DOCUMENT RESUME ED 418 009 SO 028 420 AUTHOR Wentworth, Donald R.; Kraig, Beth; Schug, Mark C. TITLE United States History. Focus on Economics. INSTITUTION National Council on Economic Education, New York, NY. ISBN ISBN-1-56183-488-2 PUB DATE 1996-00-00 NOTE 158p. AVAILABLE FROM National Council on Economic Education, 1140 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. PUB TYPE Guides - Non-Classroom (055) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Citizen Participation; Citizen Role; Citizenship; *Consumer Education; *Economics; *Economics Education; Global Education; Macroeconomics; Microeconomics; Secondary Education; Social Studies; *United States History ABSTRACT This book uses human interest stories to explain perplexing behavior from an economic perspective throughout U.S. history. The set of 15 lessons include: (1) "Indentured Servitude: Why Sell Yourself into Bondage?"; (2)"Do the Right Thing: Free the Slaves, Avoid the War"; (3) "Why Would You Raise Chickens When You Don't Like Eggs? -or- Why Did Farmers Specialize?"; (4) "Who Should Make the Food Safe?"; (5) "The Buffalo Are Back"; (6) "Why Don't Cowboys Ever Ride into the Sunset?"; (7) "How Can Big Business Make Money from Tariffs?"; (8) "Who Invented Bad Breath and Why?"; (9) "Prohibition Then; MADD Today";(10) "Why Would White Baseball Club Owners Sign Black Players?"; (11) "Where Did the African-American Middle Class Come From?"; (12) "Gift Giving in America: Why Do You Give the People You Love Things They Hate? -or- Do You Care Enough to Send the Very Best?";(13) "Why Would Grape Pickers Ask People Not to Buy Grapes?";(14) "Why Have Americans Climbed So Many Mountains?"; and (15)"What Can Yesterday's Choices Tell Us about Tomorrow?" Each lesson includes core concepts, objectives, materials needed, a lesson description, procedures, and suggested evaluation. (EH) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** O0, .0 00 0 A1.1.4 Ali ti. U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) tThis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE, AND IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA FOR ERIC COLLECTION SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ' ocE.,,,- T..4 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 2A INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Mk 0 r) . Economic Education n 1w d FOCUS onEconomics Donald R. Wentworth Beth Kraig Mark C. Schug Economics America National Council on Ectul le EditCalion gkusTr,inertly. hoLed, ucation, 3 CREDITS AUTHORS Donald R. Wentworth Professor of Economics Pacific Lutheran University Beth Kraig Associate Professor of History Pacific Lutheran University Mark C. Schug Professor of Curriculum and Instruction University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee EDITOR Richard D. Western Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank Robert J. Highsmith, Vice President of Program and Research, National Council on Economic Education; Sarapage McCorkle, Director, University of Missouri, St. Louis Center for Economic Education; Michael Watts, Director, Purdue University Center for Economic Education; and the members of the publications committee of the National Council on Economic Education for their insightful reviews. We also thank Gary M. Walton, University of Califor- nia, Davis, and the Foundation for Teaching Economics, for serving as the Economic History Consultant and for providing the original ideas for several lessons in this publication. Copyright © 1996, National Council on Economic Education, 1140 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. All rights reserved. The worksheets may be duplicated for classroom use, the number not to exceed the number of students in each class. Notice of copyright must appear on all copies. With the exception of the worksheets, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN 1-56183-488-2 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS FOREWORD v INTRODUCTIONvii LESSON 1 Indentured Servitude: Why Sell Yourself into Bondage? 1 LESSON 2 Do the Right Thing: Free the Slaves, Avoid the War11 LESSON 3 Why Would You Raise Chickens When You Don't Like Eggs? or Why Did Farmers Specialize?23 LESSON 4 Who Should Make the Food Safe?35 LESSON 5 The Buffalo Are Back 45 LESSON 6 Why Don't Cowboys Ever Ride into the Sunset?55 LESSON 7 How Can Big Business Make Money from Tariffs?63 LESSON 8 Who Invented Bad Breath and Why? 75 LESSON 9 Prohibition Then; MADD Today 87 LESSON 10 Why Would White Baseball Club Owners Sign Black Players?97 LESSON 11 Where Did the African-American Middle Class Come From?107 LESSON 12 Gift Giving in America: Why Do You Give the People You Love Things They Hate? or Do You Care Enough to Send the Very Best?119 LESSON 13 Why Would Grape Pickers Ask People Not to Buy Grapes?129 LESSON 14 Why Have Americans Climbed So Many Mountains? 