Standard 6: Industrialization and Emergence of Modern Florida

Zora Neale Hurston is most often remembered as a gifted novelist with a knack for capturing the essence of the lives of rural Southerners, especially in Florida. She was also, however, a folklorist who helped the Federal Writers’ Project document the lives and traditions of African-Americans during the Great Depression. Hurston’s work has been instrumental in writing the history of African-American individuals and communities. In this lesson students will listen to a track lining song that was collected by Zora Neale Hurston to write brief journal responses to the audio recording.

Type: Lesson Plan

In the interview, longtime net maker and Fernandina resident Billy Burbank III discusses the history and practices of the net making trade. Conducted by folklorist Peggy Bulger in July 1980, the interview begins with Burbank describing how his grandfather began the family business, Burbank Trawl Makers Inc., in 1915.

In this lesson, students will listen to the interview with Billy Burbank III. As they listen, they will complete a Sound Recording Analysis Worksheet from the National Archives and Records Administration. They will then discuss their findings.

Type: Lesson Plan

Henry Flagler was the founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway. During the 1880s and 1890s, Henry Flagler expanded train lines through Jacksonville and down the East coast to Miami.

Henry Flagler began the Oversea Railway in 1906 to connect Miami to Key West. This ambitious and innovative project required money, earth-moving, man-hours, and miles of bridges. In this lesson students analyze a letter from Henry Flagler to learn about about Flagler and his contributions to Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

The cigar industry prospered in Florida during the early decades of the 20th century. A combination of factors caused the industry to decline, however, as time moved forward. Conflicts between organized labor and factory managers slowed production, while new machines were able to turn out cigars much faster and cheaper than the hand-rolling method. Demand for fine cigars decreased during the Great Depression, and by the end of World War II enough cigar factories had closed to make the industry less attractive for returning veterans. In this lesson students analyze and write from related primary source documents.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Rough Riders went to Tampa at the end of May. On June 13, they left Tampa to fight in Cuba. Two years after the end of the war, Roosevelt went on to become the 26th president of the United States. In this lesson students analyze photographs to learn about the Rough Riders in Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

The most famous of the African-American soldiers to fight in the Spanish-American War were known as the "Buffalo Soldiers." They were the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army. The four regiments, the 9th and 10th Cavalries and the 24th and 25th Infantries, were created by Congress just after the American Civil War. Students will learn about "Buffalo Soldiers" through analysis of photographs.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use photographs that depict different aspects of the Daytona Normal and Industrial School. Students will use prior knowledge to describe what they believe a day at the Daytona Normal and Industrial School would look like. Students write using evidence from the photographs.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will examine documents and decide which are primary sources and which are secondary sources. This lesson is intended to give students an introduction to the concept of primary versus secondary sources and to prepare them for future study using more complex documents.

The documents referenced in this lesson plan are from the Daniel M. Williams Papers, held by the State Archives of Florida. Williams collected various documents and photographs in order to write a biography of Mary McLeod Bethune.

Type: Lesson Plan

This MEA was designed to given students the opportunity to create a process for a client for nominating the "Most Famous Floridian of the 19th Century," given a list of criteria. After the students create their first process, a "twist" is added to cause them to modify their process.

Type: Lesson Plan

Former U.S Senator and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martínez shares his journey to freedom in the United States. Mr. Martínez was part of Operation Pedro Pan in which unaccompanied Cuban children were sent to the United States to escape the newly formed communist regime of Fidel Castro. Before leaving Cuba, he spent time with his father who shared life lessons with his son. Mr. Martínez distinctly remembers the pilot announcing that they were in America. After moving around the state of Florida in settlement camps, Mr. Martínez was placed in foster care. After four years he and his family were reunited. Mr. Martínez helped his father become a veterinarian in the U.S and as a family they were highly active in the community. His family’s spirit of activism was the foundation of Mr. Martínez’s career as a public servant. He graduated from Florida State University Law School in 1973 and began his political career. He was appointed the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 2001 and became a United States Senator in 2005.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation