The+American+Dream+-+The+Railroad

__**The American Dream: The Railroad**__ by Hannah Lee

Pa said we were moving for opportunity, but I knew the truth was he had been laid off and needed to feed the family's hungry stomachs. He said the railroads were "the way to go", whatever that meant. All railroads at that time were an idea - a concept far from reality. I didn't think anything would become of the fairy tale of any kind of cross-state transportation, but, boy, did I ever learn!

Adam - that's me. I was fourteen in 1943 when the idea of the railroads started becoming a reality. I lived in Raleigh with my family, the Brenners. We consisted of my Pa (Paul), my Ma (Louise), and my three sisters: Gertrude, Noretta, and Nelda. They were just three little girls who didn't give a penny's flip about the railroads. I, being the smart, young man I was, cared about the railroads when they actually became a reality, but up until that point, they seemed to be a distant resemblance of just another "American dream". My Pa was awaiting the opportunity to become involved in what he called, "the greatest innovation in American history", happening right here in ole' Raleigh. We had moved from the coast, where all the commerce and agriculture were flourishing, so I figured it'd be a huge leap of faith for Pa to ever move us out to the Piedmont. We moved the month after I turned fourteen.

Building a railroad wasn't the most envied job in the state, due to the great physical strength and endurance it required. My Pa would work from sunrise to farther past sunset than I could count. He'd come home dead to the bone, smelling like rocks and silt, and looking like a mangy dog. A smile would come across his face as he'd cross the threshold, and he'd declare every day, "We're gonna make somethin' of this state, you'll see". He'd asked me to go work with him one day, but Ma told me my students were more important. There was talk around town that there might be a land-grant college being established, so Ma had dreams of me gettin' an education. I didn't care what I did, as long as I had food to eat and a roof over my head. Our roof leaked from time to time, but it held up quite right when it felt like it. Pa knew he wanted me to be one of the first to attend the state college, just like he wanted to be one of the first to work on the railroads. "To be a part of something bigger than yourself means more in the world than what monument your name is placed on in the end", he'd say.

Three railroads were created in the state of North Carolina - my Pa's was the most important. His railroad ran from Raleigh to Gaston, which then went from Gaston to Wilmington. All the trade, agriculture, and commerce along the way was able to be transported from the coast to the Piedmont, creating the starting point for the Piedmont to rise as a center of commerce. I saw Pa's work come to fruition, and the progression of the state of North Carolina into a bigger image of the American dream. In addition to what we grew in our tiny garden out back, we got fresh vegetables, tobaccos, and cash crops from the coast. More kids my age started to come into town, expanding our city wider and stronger. I was able to go to school with them, play baseball in the open fields, and a dream of a better tomorrow -- all because of my Pa's railroad. My Pa's railroad contributed to the progress of a stronger economy, easier transportation from the coast to the new center of the state, and my confidence in the American dream. My Pa became my hero, because of his determination in the innovation of "his railroad", and pushed me to work toward my acceptance into the land-grant college, North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.

I would love for my students to do a variety of work pertaining to the geographic and topographic layout of the state of North Carolina. Prior to the following lesson, I would provide a "wide lens scope" of the history of NC's Railroad System, as well as pointing out resources like www.ncrr.com, www.northcarolinahistory.org, and www.historync.org. One idea I have for presenting this content would be for students to be combined into three teams, each responsible for one of the following: **Coastal Plains, Piedmont, Mountains**. Each team will be split into four separate categories: //Research Team (Whole research), Investigators (Internal Research), (Engineers) Model, and Journalists (Writers)//. They will work separately in their categories at first until they have met the criteria to combine. The //Research Team// (//Whole Research)// will be accumulated by every individual of each team (with specific requirements to be produced from each student to keep them accountable in their group work). All students within the team will be responsible for researching information on their designated geographic region in NC. They will be researching information on the 1) landforms, 2) climates, 3) bodies of water, 4) advantages, 5) disadvantages in the region, and 6) how the railroads effected the establishment/growth of NC as a state. They will meet together during class to discuss what would be most important to know about this region in its correlation with the establishment of the railroad system. //Investigators (Internal Research)// would be one of the subgroups for the region to designated for deeper investigation into the establishment of the railroad system (What were the needs? Why would the railroads be three separate railroads? How would it effect or not effect your designated region? What were the advantages/disadvantages for the railroad running through your region or providing transport to/from your region?). The //Engineers (Model)// subgroup would be responsible for researching the actual steam engine itself. This subgroup would also be responsible to understanding the layout of the railroad, and where its tracks were laid. They would also be responsible for creating some type of model of the railroad system (drawing, cartoon, model from raw materials, etc.). The //Journalists (Writers)//, as a subgroup, would be responsible for writing an essay on the development and influence of the railroad on the overall establishment and growth of NC, as a state. Their research will branch from the Whole Research gathered by the entire group, as well as through facilitated group discussions in class. Students would be assessed on their group participation, their ability to critically examine the benefits/disadvantages of the railroads, and the ability to stimulate growth in NC. Students will also be assessed through their individual essay concerning the influence of the railroads had on the creation and growth of the Piedmont. Through students' research of the history of the railroad, they should be able to produce sufficient evidence on the significance of the railroad and its impact on the growth of the Piedmont into the center of commerce. The individual essay will come a week after this huge group assignment, as a means to assess their writing ability and content knowledge.
 * __Instructional Ideas: NCSCOS 8th Grade Obj. 1.01__** - //All Aboard: A Peek into NC's Railroad History//