily from Louisiana,
Mississippi and Texas. Many had heard rumors of free transportation all the way to Kansas, but
they were sorely disappointed when they discovered that such a luxury did not exist. Very few,
however, were dissuaded by this inconvenience.
Many southern whites had a racist and patronizing attitude about blacks in general and the
exodus in particular. As much as whites hated dealing with freed blacks, they still wanted the
former slaves there as a cheap labor force. Many southern whites became so alarmed by the
exodus that they began to pressure their elected officials to put a stop to it. They eventually
succeeded, and a U.S. Senate committee met for three months in 1880 to investigate the cause of
the exodus. The committee disintegrated into partisan bickering and accomplished little.
Despite this, blacks continued to leave for Kansas. By early March, about 1,500 had already
passed through St. Louis en route to Kansas. Back in Mississippi and Louisiana, thousands more
crowded onto riverbanks to wait for passing steamers to give them passage to St. Louis. One
white man stated that the banks of the Mississippi River were "literally covered with colored
people and their little store of worldly goods [sic] every road leading to the river is filled with
wagons loaded with plunder and families who seem to think that anywhere is better than here."
Once in St. Louis, many of the exodusters had little idea how to continue their flight with no
resources. Some were so destitute that they could not feed themselves or their families. In
response, St. Louis clergy and business leaders formed committees to assist the freed blacks so
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
that they could survive and makes their ways to Kansas. Food and funds were collected from the
local community as well as from sympathizers from Iowa to Ohio. Lack of shelter, however,
became the most serious problem, and many blacks were forced to sleep outside near the
waterfronts to which the steamships had delivered them. Care of the exodusters in St. Louis
became a political issue, especially after the Democratic-leaning Missouri Republican began
running anti-black stories and tales of mishandling of donated funds. By the time the last of the
exodusters departed St. Louis by rail, wagon, boat or on foot, even the most sympathetic citizens
were likely happy to see them go.
Back in the South, more African-Americans continued to plan to depart for Kansas. Black social
leaders and ministers often sang the praises of the exodus, comparing it to Moses and the
Israelites' escape from Egypt. Of course, some black leaders spoke out against the exodus as
well, stating that those leaving for Kansas were jeopardizing the future of those who chose to
stay behind and that democracy should be given more time to work. Among the most notable of
those that tried to dissuade blacks from fleeing the South was Frederick Douglass.
Southern whites continued to oppose the exodus as well. Many went to extreme measures to try
to keep blacks from emigrating, including arrest and imprisonment on false charges and the old
standby of raw, brute force. African-Americans suffered beatings and other forms of violence at
the hands of whites desperate to keep them in the South. Though these typical forms of
intimidation did not really prevent many freed blacks from leaving, the eventual refusal of
steamship captains to pick them up did. One can only guess that at least some of these sailors had
been threatened or paid not to offer blacks passage to St. Louis.
End of the Exodus
The exodus began to subside by the early summer of 1879. Though some African-Americans did
continue to head for Kansas, the massive movement known as the exodus basically ended with
the decade of the 1870s. That ten-year period had witnessed great changes for blacks both in the
South and in Kansas. In 1870, Kansas had hosted a black population of approximately 16,250.
Ten years later, in 1880, some 43,110 African-Americans called Kansas home. Between the
earlier gradual migrations and the 1879 exodus, Kansas had gained nearly 27,000 black residents
in ten years. Though a far greater number of blacks remained in the South, this number still
represents 27,000 individual dreams of a better life and 27,000 people that acted on their desires
and their rights to enjoy the freedoms to which they supposedly had been entitled since the
Emancipation Proclamation. Though few found Kansas to be the Promised Land for which they
hoped, they did find it a place that enabled them to live freely and with much less racial
interference than in the South.
Source: http://www.nps.gov/home/historyculture/exodusters.htm
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Personal Excerpts from the Exodusters:
What's going to be a hundred years from now ain't much account to us.... The
whites has the lands and the sense, an' the blacks has nothin' but their freedom, an'
it's jest like a dream to them.
Benjamin “Pap” Singleton
"Kansas seemed like an ideal place for people who were disillusioned with the
black codes that had been passed in the South, the meanness of the Ku Klux Klan,
the meanness of the sharecroppers who really weren't sharing the way they had
agreed, and these are the people who paid five dollars, five bucks to Pap Singleton
to come up the river to a new life in Kansas.‖
Bertha Calloway
"The West has always been seen as a place of opportunity. And this was certainly
as true for people of African descent as for anybody else. Singleton and other
leaders weren't necessarily doing it for purely altruistic reasons. Like a lot of great
westerners they were speculators in land and hoped to make their fortunes. But
they did have a vision of a place where people of color could breathe free..."
Bill Gwaltney
When I landed on the soil [of Kansas] I looked on the ground and I says this is free
ground. Then I looked on the heavens and I says them is free and beautiful
heavens. Then I looked within my heart and I says to myself, I wonder why I was
never free before?
