The city of Houston has become one of the great urban centers of the nation in the twentieth century. The explosive economic growth of the area over the last 60 years has resulted in the creation of a great melting pot, as the community has become one of the most diverse in this country, or the world. That diversity has many sources, of which one of the most important, and certainly the most tragic, was the early settlement and growth of Houston that occurred during the last years of the southern American Cotton Empire. That empire, which produced enormous wealth for a small planter class, was based on the slave labor of Afro-Americans. The Civil War ended in Texas 141 years ago, but the newly freed slaves faced enormous barriers in securing basic civil rights and an opportunity to enjoy the cultural, economic, and political rights of the majority white population. A window into that struggle is provided by Anita Bunkley, a resident Houstonian, in her novel, Emily the Yellow Rose, a Texas Legend. Ms. Bunkley’s work chronicles both the serene, hopeful dreams and the disappointment and discord surrounding her Afro-American heroine before, during, and after the Civil War along the upper Gulf Coast. This curriculum unit is designed with the belief that Emily’s experience can offer insight and encouragement to Afro- American and other students as they research their own histories and experiences in the Houston area. This unit will include visits to sites like Freedman’s Town in the Fourth Ward, with its narrow, hand- laid brick streets, attesting to the pride and determination of the newly freed slaves. And in this way, the students can gain an enhanced understanding of how events in this area 150 years ago contributed to the modern, diverse Houston, with its contrasting pockets of poverty and affluence in the inner city. This unit is designed for a six-week period. Aside from a careful analysis of a work of fiction set in this area, students will be given opportunities to view and explore factors that have contributed to the growth and development of the Houston area in general and the Third Ward, in particular.