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"The Significance of the
Antebellum Period Transportation Revolution"
II.
LESSON PLAN: EXPANDED LESSON
1) Student Question: Why is transportation important to the economy?
2) Lesson plan content-What will students do?
Step 1: (handout 1, part I) 
Do Now: What kinds of transportation do you and your family use? Why is transportation important to the economy? Record answers on board.
Step 2: (handout 1, part II)
Oakland Port-Before and after pictures:
Show before pictures with no port and then pictures with port:
- What is a port?
- What does a port do?
Then show early hills pictures with few houses and then recent pictures with lots of houses:
- What is different between the two pictures?
- How might the presence of a port in Oakland have influenced the changes observed in the East Bay?
Step 3: (Handout 3)
Today’s lesson is going to focus on the same kinds of changes that happened in transportation in the time period that we are studying.
- Ask students what kinds of transportation they think were being used in the early 1800s?
- Hand each student a set of railroad maps with city density in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s (In addition to the questions on the handout, you may wish to ask additional questions to scaffold the reading of the maps.)
- Ask students to look at all three Railroad maps and ask them:
- What do you think these lines mean?
- What is the difference between 1840 and 1860 in terms of railroad lines?
- Ask students to look at the Urban Places maps:
- What do you think the dots mean?
- What has changed from 1840 to 1860?
- What can you conclude from these maps about the affect of transportation on the growth of cities?
- How are the two types of maps connected?
Step 4: (handout 4)
Simulation:
Before you start, pass out the 9 index cards to students in your class and let them know that they will be asked to read them to the class at some point. You must have a piece of string to give to The Iron Worker and the Sawmill worker when they stand up.
Teacher: We have a merchant from New York City
(have student stand up and read his card)
- Merchant: I import the finest teas from all over the world. Everyone wants my tea because it is the best. I also export wheat.
Teacher: We have a farmer who lives near Cleveland
- Farmer: I grow wheat and make biscuits and have a lot of extra wheat to sell. I live a simple life. I’ve heard that in New York City people get to drink tea all day. I wish I could do that.
Teacher: Who can help these two?
- Railroad Designer: In order to build a railroad I need: Iron and wood for the tracks
- Ironworker stands up: I have produce iron, I can help
- Sawmill owner: I have a sawmill and can provide word for the tracks.
Teacher: (Hand each of them a side of the string and have them link New York to Cleveland. Then ask them to sit down.)
Ok now that we have the supplies a railroad can be built between Cleveland and New York. The Farmer and the Merchant can trade their goods. Is there anyone else in the room that can gain from this railroad?
- Dairy farmer: I produce cheese and want to sell it in New York. I live near Cleveland. Now I can use the railroad to ship my cheese to New York.
- Clothing Manufacturer: Wow, I really want to sell more clothing, now that I have more customers I can build a bigger factory.
- Apple Orchard Farmer: I see that Business is good I’m moving to Cleveland, so I can sell my apples.
- Newspaper Printer: This city is growing, it needs and good newspaper to keep its citizens informed.
Step 5: (handout 4)
Debrief of simulation:
1. How many total jobs existed before the railroad?
2. How many total jobs existed after the railroad?
3. What happened to the population of New York City, Cleveland and the farming communities surrounding Cleveland?
4. What other kinds of changes in the United States might have been happening while the railroad system grew across the country? List three possible changes that might have resulted from the growth of the railroads and cities.
Step 6:
Have students write to the following questions.
- Given what you learned today why is transportation important to the economy?
- How have your ideas changed from your initial response in the Do Now?
- What part of today’s lesson helped you the most in your learning? Why do you think it was the most helpful?
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