1. Life in a Frontier State
Earning a Living

2. Hook-How do your parents or guardians make a living?
List occupations on the board

3. Merchants and professionals could be found in towns.
People living in Texas during the mid 1800’s either farmed or ranch in rural areas.
Merchants and professionals could be found in towns.

4. Earning a Living Read pages 348-349 and compare Farmers to Planters

5. Frontier occupations Read 348-351 and then identify frontier jobs.
Agriculture
Trades
Industries
Professionals

6. Connecting to Economics Economics is the production, distribution and consumption of commodities or goods.
Free enterprise
Government regulation
Supply and demand
Competition
Private property
Create a chart that shows your understanding of each term as it applies to cotton farming.
Cotton farming
Free enterprise

7. Transportation
Hook-What method of travel do you prefer? Explain why?

8. Poor roads and shallow rivers made travel and transportation of goods in Texas difficult.
Read pages Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of the following modes of transportation in Texas during the 1800’s.
Transportation Advantages Disadvantages
Stagecoach and Freight Lines
Steamboats
Railroads

9. Sinker
Imagine you are a Texas farmer in the 1850’s. Write a newspaper editorial urging Texans to support or oppose railroad construction in the state.
Consider the following:
Ability to carry heavy loads
Potential for cotton production