American Democracy in Word and DeedMDUSD/UCB H-SSP

4th Grade Lesson: “Railroads”

Developed by: Carol Wallis, Christi Hadley, Kimberly Leyden, Laura Ferguson, and Lauren Weaver

Teaching American History Grant Focus Question: How have the words and deeds of people and institutions shaped democracy in the U.S.?

California History Standards: 4.4, 4.4.1

Unit Focus: Unit 4 Growth and Development: Transportation, Communication, and a Growing Economy.

Lesson Focus Question: How did railroads affect California’s economy in the late 1800s?

Lesson Working Thesis: The growth of railroads in the late 1800s affected California’s economy in both positive and negative ways.

Reading and Writing Strategies: READING Strategy:

Analyzing a Political Cartoono Cause and Effect

WRITING Strategy: o Cause and Effect paragraph, scaffolded outline

Suggested Amount of Time: One to two class periods

Textbook:California: A Changing State. Orlando, Florida: Reflection Series, Harcourt School Publishers, 2007, Chapter 7, pp287-288 and 295-297

Primary Source Citations:G. F. Keller. The Curse of California. Illustration. The Wasp. 19 August 1882.[Optional] Hart, Alfred A. “Traveler’s Own Map of the Central Pacific Railroad of California,”

The Travelers Own Book: A Panorama of Overland Travel, from Chicago to San Francisco, Chicago, Horton & Leonard, 1870. For reference only, can be viewed at:http://cprr.org/Museum/Maps/_hart_1870_travelers_map.html

[Optional]Southern Pacific Company. Map of California. Color Lithographed Map.8th edition,1901

Context of the lesson in the unit (and its connection to American Democracy in Word and Deed): Students will be analyzing a political cartoon and connecting it to the section in the textbookabout the affect of the railroads on California’s economy in the 1800s.

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Teacher Lesson Procedure: 1. Introduction

Review CH 7, Lesson 2, “Building the Transcontinental Railroad” [p.4]. Review the “Big Four” and teach vocabulary as needed.

o Primary Source Option: To show students the extent of the Central Pacific’s railroad lines (especially the railroad lines east of Sacramento through the Sierra Nevada), visit the following copyrighted map: http://cprr.org/Museum/Maps/_hart_1870_travelers_map.html

Pass out Analyzing a Political Cartoon worksheet [p.5, teacher reference/key p6, full page copy for the elmo or overhead projector p7]

Explain the purpose of political cartoons Students work in pairs to describe what they see and complete DAY 1 Questions box [p.5, cartoon

key with additional info. p6, extra copy to project on overhead or Elmo p7] Save DAY 2 Analyzing a Political Cartoon Question to revisit later

2. Reading Strategy Pass out “Rails Across California” reading from textbook [p9] and Cause and Effect chart [p10,

teacher key p11, student sample p14] Teacher guided choral reading of “Rails Across California”

o Primary Source Option, Map of California [p8]: Teacher may choose to project this map to visually illustrate the Southern Pacific Railroad as the “octopus” that spread out across California

Review/explain cause and effect Teacher completes the cause and effect chart with the students When the chart is complete, teacher guides students in a discussion of how the railroads affected

California’s economy Return to political cartoon and have students complete DAY 2: Analyzing a Political Cartoon [p5] Teacher leads a discussion linking the reading with the cartoon Students work in pairs to complete the analysis question Teacher guides a discussion about the meaning of the cartoon

3. Writing Strategy Pass out Paragraph Outline with Writing Prompt [p12, teacher key p13, student sample p15] Teacher scaffolds the writing assignment to show students how they will be using the Cause and

Effect chart [p10] to aid them as they complete the outline Paragraph can be written as a class, with partners or individually

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LESSON STANDARDS

History-Social Science Content Standards:4.4 Students explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power, tracing the transformation of the California economy and its political and cultural development since the 1850s.

1. Understand the story and lasting influence of the Pony Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the transcontinental railroad, including the contributions of Chinese workers to its construction.

Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills:Research, Evidence, and Point of View

Students pose relevant questions about events they encounter in historical documents, eyewitness accounts, oral histories, letters, diaries, artifacts, photographs, maps, artworks, and architecture.

Historical Interpretation Students identify and interpret the multiple causes and effects of historical events.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards: Reading Informational Text, Grade 4

Key Ideas and DetailsRI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

-Textbook excerpts, pp287-88 and 295-97

Craft and Structure

RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

-Cause and Effect Textbook Reading, pp295-97

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

-Political Cartoon

Writing, Grade 4

Text Types and Purposes

W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include

formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented

-Cause and Effect scaffolded paragraph outline

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Building the Transcontinental RailroadChapter 7 Lesson 2, excerpt from pages 287-88

Hoping for a Railroad

Many people supported the idea of a transcontinental railroad (a railroad that would

cross the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific.) In addition to improving travel,

many thought a transcontinental railroad would increase trade. Goods from California and

goods brought to California from Asia could be carried by train to the East Coast.

