Grades 3-5 Lesson Plan - Shipping in the United States in 1835

Map 10 Main Page

Core Map: Mitchell's Map of the United States. Philadelphia: S. Augustus Mitchell, 1835. Newberry Library call number: H6083.58 (Printable PDF version of the Core Map)

Resources related to Map 5.
Curator's Notes for Map 5.

Overview
This lesson has students use transportation routes existing in 1835 to plot a shipping route from Boston to Cincinnati.

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. identify different types of transportation routes on the core map.
2. use the map scale to measure distances and plot a trip.
3. locate Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Charleston, Hartford, New Haven, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia on the core map.

Key Terms
canal, railroad, transportation, route, inset map, shipping company

Materials
computer image or overhead of the core map, Enlarged northeastern section of the core map, Trip Planning Chart, Chart of Canal and Rail Routes, Map Key, crayons or colored pencils, ruler

Time
Approximately three class periods or 90 minutes

Getting Started

1. Set up the lesson by having students access the core map. Have students scroll around the map for orientation, pointing out the table of distances of major American cities, the explanation of transportation symbols, and the map scale, and the inset maps of the cities and Niagara Falls. Be certain to point out that the map distinguishes between existing and proposed canals and railroads. Query students as to whether they have visited any of these places and how many have traveled by the transportation modes included in the explanation.

2. Ask the students which states in 1835 had the largest existing networks of railroads and canals (Eastern states; especially Pennsylvania and New York).

3. Ask which states are poorly served by existing railroads and canals in 1835 (Western and Southern states). Discuss why most of the proposed canals and railroads are in these areas.

4. Probe for reasons why there were more canals and railroads in the Northeast than elsewhere in the country (some good answers include: greater population density; greater industrialization; major natural barriers to overcome-the Appalachian mountains; major immigration routes to the West through New York and Pennsylvania).

Developing the Lesson

1. If necessary, model the process of measuring distance on the map, identifying transportation types, and other aspects of the trip planning process.

2. Divide the students into groups of three and pass out one color copy of the Enlarged northeastern section of the core map, one color copy of the Map Key, and one page of the Trip Planning Chart to each group (note that each page of the Trip Planning Chart outlines a different route: A, B, C, or D; give each group one route, or give all groups a blank Chart and assign them one of the four routes).

   Have each group pretend that they are a commercial shipping company operating in the northeastern United States in 1835. A customer, a luxury clothing manufacturing company in Boston, wishes to ship fine hats and gloves to a merchant in Cincinnati. The cost of each stage of the trip will depend upon the mode of transportation used. The shipping charges by road for the entire cargo are 2 cents per mile; by railroad, 1 cent per mile; and by boat 0.5 cents per mile (please note: these are not actual shipping rates of the period, but have been invented for this exercise). Assign each group one of the four route options outlined below for the shipment from Boston to Cincinnati. Using the Trip Planning Chart and the core map, each group must determine which mode of transportation it will use to get from place to place on its assigned route. The groups should calculate how many miles it takes to get from place to place and the shipping costs for that stage of the trip. Finally, each group will determine the total distance their shipment will travel and the total cost of the shipment. Please note that the intervening distances between cities and towns on the roads are indicated on the map. The groups may use the Chart of Canal and Rail Routes to calculate miles along some major canals and railroads; or, if that information is not available for a particular segment of the route, estimate the distances using the scale on the map. Please also note that in some instances there are several possible routes students may use to complete a specified itinerary. Groups should do their best to find the shortest or cheapest route. Students may either be restricted to using existing routes or allowed to use planned railroads and canals as well. Keep in mind that oceans, lakes, and rivers are transportation routes, too, and can be used by the shipping company.

   Route A	Route B	Route C	Route D
   Boston, MA	Boston, MA	Boston, MA	Boston, MA
   Worcester, MA	New York, NY	Philadelphia, PA	Philadelphia, PA
   Albany, NY	Easton, PA	York, PA	Baltimore, MD
   Rome, NY	Sunbury, PA	Bedford, PA	Harper's Ferry, VA*
   Buffalo, NY	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh, PA	Cumberland, MD
   Cleveland, OH	Wheeling, VA*	Wheeling, VA*	Wheeling, VA*
   Hebron, OH	Portsmouth, OH	Portsmouth, OH	Portsmouth, OH
   Cincinnati, OH	Cincinnati, OH	Cincinnati, OH	Cincinnati, OH

   *Wheeling and Harper's Ferry are in present-day West Virginia

   
   

3. Have each group trace its route on the enlarged northeastern section of the core map.

4. Have each group report its route, its total distance and its total cost to the entire class. Determine with the class which route is the shortest and which is the cheapest.

5. On the basis of this exercise, discuss with the class which mode of transportation (water, rail, or road) would the shipping company most likely favor. Discuss how the completion of all of the proposed routes on the map might change this (increasingly more railroads would be used).

Evaluation
Using a 1-4 scale (4=excellent, 3=good, 2= fair, 1=poor) assess student performance as follows:

a. Trip Planning
For 4 points, the group accurately constructs the tour, going to every place, recording the necessary information, and presenting findings clearly and completely with less than one or two errors.
For 3 points, the group accurately constructs the tour, going to every place, recording the necessary information, and presenting findings clearly and completely with just two or three errors.
For 2 points, the group accurately constructs the tour, going to every place, recording the necessary information, and presenting findings clearly and completely with between five to seven errors.
For 1 point, the group does not accurately construct the tour, does not go to every place, and does not record the necessary information. The group does not present findings clearly and completely.

b. Working in groups
For 4 points, the student successfully works in a group to construct the routes and completes all tasks.
For 3 points, the student successfully works in a group to construct the routes and completes all tasks but has minor difficulties in coordinating the work.
For 2 points, the student has major difficulties working as a member of the group.
For 1 point, does not contribute to the work of the group.

Extension
Have each group repeat the exercise, using the railroads on Map 11 (see Resources) and/or using only the highways on a modern highway map of the eastern United States. (Do not have students calculate the shipping costs, which will be different.) Discuss how the later railroad and highway routes are similar to those in 1835 (many follow the same route). Discuss how they are different (i.e., more options).