Instructional Recipe
Was Life Easier in a Southern Cotton Plantation
or in a Northern Cotton Mill?
8th Grade Social Studies
Step 1 – Ask
Objectives: Students will compare the working conditions in a plantation
and in a factory in the mid 1800s. By doing so, students will develop a
deeper understanding of the differences between the North and South that
contributed to the Civil War.
Introduction: During the first half of the 19th century, economic differences
between the North and South were significant. By 1860 cotton was the chief
crop of the South, and it represented 57% of all U.S. exports. Since cotton,
also known as “King Cotton” or “White Gold” was so profitable, the South
depended on the plantation system and its slaves to keep the production
going. The North, on the other hand, had become an industrial society. By
1850 some 60,000 cotton mills were well established in the northeast states.
Labor was needed, and mostly women and children were employed. Many
called themselves “wage slaves.”
Complete the Photographic Analysis Chart with the information from the
historical photograph below. You may find additional photographs in the
EBSCO Image Collection as well as at www.loc.gov.
Source: EBSCO Image Collection
Ask:
 What were the tasks of slaves in southern plantations? Of workers in
northern mills?
 How did the plantation owners and overseers care for their slaves? How
did mill owners and overseers care for their workers?
 How was a day in the life of a plantation slave? Or a mill worker?
 Were the working conditions the same in all plantations? In all mills?
Online research and information
resources available through a
partnership between the Texas State
Library and Archives Commission,
the Texas Education Agency and
Education Service Center, Region 20
http://web.esc20.net/k12databases
Social Studies TEKS:
(7) History. (C) analyze the impact of
slavery on different sections of the
United States
(13) Economics. (B) explain reasons
for the development of the plantation
system, the growth of the slave trade,
and the spread of slavery
(29) Science, technology, and
society. (C) identify examples of how
industrialization changed life in the
United States.
(30) Social studies skills.
(A) differentiate between, locate, and
use primary and secondary sources
such as computer software,
databases, media and news services,
biographies, interviews, and artifacts
to acquire information about the
United States (B) analyze information
by sequencing, categorizing,
identifying cause-and-effect
relationships, comparing, contrasting,
finding the main idea, summarizing,
making generalizations and
predictions, and drawing inferences
and conclusions
Language Arts TEKS:
(22) Research/Research Plan.
(B) apply steps for obtaining and
evaluating information from a wide
variety of sources and create a written
plan after preliminary research in
reference works and additional text
searches.
(23) Research/Gathering Sources.
(A) follow the research plan to gather
information from a range of relevant
print and electronic sources using
advanced search strategies;
(B) categorize information
thematically in order to see the larger
constructs inherent in the information;
(C) record bibliographic information
(e.g., author, title, page number) for all
notes and sources according to a
standard format; and (D) differentiate
between paraphrasing and plagiarism
and identify the importance of using
valid and reliable sources.
1
Step 2 – Investigate
Read the information in the sources listed below:
EBSCO Resources (Use the Kids Search interface):
 The Mill Girls. By: Durway, Julie Doyle; Appleseeds, Jan2004, Vol. 6
Issue 5, p. 8; (AN 11834575)
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prh&AN=11
834575&site=srck5-live>
 THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY. By: Arnesen, Eric. Appleseeds,
Jan2009, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p18-21, 4p, 1 bw; Reading Level (Lexile):
800; (AN 36114792)
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prh&AN=36
114792&site=srck5-live>
 Forty Acres and a Mule. By: Olson, Tod. Junior Scholastic, 2/21/2005,
Vol. 107 Issue 13, p12-14, 3p, 2 color; Reading Level (Lexile): 920;
(AN 16264177)
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prh&AN=162
64177&site=srck5-live
Additional Websites:
 Lewinston Mills Regulations.
http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u2ei/u2imag
es/act9/Lew_rules.html
 Plantation Management
http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u2ei/u2mate
rials/deBow.html
Book: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (also available at
Project Gutemberg at www.gutenberg.org/etext/203)
Step 3 – Create
Create a chart or Venn diagram to compare and contrast life in a
northern cotton mill and life in a southern cotton plantation. Identify
the criteria for the comparison (i.e., food, clothing, housing).
Cotton Mill
Cotton Plantation
Housing
Lived in boarding
houses
Lived in slave
quarters
Hours of Work
10-14 hours a day, six
days a week
From sunrise to
sunset and half days
on Saturdays
Food
Clothing
 Technology Link – Use a spreadsheet or a table in a Word
Processing program to create the above chart. Or, use a graphic
organizer software such as Inspiration to compare and contrast life
in a southern plantation and at a northern mill.
(24) Research/Synthesizing
Information. (A) narrow or broaden
the major research question, if
necessary, based on further research
and investigation; and (B) utilize
elements that demonstrate the
reliability and validity of the sources
used (e.g., publication date,
coverage, language, point of view)
and explain why one source is more
useful and relevant than another.