A young man named Theodore Judah took a special interest in the idea of a

transcontinental railroad. Judah was an engineer, someone who plans and builds railroads

and other structures. He knew the hardest part of the building a railroad to California

would be crossing the Sierra Nevada.

Building the Railroad

Building a transcontinental railroad would cost millions of dollars. Judah began to

look for people willing to invest in the railroad. Judah found four men who wanted to

invest—Leland Stanford, Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker. They

became known as the Big Four.

In 1861, Judah and the Big Four formed the Central Pacific Railroad Company . . .

In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act. The United States would provide

money and land for the Central Pacific Railroad Company to build a railroad east from

Sacramento. Another railroad company, the Union Pacific, would lay tracks west from

Council Bluffs, Iowa. The two railroad lines would meet in between.From textbook: California: A Changing State. Orlando, Florida: Reflection Series, Harcourt School Publishers, 2007, pages 287-88

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Lesson Question: How did railroads affect California’s economy in the late 1800s?

Analyzing a Political Cartoon NAME_____________________________

G. F. Keller. The Curse of California. Illustration. The Wasp. 19 August 1882.

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DAY 1 Questions:1. What is the name of the cartoon?

2. What is the name of the octopus?

3. What is the octopus holding in his tentacles?

4. Describe the eyes.

DAY 2 Questions: Analyzing the Political Cartoon1. According to the cartoonist, how did the Big Four affect California’s economy?

TEACHER REFERENCE

ADDITIONAL TEACHER INFORMATIONNob Hill is a wealthy area in San Francisco and one of the owners of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SPRR) owned a

home there. The railroad also owned their own telegraph lines and ships, and they only used their telegraph lines and would only transport items using their own ships. Not only that, but the railroad lines only went to their own ports. This took nearly all the business away from the other telegraph lines and shipping companies. They were also the only railroad around, so any farmers or others who wanted to transport goods were forced to pay whatever prices the railroad wanted. Another industry that suffered was the stagecoach industry. The railroad was a much faster and much more reliable source of transportation.

Mussel Slough was a town in the central valley where squatters were living on the land owned by SPRR. The railroad owners sent the Federal Marshals into Mussel Slough to get the squatters off the land. In the struggle that ensued, 7 people were killed by the Marshals.

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G. F. Keller. The Curse of California. Illustration. The Wasp. 19 August 1882.

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Southern Pacific Company: Map of California, 1901

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~22098~780011:Map-of-California-compiled-from-latMap of California compiled from latest official & authentic information, by the Southern Pacific Company. (8th. edn. 1901)

Collection: David Rumsey Historical Map, Author: Southern Pacific Company, Title: Map of California, Date: 1901, Publisher: Southern Pacific Company, San Francisco [Note: Col. lithographed map. Relief shown by hachures. Shows drainage, settlements, railroads, counties, etc. Includes indexes, and tables of temperature and county populations. David Rumsey Collection copy has annotations in red ink. "No. 74. 8-2-01-50M".

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Rails Across California

Effects of the Railroad

When the transcontinental railroad was completed, Californians were thrilled.

People in Sacramento hoped that the railroad would help the city grow. In San Francisco,

business owners were eager to send goods from Asia by rail to the East coast.

The railroad did lead to growth. However, it also caused problems for some

businesses. It brought new products into the state that sometimes cost less that goods

made and sold in California. Many businesses in the state suffered and closed.

More Railroads

Before the transcontinental railroad was finished, the Big Four had begun building

other railroads in California. One of these was the Southern Pacific Railroad. Part of this

railroad ran through the Central Valley from Stockton to Los Angeles. Towns along the

railroad’s route –such as Bakersfield, Modesto, Fresno, and Merced—grew quickly.

In return for building tracks, the Southern Pacific Railroad had gained more than

11million acres of land. This was a result of the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. The act

granted large areas of land surrounding railroad tracks to the railroad company that laid

the tracks.

The Big Four gained more and more land with every new railroad track that they

laid in California. As they grew wealthier, they bought or started other railroads,

including the Western Pacific and the California Southern. The railroads owned by the

Big Four stretched in so many directions that they were nicknamed “the Octopus.”

For almost 20 years, the Big Four’s railroads had little competition in California. In

business, competition is a contest among companies to get the most customers or to sell

the most products. Because the railroads owned by the Big Four had little competition,

they could charge high prices for train tickets. At one time, a round-trip ticket from the

East to California cost more than $200. This is equal to about $3578 in today’s money.From textbook: California: A Changing State. Orlando, Florida: Reflection Series, Harcourt School Publishers, 2007, pages 295-297

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Lesson Question: How did railroads affect California’s economy in the late 1800s?

NAME_____________________________________

Cause and Effect Chart: The Railroads in California

Cause Effect[Because] … the transcontinental railroad was completed The railroad did lead to growth. [Because] It brought new products into the state that sometimes cost less that goods made and sold in California.

________________________________

________________________________

[Because]Part of the Southern Pacific Railroad ran through the Central Valley from Stockton to Los Angeles.