139 LESSON 15 What Can Yesterday's Choices Tell Us about Tomorrow?149 iii FOREWORD UNITED STATES HISTORY: Focus ON ECONOMICS, A CORE perplexing behavior. Easily understood economic volume in a new generation of National Councilprinciples surface repeatedly in different historical publications, is dedicated to increasing the economiccontexts to help explain people's behavior through- literacy of all students. The Focus publications,out history. Students discover how significant events the new centerpiece of Economics America, buildin U. S. social history such as prohibition, the break- on almost five decades of success in delivering eco-ing of the color barrier in baseball, and the emer- nomic education to America's students. gence of the black middle class reflect responses to The Focus series is both new and innovative,changes in incentives that people in history faced. using economics primarily to enhance learning inFuller explanations of some topics, only introduced subjects such as history, geography, civics, andhere, are in United States History: Eyes on the personal finance. Activities are interactive, reflect-Economy, also available from the National Council. ing the belief that students learn best through active, Michael Watts, Professor of Economics, Purdue highly personalized experiences with economics.University, and Senior Fellow, National Council on Applications of economic understanding to realEconomic Education, reviewed the manuscript and world situations and contexts dominate the lessons.offered many valuable suggestions. The authors In addition, the lessons explicitly teach the volun-and the publisher are responsible for the final tary national standards in economics, outlined inpublication. the National Council's A Framework for Teaching The National Council thanks the authors, Donald the Basic Economic Concepts. Wentworth and Beth Kraig of Pacific Lutheran Why does a free person willingly choose to be-University and Mark Schug, University of Wiscon- come an indentured servant? Why weren't the bestsin, Milwaukee, for their lively presentation of eco- baseball players able to play on the best teams?nomic history. We also thank Joan Sullivan Baranski, Why would grape pickers ask people not to buypublisher, for her creativity in producing the pro- grapes? United States History: Focus on Economicsgram. We recognize, as well, the financial support uses human interest stories such as these to explainof the National Science Foundation. Robert J. Highsmith Vice President, Program and Research INTRODUCTION IN THE FOLLOWING 15 LESSONS, HISTORICAL EVENTS AND ies are not confusing summaries of mysterious and current issues serve as raw material for analysis.disconnected individual choices. Students discover Students use certain basic concepts and principlessimilarities without ignoring differences. When so of economic reasoning as analytic tools to analyzemany Americans produced their own food in the social history presented in primary and secondaryfirst centuries of American history, why do so few- sources. With the tools they construct answers (hy- regardless of race or gender continue to do so potheses that combine evidence and rational expla-in the 20th century? Students begin to realize that nations). The primary purpose of the lessons is tocertain major shifts in social history reflect patterns strengthen inquiry and problem-solving skills. Allof action that cannot be explained simply by par- lessons offer significant content and can be used toticular attributes of human identity. reinforce an outcome-based history curriculum. By examining social history, students will see After completing the materials, students will belinks between the past and their own lives. In social better able to analyze complex human behaviorstudies, students often examine human events and (past and present) and should be well prepared tosubjects of great prominence to consider the causes learn and make use of more sophisticated economicof productive and destructive change. Such an concepts in their examination of historical and so-approach is clearly important, but its focus may cial phenomena.