NOTE:

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ABOLITIONISTS

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Revised 08.28.2023

Abolitionists

Attribution: Picture of a Black abolitionist speaking before an angry crowd, called Expulsion of Negroes and abolitionists from Tremont Temple, Boston, Massachusetts, on December 1860. Published December 15, 1860 in Harper’s Weekly. Retrieved from the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3c12670/

DAY ONE

Orient to Content

Draw or write about some examples of people in your life working together for freedom or rights today - either in your community or elsewhere.

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Example

Option 1: Poster Session Gallery Walk

Half of us will stay at our desks to share our work/posters - Share your experiences with people in your life working together.

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Half of us will walk around to learn about our classmates - What do you notice? What did we learn about each other?

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We will switch after 3 minutes!

Option 2: Share & create as a group

Share what you wrote/drew with your group.

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Create a group poster that represents everyone’s ideas and highlights any connections you saw!

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What do you notice? What did we learn about each other?

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SHARE OUT!

The 1619 Project

The 1619 Project from The New York Times is about the arrival of enslaved people in 1619 as the ‘true founding’ of America. It tells the story about the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans to founding of America (Based on The 1619 Project, front page)

Building Background

The 1619 Project

• The 1619 Project has collected podcasts, narratives, articles, stories, photographs, and more.
• One article is an essay from Nikita Stewart on “why slavery is mistaught – or worse – in American schools.”
• Following that article, the 1619 Project asked readers to write in their experiences learning about slavery in American schools. The stories from readers showed how slavery was not taught in correct ways.

Bridge to Building Background

• Textbooks do not often teach about the end of slavery and the active role of Black communities who made it happen.

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• In this investigation, we’ll look at how we tell the story of the end of slavery and what has been included or excluded.

Bridge to Building Background

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Have you ever heard or told a story that excludes important details?

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Why were those details excluded?

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Key Terms

• To abolish something means to end something.
• Abolitionism or the abolitionist movement is the movement in the U.S. that made the institution of slavery illegal in the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s. Abolitionists were the people who did this work.
• Abolition in the U.S. is also a process of fighting for freedom from oppression and creating places of safety, belonging, and love.

Abolitionists

Students in U.S. schools often learn about famous abolitionists, but only get a small part of the story.

Attribution: From an article on the PBS website about the PBS movie The Abolitionists, 2013.

Screenshot of PBS’ The Abolitionists

What do you notice? Who might be missing?

Source: PBS American Experience

Building Background

Black abolitionists were very important to the movement. To exclude them from the abolition movement is to miss the important part they played in defining traditions of American democracy.

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Attributions:

Quote: Based on Introduction (p. 2) to the book The Slave’s Cause (2016), by Manisha Sinha, a professor at the University of Connecticut. Published by Yale University Press.

Photos: Zinn Education Project, retrieved from https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/black-abolitionists/.

Central question:

• People spoke against slavery by the mid-1600s, but slavery was not abolished in the Constitution until 1865.
• How did people work to end slavery? And, what happened in these 200 years?

How did abolitionists think and interact as they tried to end slavery?

Our Investigation

This investigation focuses on many people (Black and white people, men and women, individuals and groups) working together to fight for freedom. This investigation helps us understand the important work of abolitionists. You will read sources from and about abolitionists and decide which source(s) should be taught in schools to show how abolitionists thought and interacted.

We will look at five main ways abolitionists worked against slavery:

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1. Recruited other free or enslaved people
2. Used legal arguments
3. Wrote and shared narratives about slavery
4. Made moral and religious arguments
5. Encouraged and participated in uprisings.

Timeline

• One way to tell a story is to create a timeline. Each event the timeline maker chooses is a part of the story they want to tell.
• Take a look at the timeline on page 2 of your packet:

1) Find any events you have questions about and want to discuss in class.

2) Look for patterns in the events. Which ones would you group together? Why?

3) Think about, which events focus on the stories of Black people?

TIMELINE

Telling the story…

Select 7-10 events that you would use to tell the story of abolition.

Why did you choose those events?

Write your explanation on your packet on page 1.

Share your choices with your group.

D. Walker speech

S. Douglass speech

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

L. Black book

W. L. Garrison speech

F. Douglass speech

S. Truth article

H. Garnet’s speech

F. Douglass on Brown

Finley pamphlet

TIMELINE & SOURCES

Central Question

How did abolitionists think and interact as they tried to end slavery?

Your Assignment

Background: The New York Times’ 1619 Project has an article about why slavery is mistaught in American schools. The abolitionist movement is also often misrepresented.