Towns along the railroad’s route –such as Bakersfield, Modesto, Fresno, and Merced—

_______________________

[Because]________________________________

________________________________

The act granted large areas of land surrounding railroad tracks to the railroad company that laid the tracks.

[Because]The act granted large areas of land surrounding railroad tracks to the railroad company that laid the tracks.

In return for building tracks, the Southern Pacific Railroad (the Big Four) had gained more than 11 million acres of land.

[Because] The Big Four gained more and more land with every new railroad track that they laid in California.

________________________________

[Because]As they grew wealthier,

they bought or started other railroads, including the Western Pacific and the California Southern.

[Because]The railroads owned by the Big Four stretched in so many directions

that they were nicknamed ________________________________. For almost 20 years, the Big Four’s railroads had little competition in California.

[Because]Because the railroads owned by the Big Four had little competition,

________________________________

________________________________

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Lesson Question: How did railroads affect California’s economy in the late 1800s?

TEACHER KEY

Cause and Effect KEY

Cause Effect[Because]

… the transcontinental railroad was completed The railroad did lead to growth.

[Because]

It brought new products into the state that sometimes cost less than goods made and sold in California.

Many businesses in the state suffered and closed.

[Because]

Part of the Southern Pacific Railroad ran through the Central Valley from Stockton to Los Angeles.

Towns along the railroad’s route –such as Bakersfield, Modesto, Fresno, and Merced—grew quickly.

[Because]The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862.

The act granted large areas of land surrounding railroad tracks to the railroad company that laid the tracks.

[Because]The act granted large areas of land surrounding railroad tracks to the railroad company that laid the tracks.

In return for building tracks, the Southern Pacific Railroad (the Big Four) had gained more than 11 million acres of land.

[Because]

The Big Four gained more and more land with every new railroad track that they laid in California.

They grew wealthier.

[Because]As they grew wealthier,

they bought or started other railroads, including the Western Pacific and the California Southern.

[Because]The railroads owned by the Big Four stretched in so many directions

that they were nicknamed “the Octopus .”

For almost 20 years, the Big Four’s railroads had little competition in California.

[Because]

Because the railroads owned by the Big Four had little competition,

they could charge high prices for train tickets.

NAME____________________________12

Lesson Question: How did railroads affect California’s economy in the late 1800s?

Railroad Cause and Effect Paragraph

Lesson Question: How did railroads affect California’s economy in the late 1800s?

Thesis statement: California’s economy changed in many ways as result of

the completion of the railroad.

Cause: It brought _____________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Effect:Therefore, many businesses in the state _____________________

_________________________________________________.

Cause: The Southern Pacific Railroad ran __________________________

_________________________________________________

Effect: and this led to the growth of towns _______________________

_______________________________________________________.

Cause: The Railroad Act of 1862 ________________________________

_________________________________________________.

Cause/Effect: As a result, _______________________________________

_______________________________________________________.

Cause/Effect: The Big Four, who owned ___________________________

__________________________, became _________________.

Effect:With this money, the Big Four were able to ___________________

_______________________________________________________.

Cause: Because their railroads ___________________________________,

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Effect: they were nicknamed “____________________________.”

Cause: The railroads owned by the Big Four _______________________

_________________________________________________,

Effect: so ___________________________________________________.

TEACHER KEY: Words in red denote Cause/Effect relationship words

Railroad paragraph

Thesis statement: California’s economy changed in many ways as result of the completion of the railroad.

Cause: It brought new products into the state that often cost less than goods made and sold in California.

Effect: Therefore, many businesses in the state suffered and closed because they lost money.

Cause: The Southern Pacific Railroad ran through the Central Valley from Stockton to Los Angeles.

Effect: This led to the growth of towns along the railroad’s route.

Cause: The Railroad Act of 1862 granted land to the railroad companies that built the railroads.

Cause/Effect: As a result, the Southern Pacific Railroad gained more than 11 million acres of land.

Cause/Effect: The Big Four, who owned the Southern Pacific Railroad, became richer.

Effect: With this money, the Big Four were able to buy or start other railroads.

Cause: Because their railroads stretched in so many directions,

Effect: they were nicknamed “the Octopus.”

Cause: The railroads owned by the Big Four had very little competition,

Effect: so they could charge high prices for train tickets.

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California’s economy changed in many ways as result of the completion of the railroad. It brought new products into the state that often cost less than goods made and sold in California. Therefore, many businesses in the state suffered and closed because they lost money. The Southern Pacific Railroad ran through the Central Valley from Stockton to Los Angeles. This led to the growth of towns along the railroad’s route. The Railroad Act of 1862 gave land to the railroad companies that built the railroads. As a result, the Southern Pacific Railroad gained more than 11 million acres of land. The Big Four who owned the Southern Pacific Railroad became richer. With this money, the Big Four were able to buy or start other railroads. Because their railroads stretched in so many directions, they were nicknamed “the Octopus.” The railroads owned by the Big Four had very little competition, so they could charge high prices for train tickets.

Student Sample, page 1 of 2:

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Student Sample, page 2 of 2:

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