John Solomon Lewis
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
Lesson 4 Title: Workers Unite! Grade Level: 8 Unit of Study: Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States GLCE: U6.2.1 United States History Investigation Topic and Issue Analysis, Past and Present – Use historical perspectives to analyze issues in the United States from the past and the present; conduct research on a historical issue or topic, identify a connection to a contemporary issue, and present findings (e.g., oral, visual, video, or electronic presentation, persuasive essay, or research paper); include causes and consequences of the historical action and predict possible consequences of the contemporary action. Abstract: Historical decisions have continuing impact. Key Concepts: How did industrialization and organized labor have a lasting impact on American society? Sequence of Activities:
1. Lead a class discussion/brainstorm on industry in the United States—what industries are growing, changing, workers, etc. Lead discussion to impact on cities—benefits/consequences of industrial growth in cities.
2. Students will conduct a one to two day research activity comparing adolescents in rural
America and an urban setting during the 1880-1900s. Items to consider in research:
• Day-to-day responsibilities • Entertainment/Social Activities • Housing • Sanitation • Safety • Education • Food • Cost of Living
From research students could demonstrate understanding by use of T-chart, Venn Diagram, short paper, visual representation, skit, powerpoint,
3. Lead a class discussion, based upon research findings, about where would students like
to live (urban/rural). Why? What changes could be made to improve lifestyles and how
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
could these changes be made? (push the idea of how do you elicit change?) How do industry owners react to change?
4. Show the United Streaming video: The American Industrial Revolution. 5. Students will work in small groups to create a bulletin board or visual representation
(poster, power point, photo story) that demonstrates the following about current labor unions in the United States.
• Information to research: • date founded • why founded • mission statement (has it changed over time?) • initial membership numbers • current membership numbers • date of largest membership numbers • impact on society • current activities • One piece of information must be presented in graph or chart form.
• Potential Labor Unions for research: • Railroads • Mining • auto workers • teachers • steel workers • plumbers • electrical • construction • municipal workers • teamsters • dockworkers • mill workers (textiles) • food service.
6. Suggestion: invite a local labor leader and/or local business leader to class to speak with
students about organized labor and its impact. Connections: English Language Arts Suggestion to read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle Question/interview skills for visit from labor/business to class
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Mathematics Cost of living Use of charts, graphs to demonstrate rural to urban movement and growth of labor unions (bar, graph, pie) Instructional Resources: Equipment/Manipulative Photo story Power point Student Resources Teacher Resources
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Lesson 5
Title: Free, yet not really free!
Grade Level: 8
Unit of Study: Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States
GLCE: U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the
United States in 1898 focusing on similarities and differences in territory, including the size of
the United States and land use population, including immigration, reactions to immigrants, and
the changing demographic structure of rural and urban America (E3.2), systems of transportation
(canals and railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad), and their impact on the economy
and society (E1.4, 3.2) governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs,
banking, land grants and mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) economic change, including
industrialization, increased global competition, and their impact on conditions of farmers and
industrial workers (E1.4, 2.1, 3.2), the treatment of African Americans, including the rise of
segregation in the South as endorsed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and
the response of African Americans the policies toward American Indians, including removal,
reservations, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the response of American Indians
Abstract: Historical decisions have continuing impact.
Key Concepts: How do governmental policies impact minorities? What were the lasting
impacts of Plessy v. Ferguson?
Sequence of Activities:
1. Introduce students to the idea that after Reformation, life in the south became more
oppressive for African Americans. Rather than being able to vote freely, own land, or feel
racial equality, African Americans were often left out of these basic freedoms. Show the
Discovery Education video: Plessy and the Era of Jim Crow. Discuss how this decision
impacted African Americans.
2. Have students go to the PBS website on Plessy v. Ferguson and the Jim Crow Era at
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/tools.html. While at this site students perform the
simulation activities under “Voting Then, Voting Now,” “Ways of Seeing,” and “Racial
Realities.” (Students will have to post some comments on the ways of seeing and make
some decisions as you walk through the simulations).
3. After students perform these activities have them answer the following questions:
1. What are three things that made it difficult for African Americans to vote?
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
2. Describe how the images under ways of seeing still persist even today into our
culture? How does this impact your life?
3. Do you think the legacy of Jim Crow is limited to the South? Why or Why not?
4. How is life different or the same for African Americans as it was under the Jim
Crow Eras?
5. If they finish, they should take the Jim Crow Quiz.
Extension:
1. As a class or individually have students watch the video, “The Elaine Riot: Tragedy and
Triumph.”
2. Have students compare treatment of African Americans in the south to treatment of
African Americans in the north, particularly in “Sundown Towns.”
3. Have students create a Glogster where they compare the experiences of African
Americans in the north and south.
