Civics

1. Students might want to consider the question of whether they think the bridge could have been built without the use of bribes.

2. Posters might, for example, illustrate either the prosperity or the crowding and traffic that the bridge would bring to the counties north of San Francisco.

Geography

1. Groups should consult Underwater Construction at the Golden Gate Bridge and other information on this website in creating their presentations.

2. To introduce this activity, you might want to explore as a class the westward shift over time of the nation's "population center," or the point on the map that is in the center of the country in terms of population (rather than area). The U.S. Census Bureau determines the population center when it conducts a census.

History

1. You might note for students that a monument to Joseph Strauss near the bridge calls Strauss "The man who built the bridge" and states, "Here at the Golden Gate is the Eternal Rainbow that he conceived and set to form, a promise indeed that the race of man shall endure unto the Ages."

2. The Art Deco Society of California has information on other Art Deco buildings in the San Francisco area and links to Art Deco societies in other areas.

Economics

1. Alternatively, you might have the class research and then debate a single such project or category of projects. For example, should all public school activities and equipment (field trips, sports and band uniforms, and so on) be publicly financed, or should participating students and their families be required to help pay for them?

2. For extra credit, students could research the U.S. government's sale of "war bonds" several years after construction of the Golden Gate Bridge to help finance World War II.