How the West
(Champaign County) Was Won
Marianne Whitacre
Summer 2005
Unit Topic: Western
Expansion particular to Champaign County
Essential/Driving
Question(s):
How does economic desire
motivate people and change in our country?
Does the pursuit of
democracy give people the right to inflict their ideas on others?
How did the process of
Western Expansion influence the settlement of Champaign County?
How did Western Expansion
influence the development of the United States?
Setting the Purpose:
This unit was written for
use with the book, Essays on the Historical Geography of Champaign County
From the Distant Past to 2005, by Dannel McCollum.
An inquiry approach planning
model indicated in the text, Integrating Socially, by J. Hamston and K.
Murdoch (1996) was used to organize the unit. The seven stages of the planning model include Tuning In,
Preparing to Find Out, Finding Out, Sorting Out, Going Further, Making
Connections, and Taking Action.
Unit Overview:
The history and settlement
of Champaign County through the history and settlement of its townships is the
focus of this unit. Students will participate in active learning projects and
research, integrating the social sciences with literacy skills. The use of both
local and national primary sources are embedded within the unit.
Lesson #1: Tuning In - The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the effects on
Champaign County
Lesson #2: Preparing to Find Out - Reactions of early settlers and the importance of
geography on settlement
Lesson #3: Finding Out - Predicting life on the Prairie and selecting a
township
Lesson #4: Sorting Out - Researching their chosen township
Lesson #5: Going Further - Railroads in Central Illinois
Lesson #6: Making Connections - Discussing the effects of settlement on Native
Americans in the area
Lesson #7: Taking Action - Creating a physical representation of their
township
Discuss
The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the effects it had on the development of
Champaign County. (McCollum, pp.
24, 30)
National
Primary Source: Students can view excerpts from The Land
Ordinance of 1785 at this website. http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=218#
Show
students the map of Champaign County in 1833.
(McCollum, p. 31) Read the description, pp. 30-32, of how Champaign County was "reduced to a checker-board grid of roads and farms." (With written permission from the
author, a handout for student use could possibly be made of this section)
National
Primary Source: Thomas JeffersonÕs Ordinance of 1785 - This website gives a detailed description of how the sections
of each township were plotted according to JeffersonÕs mandate. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1150.html
Give
students a copy of the survey. Have them complete the following:
1.
Trace
the townships in green.
2.
Number
the sections of Township 22 N., Range 9 E. from 1-36.
3.
Circle
Section 16 in Township 22 N., Range 9 E
4.
Describe
at the bottom of the page the significance of Section 16 being "set aside to be
dedicated to the support of education."
Lesson
2: Preparing To Find Out
Show
students the reactions pioneers (McCollum, p.
34) had concerning Champaign County in the early 1800s. Point out that the sources of these
reactions came from quotations from actual pioneers who settled Champaign
County. These reactions were noted
by J. S. Lothrop, an early Champaign attorney, (McCollum, p. 17) and Hiram
Beckwith, the premier historian of Vermilion County at that time. (McCollum, p.
25)
Read
aloud to students "Pioneer Names and Places." (McCollum p. 34, up to "less-root-bound woodland soils" in the second column—with written
permission from the author, a hand-out could possibly be made of this section
for student use) This section illustrates the importance the geography of the
county at that time had on the consequent settlement of the area.
Distribute
a copy of the map (McCollum, p. 35) without names
of places. Show an overhead of the map with the names
of places and read aloud the accompanying description (McCollum, p. 34-38)
while students complete the following:
1.
Label
the names of places as the description is read.
2.
Color
the groves green.
3.
Trace
the rivers blue.
4.
Make a
legend or key to go along with the map.
National
primary source: From this website
students may view primary sources illustrating "Encountering the First American West."
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/icuhtml/fawsp/fawsp.html
Lesson
3: Finding Out
Using the
Prediction Chart, have students make predictions
of what they think life on the prairie was like.
