Road Building and the Growth of Cities

Students will analyze four different photographs to understand what road conditions were like in the early parts of the 20th century. They will discuss the difficulties of travel and why these difficulties might have prompted the building of better roads. I will guide the discussion to help the students figure out how improving road conditions affected the growth of cities.

Historical Background

Virginia underwent a major social and economic transition during the early part of the twentieth century. As the state industrialized, more people moved to Virginia to live and to work there. Though railroads, in ruins from the war, were rebuilt to provide transportation between big cities, most travel was still on foot, on horseback, or in horse-drawn carriages on dirt roads. In industrialized areas, people needed to travel to and from work, as well as to transport products. In agricultural areas, farmers like Harry F. Bryrd wanted better ways to move their crops to the market. In the 1920s, the invention of the automobile provided a quick and easy way of travel. People could use this new type of transportation to get to work and to transport goods from town to town quickly. However, it was soon apparent that cars did not travel well on dirt roads and Virginia needed newer, paved roads that would link cities and towns. Virginia politicians like Harry F. Byrd contributed to the building of new roads, which would greatly contribute the growth of Virginia's economic development in the 1900s.

Lesson Objective

Students will see that improved road conditions made it easier for people to travel and find employment in Virginia. This helped lead to the rapid growth of Virginia’s cities.

Materials

Procedure

  1. Begin with a quick review of what we’ve learned so far by letting students play “Who wants to be a millionaire.”
  2. After the warm-up game, break students into groups of three. Pass out pictures (one at a time) and have students think/share ideas of what is going on. Using the questions above, I will guide students to think about the picture and analyze what is going on. After the class has analyzed all four photographs, the groups will then discuss why they think road improvements were needed and how they might have affected Virginia’s growth.
  3. Once each group has discussed this, students will work independently to write a letter to a family member, pretending that he/she is a child living in the early 1900’s in Virginia. The students will recount the changes that have occurred at “home” since a new road has been built in their neighborhood. The student should include what kind of people they see along the road, the commercial activity they witness, and how they might feel about the changes brought about by the road. If completed, student can draw an illustration of what the area might have looked like. Students will then have the opportunity to share their work.

Assessment

Students will write a letter to a family member, pretending that he/she is a child living in the early 1900’s in Virginia. The students will recount the changes that have occurred at “home” since a new road has been built in their neighborhood. The student should include what kind of people they see along the road, the commercial activity they witness, and how they might feel about the changes brought about by the road.

4

The student’s letter shows a change in road conditions, an increase in the amount of people who come and go and include how this has increased the demand for supplies, which in turn causes an increase in businesses and work. The student discusses how road improvements have impacted the diversity and overall lifestyle of his hometown.

3

The student’s letter shows a change in road conditions, an increase in the amount of people who come and go, an increase in businesses and work, and an increase in everyday activities.

2

The student’s letter shows that there was a change in road conditions, with only 1-2 additional changes in his/her neighborhood.

1

The student cannot illustrate any changes from the road improvements.

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