Daily Lesson 25.8 - The Ghosts of Duffy’s Cut
PA Standard: CC.8.5.11-12.G. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Objective: Students will learn how modern historians analyze and interpret history through the use of primary sources to determine the historical events and significance of Duffy’s Cut.
Bellringer/Warm Up: Using the primary sources that we have recently studied, what historical questions do you have about the area known as Duffy’s Cut? How would you, as a historian, go about finding additional information to answer your questions? Is there anyone that you could ask for help? If so, who?
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Guided/Critical Thinking Questions for“The Ghosts of Duffy’s Cut”:
1)How did the Watson brothers first learn about Duffy’s Cut?
2)What is Ember Night?
3)What mile of the Philadelphia and Columbia railroad is known as Duffy’s Cut?
4)How much was spent to build the mile of RR known as Duffy’s Cut? How did this compare to other sections of the Railroad?
5)Why were the historians disappointed when they found the presence of lime at the Cut?
6)From what ship did the historians think the Irish workers at Duffy’s Cut might have come?
7)What is a tithe?
8)What is the purpose of an “American Wake”?
9) Approximately how long was the journey from Ireland to Philadelphia?
10) How long do the historians believe that the men from Duffy’s Cut survived after arriving in Philadelphia?
11)How far away did Duffy live from his men that were working on the cut and the fill?
12) Why did the historians decide to ask for help from John Hankey? (What is his job?/What could he help them with?)
13) What tools did the archaeologist bring with them to help? What do these tools do?
14)What did Harris provide the men at Duffy’s Cut with?
15)What kind of artifacts did the historians begin to find at Duffy’s Cut?
16)What are the symptoms of cholera?
17)What tool did the historians decide to use to see into the fill?
18)How will the historians attempt to determine if the bone they found is human?
19) What percentage of people usually die in a typical cholera outbreak?
20)What is the East Whiteland Horse Company?
21) What do the historians suspect might have happened to some of the men at Duffy’s Cut?
22) What is the goal of the historians at Duffy’s Cut? (What do they hope will happen as a result of their research?)
23) Do the historians know exactly where Philip Duffy is buried? Why not?
Part 1: Reflection: What impression did you get of the Irish Immigrant’s experience in America based on what you saw about Duffy’s Cut? Do you have any additional questions or things that you would like to find out more about?
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Part 2: Flash forward seven years….
Guided/Critical Thinking Questions for “Secrets of the Dead: Death on the Railroad”
24) How much would Duffy have made in today’s money for building the section of the railroad known as Duffy’s Cut?
25) What three spots was Earl Schandelmeier looking to find?
26) What investigative tools did Earl Schandelmeier use to achieve his goals?
27) How did the Watson brothers discover evidence about the people that arrived on the ship? (What resources did they use in order to help them find information?)
28) How old was John Ruddy when he came to America?
29) What were the three theories about where the men were buried?
30) Why did the historians hire a Geophysicist?
31) Why did Tim Bechtel put probes in the ground and send electricity through them?
32) What was the first bone that the Watsons found?
33) What was Janet Monge’s job at Duffy’s Cut?
34) What was Sam Cox’s job at Duffy’s Cut?
35) What surprising discovery did the team find when they excavated the remains?
36) How do you “catch” cholera?
37) The November 7th Village Record indicated that how many people were supposedly buried at Duffy’s Cut?
38) Why do the historians think that the Village Record and the Railroad file have reported different numbers of the people who died at the Cut?
37) At this point, which version of history do you think is most accurate -- what the paper reported, or what the railroad file reported? Why?
38) What two interesting things do the historians find about the 4th body buried in the fill?
39) What did Janet Monge discover about the 5th body buried at Duffy’s Cut?
40) What modern-day equipment did Janet Monge use to confirm her theory about body #4?
41) In all, how many sets of human remains did the team find from digging in the first section of the fill that Tim Bechtel surveyed?
42) What tools did Tim Bechtel use to try to discover the mass grave?
43) Where does the team think that the mass grave is located?
44) What happened to the remains of John Ruddy?
Part 2: Reflection: Based upon what you saw in this documentary, what do you believe happened to the rest of the men at Duffy’s Cut? Do you have any additional questions or things that you would like to find out more about relating to the history of this spot? What was the most important thing that you believe these documentaries taught you?
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