Connections:
English Language Arts
Mathematics
Instructional Resources:
Equipment/Manipulative
Computer lab or computers for each student
Document Projector
Student Resources
PBS website tools “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow” at
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/tools.html
Teacher Resources
The Discovery Education video: Plessy and the Era of Jim Crow
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Lesson 6
Title: The Great Shortcut
Grade Level: 8
Unit of Study: Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United States
GLCE: U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the
United States in 1898 focusing on similarities and differences in territory, including the size of
the United States and land use population, including immigration, reactions to immigrants, and
the changing demographic structure of rural and urban America (E3.2), systems of transportation
(canals and railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad), and their impact on the economy
and society (E1.4, 3.2) governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs,
banking, land grants and mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) economic change, including
industrialization, increased global competition, and their impact on conditions of farmers and
industrial workers (E1.4, 2.1, 3.2), the treatment of African Americans, including the rise of
segregation in the South as endorsed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and
the response of African Americans the policies toward American Indians, including removal,
reservations, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the response of American Indians
Abstract: Historical decisions have continuing impact.
Key Concepts: How does expansion and trade impact decisions that the United States has
made?
Sequence of Activities:
1. Examine a map of North America; ask students how they would ship Pineapples from
Hawaii to New York? Which route would they take? Explain how it would be cheaper to
ship the merchandise.
2. Watch the 3 minute clip of The Discovery Education video: U.S. Takes Over
Construction of Panama Canal A Segment of: 20th Century Turning Points: 1900-1907
3. Display the virtual tour of the Panama Canal found at
http://www.panamatours.com/Pancanal/Canal_pics.htm. Discuss with students what it
would be like to go on a journey through the Panama Canal.
4. Have students create a dialogue of a person describing a trip through the Panama Canal.
Students should include answers to the following questions.
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
A. What was the Panama Canal?
B. Where was the Canal Zone and how big was it?
C. What were the pros and cons of the Panama Canal?
D. Why was the United States successful in building the Panama Canal when others had
failed?
5. Students will create mini-skits using the website www.goanimate.com. On this website,
students will choose their settings and type in the dialogue which they previously wrote.
Then email their completed projects to the teacher.
6. Share the presentations with the class.
Connections:
English Language Arts
Writing dialogue
Mathematics
Instructional Resources:
Equipment/Manipulative
Document Projector
LCD Projector and speakers
Student Resources
Computers with internet access to goanimate.com
Teacher Resources
The Discovery Education video: U.S. Takes Over Construction of Panama Canal
A Segment of: 20th Century Turning Points: 1900-1907
Virtual tour of the Panama Canal found at
http://www.panamatours.com/Pancanal/Canal_pics.htm
Eighth Grade Development of Industrial, Urban and Global United
States Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Eighth Grade Expansion and Reform Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Lesson 7
Title: Leveling the Playing Field—America Reforms!
Grade Level: 8
Unit of Study: Expansion and Reform (Era 4)
GLCE:
U4.3.1 Explain the origins of the American education system and Horace Mann’s campaign for
free compulsory public education.
U4.3.2 Describe the formation and development of the abolitionist movement by considering the
roles of key abolitionist leaders (e.g., John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and
the Underground Railroad, Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass),
and the response of southerners and northerners to the abolitionist movement.
U4.3.3 Analyze the antebellum women’s rights (and suffrage) movement by discussing the goals
of its leaders (e.g., Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton) and comparing the Seneca
Falls Resolution with the Declaration of Independence.
U4.3.4 Analyze the goals and effects of the antebellum temperance movement.
U4.3.5 Evaluate the role of religion in shaping antebellum reform movements.
P4.2.1 Demonstrate knowledge of how, when, and where individuals would plan and conduct
activities intended to advance views in matters of public policy, report the results, and evaluate
effectiveness.
Abstract: Social and economic challenges impact citizen’s lives. Civic participation is essential
for effective government.
Key Concepts: How did social and political inequalities in society lead to reform movements?
Sequence of Activities:
1. Brainstorm inequalities in United State in early to mid 1800s.
2. Define terms: antebellum, abolition, suffrage, temperance, compulsory education – have
students connect these terms back to the brainstormed list.
3. Review constitutional principles relating to citizen’s rights – assembly, petition, freedoms
– assist students in connecting to Core Democratic Values.
4. Students work in small groups (jigsaw) focusing on one of the reform
movements— Child Labor, Prison, Education, Temperance, Abolition, Women’s
Suffrage-- to research and present the
following:
Identify key leaders of the movement
Develop concise mission statement for the individual movement
Eighth Grade Expansion and Reform Unit
Calhoun ISD Social Studies Curriculum Design Project
Connect to religious teachings of the time period
Create an action plan and execute it in some visual presentation (poster,
Glogster, PowerPoint, ad campaign, pamphlet/brochure, cartoon, commercial)
5. Teacher acts as facilitator and moderator to assure small groups present full information
to class and highlight important vocabulary/events related to each movement.
Connections:
English Language Arts
Students may be asked to write an activity related to action plan/mission statement and
presentation.
Students may give oral presentations to class.
Mathematics
Instructional Resources:
Equipment/Manipulative
Access to research materials (online and/or textbooks)
Computers
Multimedia Projector
Poster paper
Student Resources
Teacher Resources