Essential Questions

What was the impact of early 20th century residential segregation laws in Tidewater?

How did African Americans resolve their limited housing dilemma?

What changes occurred in Tidewater with the introduction of Black shipyard workers?

How much did it cost to purchase a house in 1920?

What was the average salary of African Americans in 1920?

Could most African Americans afford a home? If not, what options did they have?

Essential Knowledge

Understand the meaning of wars' impact on shipbuilding industries

Understand the meaning of government sanctioned segregation/ Jim Crow

Understanding the meaning of town structures in early 20th century Virginia continued to face problems of exclusion, segregation, disfranchisement, and discrimination in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Understand the fact that Black shipyard workers were barred from specialized jobs, supervisory positions, and most neighborhoods.

Understanding that Government-created neighborhoods for Blacks were severely underfunded.

Essential Skills

Gather, classify, and interpret information using websites. Specifically, students should be able to use:

a. census and shipyard records

b. documents related to Truxton, Aberdeen Gardens, Cradock, and Hilton Village

c. photograph gallery

d. maps and housing designs of Truxton, Aberdeen Gardens, Cradock, and Hilton Village

e. Virginia newspaper database

f. links to other websites with information on topic

Virginia's economy changed, between 1880 and 1920, especially for shipyard workers in Tidewater.

People in Tidewater made the transition to urban life and worked in shipyard industries.

Tidewater saw the rise of two Black middle class communities (Truxton and Aberdeen) created through funds provided by the federal government.