Education
What will your students learn?
The foundation of the tour is the Museum space itself; we introduce students to the Memphis Cotton Exchange and its history on Front Street while standing on the original Trading Floor of the Exchange. The tour guide describes the origins of the city of Memphis through the cotton industry, detailing the rise of the local economy and local culture. The exhibits, artifacts, oral histories and archival footage discuss how Memphis was founded as a shipping port for cotton and slaves in 1819. Our city was shaped by the industry – the music, art and history that makes our culture unique was brought to us by the confluence of people that were gathered here due to cotton. A special exhibition on the heritage of the Blues particularly highlights the cultural influences of the cotton industry.
The Museum’s second focus is on the cotton plant itself – how it is grown, how it is harvested and how it is used. Displays will explain the life cycle of the plant, from seed to bloom to boll, and the pests that commonly disrupt the plant. Hands-on demonstrations of cotton “classing” will help students understand the different grades of cotton, based on color, strength and staple length. Students learn about the innovations in the industry, from mechanization in the fields to biotechnology in the seed to fiber innovation in the mills. The cotton industry is a high-tech industry that employs top-level biologists, engineers, and chemists. The changes in technology also had a strong effect on the communities where cotton was grown; with the advent of the gin, the cotton harvester and biotechnology, the economies and cultures of the American South were drastically changed. We’ll discuss the genesis of the slave trade, the emergence of share cropping, and the Great Migration of rural African Americans into urban areas.
The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange offers great learning experiences for all ages.
One-hour field-trips incorporating Tennessee state academic standards are available at a discounted student rate and are typically scheduled during weekday business hours.
Special rates are available for student groups. To arrange a class visit, please contact the Museum at (901) 531-7826, email us here or complete the contact form.