Your task: Write to the 1619 Project about which source(s) should be taught in schools to best tell the story of how abolitionists thought and interacted as they tried to end slavery. Be sure to include evidence and reasoning. You should also respond to someone who holds a different point of view. Prepare a written argument that you can send to the project to include in their collection.

Attribution: 1619 Project from The New York Times

Day 1 Reflection

Exit Ticket:

Was class interesting and useful today? Why or why not?

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Were the class materials helpful to your learning? Why or why not?

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Do you have any suggestions? Is there anything you’d like me to know?

DAY TWO

Central Question

How did abolitionists think and interact as they tried to end slavery?

The Bookmark Tool�for reading and analyzing sources

To respond to the central question, think about the following while you read sources from abolitionists:

How are abolitionists thinking about slavery?

How are abolitionists working to end slavery?

Who are the abolitionists doing this work?

How are they interacting with each other, their audiences, and with opponents?

David Walker’s speech�(Source 1)

Headnote: David Walker was a Black man who was born free in North Carolina in 1796 because his mother was free. He moved to Boston in 1825. Walker founded the Massachusetts General Colored Association in 1826. It was one of the first organizations of free Blacks. The Association worked to abolish (end) slavery in the South and end laws that discriminated against Black people in Massachusetts. Walker argued for equal rights for Blacks and whites. This is part of a speech where Walker says that Black Americans need to work together to end slavery.

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A slaveholder found one of his young slaves with a small spelling book in his hand (not opened). The slaveholder beat him almost to death… Two hundred and eight years of such sufferings teach us that we need to unite.

Some may think that our white brothers and friends are working hard for abolition (end of slavery) and that we do not need to do anything. I believe we should work together with those great and good friends. We should try to unite and build friendship and love among us.

There are two and a half million colored people in the United States. More than five hundred thousand are free. Now, I ask, if these free colored people unite and decide to help each other, think what they would be able to do to end slavery!

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Attribution: From a speech called “The Necessity of a General Union Among Us”, given to the Massachusetts General Colored Association in December 1828.

Reasoning about the Source…

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(2) How does Walker’s speech help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(3) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

Sarah M.� Douglass’ speech (Source 2)

Headnote: Sarah M. Douglass was a Black woman born free in Pennsylvania. She was well-educated. She became an important school teacher in her community. Many educated Black women organized societies separate from men. Douglass was a member of the Female Literary Association in Philadelphia, which worked for better education and abolitionism. They held ‘Mental Feasts,’ where they discussed morals, religion, reading, speaking, and the anti-slavery movement.

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This evening is important because we have a feast to feed our minds and we thank God for his goodness. We feel sympathy for our brothers and sisters, who are in this land of christian liberty held in cruel slavery. We need to work to make their cause (abolition) our own!

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One year ago, I had different feelings about slavery! It is true, I heard the cry of the enslaved during my happy moments. I felt sad; but the sad feeling passed quickly. But I felt differently when I saw the enslaver near my own peaceful home! I saw the enslaver trying to catch me. The cause of the slave became my own cause. I decided, by the help of God, to use everything in my power to help my wronged and neglected race... Isn’t this your experience too, my sisters? Don’t you feel as I feel about this important subject? My heart assures me some of you do.

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Attribution: From a speech by Sarah M. Douglass at a monthly women’s ‘Mental Feast’ meeting in 1832. Retrieved from the Black Abolitionist Archive: https://libraries.udmercy.edu/find/special_collections/digital/baa/item.php?record_id=2135&collectionCode=baa

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Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does Sarah Douglass’ speech help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Source 3)

Headnote: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s fictional story of Uncle Tom, an enslaved man, was the most popular American novel in the 1800s. It was the best-selling book after the Bible. Because it was so popular, people think of it as an important work in the abolitionist movement. Harriet Beecher Stowe was a religious white woman from Connecticut. She wrote about many social issues of her time. In this text, Uncle Tom has just been sold at a slave auction to a cruel master named Simon Legree, and he sees what happens next during the auction.

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Tom hardly noticed anything; but still the bidding went on… Susan is sold! She goes down from the block, stops, looks back sadly. Her daughter stretches her hands towards her. She looks with agony in the face of the man who has bought her—a middle-aged gentleman with a kind face.

Susan: “O, Mas’r, please do buy my daughter!”

Susan’s new master: “I’d like to, but I’m afraid I can’t afford it!” said the gentleman. The young girl steps on to the block and looks around her with a frightened and shy glance. The auctioneer sees his advantage… and bids rise fast.

Susan’s new master: “I’ll do anything in reason,” said the gentleman, joining with the bids.

