Economic Development: Post-Reconstruction South and Today
Day-by-Day Plan
Background reading (homework before Class One): Reading and note-taking on the
challenges associated with creating a “New South,” on the development of a nationwide
rail network in the late 1800’s, and on late 1800’s urbanization (ex. American Republic,
pp. 276-277, 314-318, 341-358).
Class One: Visions of Austin’s Future in the 1880’s
 Students view the 1871-1892 Time Tour and related biographies, completing the
“Notes and Reflection: 1871-1892 Time Tour” page.
Classes Two - Four: Economic Development Plan for Austin (Feb. 1881)
 Divide the class into groups of 5 students each. Each student should receive a copy of
the “Economic Development Plan for Austin” handout, and each group of 5 should
divide the portions of the assignment and produce a single report.
 On Day Four, groups can present their reports to the class, with members of the other
groups asking questions as interested citizens.
 [Note: On a future class day, have the students watch the 1893-1929 Time Tour from
Austin Past and Present, revisit their plans for Austin’s economic development, and
answer the reflection questions listed on the page. Although this can be done
immediately after the students prepare and present their plans, teachers may prefer to
postpone this reflection until after students have covered course material such as
World War I and the 1920’s.]
Classes Five - Seven: Economic Development in the 21st Century
 Day Five: Distribute “Economic Development in the 21st Century,” have students read
the modern-day profile of Austin from the Chamber of Commerce and the news
articles about Austin’s successful bid for the Samsung factory. Students should
answer the questions in Parts A and B of the handout either individually or in a class
discussion.

On Days Six and Seven, students should in groups prepare and present their visions
for the neighborhood surrounding your school.
Name _________________
Notes and Reflection: 1871-1892 Time Tour
Economic effects:
Social Effects:
Related urban
improvements:
(e.g., new groups attracted to
Austin)
Arrival of the
railroad in
Austin (1871)
Challenges/problems for Austin:
What were Austin and other Texas cities (Tyler, Waco) competing for in 1880-81? What were seen as
Austin’s strengths and liabilities? (In addition to the time tour, consult the Augustus Koch biography.)
Did the vision of Austin as the “American Oxford of the Southwest” include all Austin residents?
Explain. How did groups excluded from this vision respond? (In addition to the time tour, consult the
interactive timelines, the biographies of Newton Collins, W.H. Passon, and Rev. Jacob Fontaine in the
1871-1892 time tour, and the biography of Laurine Cecil Anderson in the 1893-1929 time tour.)
Why did A.P. Wooldridge see a dam on the Colorado as essential to Austin’s future? (In addition to the
time tour, consult the A.P. Wooldridge biography.)
Economic Development Plan for Austin (Feb. 1881)
The year is 1881. You and a small group of other leading citizens of Austin have assembled to consider
and chart out a plan for the city’s growth in the upcoming decades.
An immediate priority is ensuring the selection of Austin as the site of the main campus of the University
of Texas; Governor Oran Roberts has just signed the bill establishing the University, and an election will
be held this summer to decide in which city the campus will be constructed.
Beyond that, however, your group wants a plan to help Austin continue to grow in importance to the state
and the region, and to help ensure a good quality of life for its residents. You hope to see Austin
participate in the economic growth and expansion taking place in the United States, but if possible avoid
some of excesses and problems that are plaguing other cities as they have experienced unprecedented
growth in the post-Civil War period.
The outline below lists the suggested sections of your group’s economic development plan, with some
questions for you to consider and investigate in each section. In addition to the materials in the Austin
Past and Present DVD, you may need to consult your textbook or other resources for information about
conditions in other parts of the country during the Gilded Age. In developing your plan, remember to try
to think of the immediate future as it likely looked to Austin residents in 1881.
PROMOTIONAL BROCHURE FOR AUSTIN
For use in the upcoming election to decide on a home for the University of Texas, design a brochure
that highlights the advantages of Austin. Include an illustrated cover that features the main attractions
of Austin (in 1881, of course), and on the inside elaborate on these. Consider the following questions,
and make sure that your brochure addresses them in some manner.
 What qualities of a city would be most important to a university? What will help to make the
university successful and enrich students’ experience there? Does Austin possess these
qualities?
 What growth and improvements have happened in Austin since the arrival of the railroad ten
years ago?