Read
aloud the story on pp. 36-37, "Discomforts —A Winter Adventure" (McCollum)
sharing with students what it was like to be a pioneer settling Champaign
County. Have students complete the
Prediction Chart as the story is read. Discuss the differences between what
they predicted and what was in the excerpt.
Using a
copy of the map (McCollum, p. 35) and through a
random selection process, have each student choose a township. Indicate that they are settling on this
township, much like the first Euro-Americans settled in Champaign County.
Lesson
4: Sorting Out
Show
students the Champaign County Township 1885 map
(McCollum, p. 114). Have them
write the name of their township on their copy of the "pioneer" map. Indicate
that they will be researching the origin of their township in order to help
them make their township development plan later.
Give them
a copy of the Circle Board. Answers to the
following questions should be included one per section:
1.
Which
township did they choose?
2.
Who or
what was their township named after?
3.
How
has their township changed?
4.
What
is an interesting fact or story connected with their township?
5.
Would
they want to live there today? Why
or why not?
All of this
information can be found in McCollum, pp. 106-109, and pp. 112-115. (with
written permission from the author, a handout could possibly be made of these
sections for student use)
Lesson
5: Going Further
Discuss
with students the impact of the building of railroads to the expansion of
Champaign County. Show them a copy of the 1929
map showing the railroads, towns and villages. (McCollum, p. 52) Indicate,
although hard to read, this map illustrates the various townships, sections,
and the railroads that were built by that time.
Discuss
the building of the Illinois Central Railroad (McCollum, pp. 56-60) and how
West Urbana (Champaign) grew up around it. (McCollum, pp. 66-74)
National
primary source: This website illustrates the completed route of the Illinois
Central Railroad in 1850. http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/D?gmd:1:./temp/~ammem_B653::
Indicate
that there was rivalry between Urbana and "the depot" as Champaign was then
called has been documented as early as June 29, 1854. (McCollum, p. 74) The incorporation of both into one city
was given much debate then (and now).
Read aloud excerpts from some of the pros and cons indicated by then
residents. (McCollum, pp. 74-79—with written permission from the author,
a hand-out could possibly be made of this section for student use)
Give each
student a copy of the Point of View Chart. Have students write each point of view
(Urbana and West Urbana) and give reasons from the excerpts for them to remain
two cities instead of incorporating into one.
Have
students hold a debate expressing one point of view or the other.
Lesson
6: Making Connections
Show
students the quote from Brink and McDonoughÕs History of Champaign County
1878 (McCollum, p.
27, Appendix J). Discuss the following questions:
1.
What
race were Brink and McDonough referring to?
2.
What
is meant by "romantic contemplation"?
3.
How
did the race suffer?
4.
What
caused them to disappear?
5.
How
could we have stopped this?
Using the
Event Analysis worksheet, students will discuss the cause and
effect of the Black Hawk War in 1832 on Native Americans in Illinois.
(McCollum, p. 27) The summary should include answers to the questions.
National
primary source: This website describes the Black Hawk War from the perspective
of Chief Black Hawk. http://www.riverroads.com/grr/blackhawk.html
Lesson
7 / Taking Action
Students
will use the information from the previous lessons to create a 12" x 12" salt dough diorama of their township,
including events from their historical research and its geographical
features. Student townships will
be linked to create a large display illustrating Champaign County.
Annotated
List of Materials and Resources
McCollum,
Dannel. Essays
on the Historical Geography of Champaign County From the Distant Past to 2005,
2005.
Primary
Sources used from McCollum book:
Map
of Champaign County in 1833 (p. 31)
Pioneer
reactions (p. 34)
Map
of township lines (p. 35)
Champaign
County Townships 1885 (p. 114)
Railroads
in Champaign County 1929 (p. 52)
History
of Champaign County 1878, Brink & McDonough (p. 27)
Doherty,
Edith. Graphic Organizers, 1996.
National
Primary Sources:
http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=218#
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1150.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/icuhtml/fawsp/fawsp.html
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/D?gmd:1:./temp/~ammem_B653::