| Lesson 6: Deerfield Debates
its Future: What Constitutes Progress?
1 class period (85 minutes)
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| Key Content Ideas Taught in this Lesson and
Teacher/Student Background |
Deerfield's trolley debate brought to the fore
different views about the direction in which the community should
go. Conflicting economic, social, and aesthetic views divided the
community.
Teacher/Student Backgrou nd Essay: (not available
yet)
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| Intended Learning Outcomes |
Understandings
Students will understand:
- There are many resources that one can use
to learn about a community.
- The Colonial Revival movement flourished during
this period.
- Industry and technology reshaped life in Deerfield
and the Connecticut River Valley.
- The expansion of communication and transportation
impacted the daily lives of people in Deerfield and the Connecticut
River Valley.
Skills
Students will be able to:
- Analyze a variety of images and documents;
- Make inferences from their readings and articulate
causality;
- Present learned information to their peers;
- Locate historical evidence on a website to
support their presentations;
- Create artifacts to archive, such as a newspaper,
an album, or scrapbook, from their writings, drawings, and projects.
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| In Preparation for Teaching |
1. Read Teacher/Student Background (not
available yet)
Further Background Reading:
Stilgoe, John. Metropolitan Corridor: Railroads and the American
Scene. New Haven: Yale UP, 1983.
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Primary and Secondary Sources:
Unless otherwise noted, all can be found on
the American Centuries website.
- Deerfield Inn and Trolley (1996.12.2656.01-.02)
- Trolley Car (1996.12.0368.01-.04)
- Mt. Sugarloaf and Trolley (1997.08.01.0024)
- Cars at Open House (1997.01.14)
- Diary of Elsie Putnam, a schoolteacher who
rode the train every day. (L02.001)
- Madeline Wynn ("People & Places"
on this web site)
- Emma Coleman ("People & Places"
on this web site)
- Pratt and industry (L02.154,
L02.155,
L02.156)
- Sheldon and history (Letters on website --
search the Digital Collection using the Assisted Search Page.
Combine Exact Phrase: "trolley" with Item Type: "legal documents."
Students should also search Exact Phrase: "George Sheldon" combined
with Item Type: "Personal Documents.")
- Flowers, Kelsey "Deerfield Gave Warm
Reception for Trolley" (L02.167)
- Trolley Debate Rubric (not available yet)
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| Activities |
Materials in Context |
Using the American Centuries
website, explore the topics of "transportation"
and "communication" in the Connecticut River Valley.
Use the Assisted Search page in the Digital Collection section
and limit the search to the 1870-1930 time period.
1. The Trolley Debate
- Divide class into four groups. Two groups
get the Sheldon article and two groups the Pratt article.
- Students prepare to debate the topic
-- "Is the continuing development of industry the best
route toward the economic and social well-being for Old
Deerfield?" -- according to debating protocol.
- Students may make placards, invite "experts,"
prepare "position" ads for the newspaper to influence
their position.
- In the debate, consideration may include
the following:
• Government
• Health and welfare
• Environment
• Education
• What would the development of industry do to people's lifestyle?
• What would it do to the local economy?
• Address the issue from a gender perspective
- After the debate, remnants of the supporting
information, a news article or digital images, may be set
aside for the collection to be added to the newspaper, scrapbook,
or photograph album.
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