 What role will the University occupy in Austin’s future growth and development? Why might
this role be different in other competing cities (Tyler, Waco)?
MASTER PLAN: VISION OF AUSTIN IN 1931
Write a detailed description of what you want Austin to look like fifty years in the future (1931), and
identify steps or resources that will be needed to achieve this vision.
 Economy: What industries or occupations will form the backbone of Austin life in 1931? In
answering this question, consider national economic trends, and place Austin within them.
(What is driving industrial growth in the North? To what extent is the South participating in
this boom? What factors are drawing people to the West? Where does Austin fit?)
 Population and Labor Force: What kinds of workers will Austin need for the economic future
you’ve described? Considering Austin’s growth since 1871, what would you project its
population to be in 1931? Again, consider Austin’s situation in relation to other cities of the
era; think particularly about the arrivals that fueled urban growth in the Northeast and
Midwest. Where will Austin’s growth come from?
 Infrastructure: Does Austin have the transportation, natural resources, and means for utilizing
its natural resources that it will need? If not, describe steps Austin must take or investments it
must make in its future.
 Human Capital: Who will be the leaders in government, business, and other fields? (Again,
draw parallels to other regions of the country; who are the leaders there?) Assuming that
Austin is successful in landing the University, what kind of people will the University bring to
Austin? What else will Austin need in order to attract new residents? In what ways does
Austin’s being part of the South, with a history of slavery, complicate its efforts to modernize
and grow?
CHALLENGES OF GROWTH (3 sections)
In this part of the plan, you will investigate challenges that industrial growth and urbanization were
presenting to the country in the 1880’s, and discuss possible steps for Austin to avoid these problems.
a) Social Issues: Summarize the social issues that plagued major U.S. cities such as New York
as they grew following the Civil War. Are any of those problems things that Austin might have to
be concerned with as it grows? Other than being much smaller, are there characteristics of Austin
that will help alleviate any of those problems? Does Austin face the danger of any social
problems different from those faced by places like New York and Chicago? Why?
Vocabulary: tenements, Ellis Island, Hull House, Jane Addams, Jacob Riis
Suggested primary document1: Excerpt from Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives.
b) Economic: Nationally, the incredible growth of industry since 1865, and the resultant
fortunes for a class of industrial tycoons, was sparking a debate about the capitalist system and the
role of government in the creation and distribution of wealth. Summarize this debate, and assess
any implications it may have for Austin’s efforts to become an industrial center of the Southwest.
Vocabulary: trusts, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, laissez faire, Social
Darwinism, Gospel of Wealth, socialism
Suggested primary document: Excerpt from Henry Demarest Lloyd, “Lords of Industry”
c) Political: Urban growth brought new responsibilities, money, and power to the city
governments, but the new political organizations that arose in response were often corrupt and
controversial. Because they attracted anger and scorn from middle-class reformers, but often
loyalty from the immigrant populations in their urban wards, studying these organizations offers
revealing insights to the state of representative democracy in late 19th-century America.
Summarize political machines and the sources of their power, and identify any aspects that could
apply to Austin’s political scene as the city grows.
Vocabulary: political machines, Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed, patronage, civil service
Suggested primary document: “Honest and Dishonest Graft,” or other excerpts from
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall.
1
Some of these primary documents are from years slightly beyond 1881, but provide good insight into conditions that existed
during the general time period.
Reflection
Watch the 1893-1929 segment of the Austin Past and Present time tour. How closely did
your economic development plan for 1881-1931 predict what actually happened in Austin
during those years?
Write a one-page reflection about the degree to which Austin’s history from 1893 to 1929
emerged in ways that would have been unexpected to planners in the 1880’s envisioning
Austin’s future. The following questions are provided to help stimulate ideas:
 To the extent that Austin’s history took unforeseen directions in the 18931929, what was the role of each of the following?
o
o
o
o
national conditions
technological change
natural and environmental obstacles
persistent social divisions
 Evaluate the narrator’s statement near the end of the 1893-1929 time tour that
“it turns out that Austin did not need traditional industry to grow into a
desirable city.” What became the backbone of Austin’s economic life instead
of industry? In what ways was this advantageous? Were there any
disadvantages? How might Austin’s history have been different if it had
become an industrial center?