Local History

4th Grade Florida History

D. A. Dorsey and His Business Example

Essential QuestionHow did D. A. Dorsey Make the City of Miami A Better Place?

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Local History

D. A. Dorsey and His Business ExampleFlorida literacy Standards Alignment:

LAFS.4.RI.1.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

LAFS.4.RL.1.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

LAFS.4.RI.1.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

NGSSS -Social Science Standards Alignment:

SS.4.A.9.1 Utilize timelines to sequence key events in Florida history.

SS.4.A.6.1 Describe the economic development of Florida's major industries. (e.g. railroad, tourism and Florida made products)

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Please note: The reading(s) associated with this lesson is for both teacher content knowledge and student content knowledge development. Teachers are encouraged to use the readings in their entirety and/or select portions of the reading to best fit the needs and reading levels of their particular students. It is highly suggested that teachers review the reading(s) thoroughly and adapt the reading(s) and plan instruction using appropriate instructional strategies in order to maximize student understanding according to their particular students’ abilities.

Local History

Topic: D. A. Dorsey and His Business ExampleEssential Question

How did D. A. Dorsey Make The City of Miami A Better Place?

Learning Goals

Students will understand why it is important for entrepreneurs like D. A. Dorsey to give backto the community in order to improve its conditions.

Overview

While arranging important contributions made by D. A. Dorsey on a timeline, students will determine how important it is for business leaders to invest in the improvement of their own communities.

Background information

Dana Albert Dorsey, originally from Georgia, migrated to Miami in the late-1890s to work as a carpenter for the Henry Flagler Florida East Coast Railroad. He invested in real estate in Miami’s Overtown and other locations with the goal in mind to improve the condition of the Black community by providing affordable housing, educational opportunities and fruitful recreation.

Materials

D. A. Dorsey article, images on Miami History Web and Timeline Graphic Organizers

Activity SequenceIntroduction (3 minutes)

1. Engage the students in a word web activity with the question posed at the center “Why is it good to be charitable?” Discuss the different ways people can be charitable with and without money (volunteerism, lending help to people, etc.) (2 minutes)

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Local History

2. Introduce D. A. Dorsey and mention how he was a very charitable businessman that improved the condition of the Black community in Miami (1 minute)

3. Display images of D. A. Dorsey and pictures of businesses in Miami’s Overtown and have the students describe what they see. (1 minute)

Activity (8 minutes)

Read the biography of D. A. Dorsey. (3 minutes) Fill the timeline chart and while using the reading to help guide students. (5 minutes)

Closure (2 minutes)

1. Based on what we have read and learned, how did D. A. Dorsey improve Miami’s Overtown through his business efforts?

2. What kind of businesses did D.A. Dorsey become involved in?3. How did he demonstrate that he was a firm believer that education can improve the lives of young people?

Optional Extension

1. Have the students pretend that they are wealthy business owners. Have them write a brief essay about three good causes they would like to contribute money to and the reason(s) why.

2. Have the students interview a business owner or manager to a store in the community about ways their business gives back to the community.

References for links

http://dadorsey.dadeschools.net/DorseyBio.htm

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Local History

Reading:

D. A. Dorsey and His Business Example

Dana Albert Dorsey, (1872-1940), often referred to as Miami’s first Black millionaire, was born a sharecropper's son in Quitman, Georgia. He came to Miami around 1896. He worked for Henry M. Flagler's Florida First East Coast Railroad Company as a Carpenter. During that time he recognized the need to provide housing for black workers. He purchased one parcel of land at a time, designed and constructed one rental house per parcel, rented them out, purchased more land and repeated the process. It has been said that the first parcel of land he purchased was in Colored Town (today Overtown) and it cost him $25.00.

In 1913 he built a house for his new bride, Rebecca Livingston. Located at 250 Northwest 9th street, this two-story structure house was an impressive site. It remained their home until his death. Dorsey designed and constructed the house himself. Before their marriage Mrs. Dorsey was a school teacher and a seamstress. In 1917 he and his wife Rebecca sold land to the city of Miami for a park for the Black community. Probably the first official park in Colored Town, Dorsey Park is located on Northwest 17th Street and First Avenue.

Dorsey became an influential businessman in Dade County. He established the first Black-owned hotel in Miami, The Dorsey Hotel, and was the owner of Negro Savings Bank. He used his wealth and influence as a businessman and property owner to make significant contributions to the community. He donated to Dade County Public Schools the

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property at Northwest 71st Street and 17th Avenue in Liberty City on which Dorsey High School was later built in 1936. Today it is known as Dorsey Educational Center.

In 1918 he purchased Fisher Island from Herman B. Walker. The property totaled approximately 21 acres, which was the entire Island at that time. He purchased Fisher Island with the goal to provide a beach for black people. The Island remained his property for only a year and a half. He sold the property to The Alton Beach Company in 1919.

Dorsey's daughter, Dana Albert Susie Chapman, inherited the house after Dorsey and his wife Rebecca died in 1940. Chapman agreed to allow the house to be renovated by The Black Archives in Miami. In 1941, the year after he and his wife died, a Library was opened in his name to serve the educational and recreational needs to the Overtown community. It became known as The Dorsey Memorial Library. In 1983, the County Commission changed the name of the library to the Culmer/Overtown Branch Library, named after the Minister and Civil Rights worker John Edwin Culmer.

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Local History

Images:

Railroad returning from Key West founded by Henry Flagler

Source: https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/40665

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Local History

The Dorsey House

Source: http://www.historicpreservationmiami.com/dorseyhouse.html

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Local History

Dorsey Park

Source: http://www.dorseydetector.com/uncategorized/where-to-find-dorsey-park/

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Local History

Dorsey Park

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miami_FL_Overtown_Dorsey_Park.jpg

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Dorsey Park

Source: https://www.walkscore.com/FL/Miami

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Dorsey Educational Center

Source: http://ctclibertycityproject.blogspot.com/2006/04/da-dorsey-educational-center.html

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Local History

Dorsey Memorial Library

Source: http://www.theblackarchives.org/archon/?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=133

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Local History

Dorsey Memorial Library Today

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_A._Dorsey

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Local History

Graphic Organizers:

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Local History

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