(25) Research/Organizing and
Presenting Ideas. (A) draws
conclusions and summarizes or
paraphrases the findings in a
systematic way; (B) marshals
evidence to explain the topic and
gives relevant reasons for
conclusions; (C) presents the
findings in a meaningful format; and
(D) follows accepted formats for
integrating quotations and citations
into the written text to maintain a flow
of ideas.
Technology Applications TEKS
(3) Foundations. Discuss copyright
laws/issues and model ethical
acquisition and use of digital
information, citing sources using
established methods
(4) Information acquisition. Apply
appropriate electronic search
strategies in the acquisition of
information including keyword and
Boolean search strategies
(6) Information acquisition.
(C) demonstrate the ability to identify
the source, location, media type,
relevancy, and content validity of
available information
(7) Solving problems. (A) plan,
create, and edit documents created
with a word processor using readable
fonts, alignment, page setup, tabs,
and ruler settings;
(D) demonstrate proficiency in the
use of multimedia authoring programs
by creating linear or non-linear
projects incorporating text, audio,
video, and graphics;
(J) use foundation and enrichment
curricula in the creation of products
(11) Communication.
(A) publish information in a variety of
ways including, but not limited to,
printed copy, monitor display, Internet
documents, and video
2
Step 4 – Discuss
As a journalist for the Chicago News in 1850, you have been assigned a report on the
working conditions in mills and plantations. As you travel the northern and southern states
accompanied by an early photographer, you record your observations and reflections to
ensure that your report is detailed and accurate. You may want to include the following
details:
 How time was organized at the plantation and at the factory;
 How both plantations and mills had instructions but were addressed to different
audiences;
 The relationship between slave owners and slaves, and between factory owners and
workers;
 Details of the daily lives of slaves and mill workers; and
 Photographs that capture evidence.
 Technology Link – Students may create a newspaper article using desktop publishing
software, or a multimedia or video documentary using historical photographs from EBSCO
Image Collection, the Library of Congress and other authoritative websites and edit using
video editing software.
Step 5 – Reflect
Allow students to present their projects to the rest of the class. Use one of the suggested
rubrics on pages 5 or 6 to assess the students’ work. Make sure that the students are
familiar with the rubric before they begin creating their project. They should refer to the
rubric repeatedly to monitor their progress in creating their project.
 Technology Link: You can also create your own rubric with your students at
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php.
Extension:
The Lowell Mill Girls is a short play that describes the working conditions at the cotton mills
in the early 1800s and the efforts made to improve such working conditions.
THE LOWELL MILL GIRLS. By: Rozett, Louise. Junior Scholastic, 11/24/2003, Vol. 106
Issue 8, p10
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prh&AN=11430421&site=
srck5-live>
3
Photographic Analysis Chart
Source: Library of Congress (modified)
Objective
Observation
Describe what you see
in the photograph
Subjective
Observation
Describe your personal
feelings and judgments
about the image.
Knowledge
Deduction
What do you already
know about this image?
What you can conclude?
Questions: What else would you like to know about this photograph? How will you find out?
4
Newspaper Article Rubric
CATEGORY
Purpose
4
The article
establishes a clear
purpose in the lead
paragraph and
demonstrates a clear
understanding of the
topic.
The details in the
articles are clear,
effective, and vivid
80- 100% of the time.
3
The article
establishes a
purpose in the lead
paragraph and
demonstrates
understanding of
the topic.
The details in the
articles are clear
and pertinent 90100% of the time.
2
The article's
purpose and lead
paragraph are
vague.
1
The article's
purpose and
lead paragraph
are unclear or off
topic.
The details in the
articles are clear
and pertinent 7589% of the time.
Who, What,
When, Where
& How
The article
adequately
addresses the
current situation of
the town, its reasons
for decay, and
possible solutions.
Interest
The article contains
facts, figures, and/or
word choices that
make the articles
exceptionally
interesting to
readers.
The article is
enhanced with
graphics that are
appropriately
chosen and placed,
and that embellish
the final project.
80-90% of the
article adequately
addresses the
current situation,
what can be done
to prevent negative
consequences,
and possible
solutions.
The article
contains facts,
figures, and/or
word choices that
make the articles
interesting to
readers.
The article
Includes graphics
that are
appropriate
and not
distracting.
70-80% of the
article
adequately
addresses the
current situation,
the
consequences,
and possible
solutions.
The article
contains some
facts or figures
but is marginally
interesting to
read.
The details in
more than 25%
of the articles
are neither clear
nor pertinent.
The article lacks
details and a
logical
explanation of
the future of the
town. Few or no
solutions are
stated.
Supporting
Details
Attractiveness
The article
includes
graphics that
may not be the
best choice.
The article
does not contain
facts or figures
that might make
it interesting to
read.
The article
has no images,
or the images
chosen are
distracting and
poorly chosen.
5