In a few moments the bids are higher than he can afford . He is silent; bids gradually drop off. It is now between an upper-class old citizen and Simon Legree to buy Susan’s daughter. The citizen bids for a few turns, but Simon Legree has the advantage over him - the hammer falls—Simon Legree gets the girl, body and soul, unless God help her! Her master is Mr. Legree, who owns a cotton plantation on the Red River. The woman’s daughter is pushed along into the same lot with Tom and two other men, crying as she goes. The kind gentleman is sorry; but, then, this happens every day! One sees girls and mothers crying, at these sales, always! It can’t be helped. He walks off, with his purchase, the mother, in another direction.

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Attribution: From Chapter 30 of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1851 in an abolitionist newspaper and later turned into a book.

Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does Uncle Tom’s Cabin help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

Leonard Black’s narrative (Source 4)

Headnote: Stories from the lives of people who were enslaved became an important way of sharing the experience of slavery and promoting abolition. Between 1835 and 1865, over 80 narratives (stories) were published. The narratives had many examples of the horrors of slavery and the difficulty escaping. Leonard Black was born enslaved in Maryland. He escaped around age 20. He lived in different New England states until the end of slavery. He was active in church life. He wrote his story to inform other Christians about the horrors of slavery.

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A person who has always been free cannot know the horrors of slavery. To be owned like a cow or horse, and at any moment at risk of being sold to the highest bidder, to be sent to a distant part of the country, leaving the dearest relatives behind; to be mentally and physically abused…is death to the slaves...

When I was six years old, I was placed with a Mr. Bradford. I was separated from my father, mother and family… Mrs. Bradford had a son about ten years old; she used to make him beat me and spit in my face… At the end of two years, Mrs. Bradford beat me so much, that her husband, afraid she would kill me, took me to his father’s place. But old Mr. Bradford was worse than Mrs. Bradford!...

My work, in the winter time, was to get wood from the swamp up to the house. I did not have shoes or a hat, but only thin clothes, so I used to go into the house to warm myself. One time, old Mr. Bradford followed me in, and said: "If you want to be warmed, I'll warm you." He took the tongs, heated them in the fire, and burned my legs; and the scars are there to this day. I could not sit down because of the burn.

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Attribution: From The Life and Sufferings of Leonard Black, a Fugitive from Slavery written by Leonard Black in 1847 and published in Massachusetts.

Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does Black’s narrative help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

William Lloyd Garrison’s speech (Source 5)

Headnote: William Lloyd Garrison was a white abolitionist born in Massachusetts in 1805. He started the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator. He helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society. Garrison believed slavery could be ended with moral argument in speeches and writing alone. He did not believe in working or fighting for abolition. Because of this, he sometimes argued with other abolitionists. In this speech from 1854, Garrison uses the Declaration of Independence to explain why slavery should be abolished.

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LET ME SAY WHAT I THINK, and at the same time show others how they are wrong.

I believe in the part of the Declaration of American Independence that says, “that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Because of that, I am an abolitionist. Because of that, I hate treating a man as a thing…

When I say that freedom is of God and slavery is of the devil, I mean just what I say…. Abolitionism follows the law of God… There is no compromise. Every slave is a stolen man; every slaveholder is a man stealer. By no example, no law, no purchase, no will, no inheritance, no combination of circumstances, is slaveholding right or justifiable.

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Attribution: From a speech called ‘No Compromise from the Evils of Slavery’ from William Lloyd Garrison, given in Boston, Massachusetts in 1854.

Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does Garrison’s speech help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

Robert Finley’s pamphlet (Source 6)

Headnote: Robert Finley was a white preacher born in 1772 in New Jersey. He helped organize the American Colonization Society in 1816. The Society supported free Blacks moving to a colony in West Africa. The colony became the independent country of Liberia in 1847. More than 15,000 free Blacks moved to Liberia. Some abolitionists and Black Americans supported the colony, but other abolitionists (like Garrison) and Black Americans did not. Opponents believed a colony was an effort to get rid of Black people in the United States. Slaveholders supported it because they were worried that free Blacks would cause uprising in the United States. Below, Finley explains why he believes a colony is a good option for Blacks.

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What shall we do with the free people of color? What can we do for their happiness?

Is it practical to form a colony of free blacks in our own wild lands, or on the coast of Africa? To colonize them in Africa… the country must be explored and the land chosen must be fertile and healthy.

I believe that it is good both for the whites and the free people of color that the free people of color are moved to some fertile and healthy land. Clearly, slavery has a bad effect on the morals and habits of a country where it exists. What will be the end of all this? The most natural and easy answer seems to be …form a colony or colonies on the coast of Africa, and pass laws that free the slaves on condition that they will move there. In this way the evil of slavery will be abolished slowly, in a way that prepares the whites for the happy and progressive change.

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Attribution: From an anti-slavery pamphlet written by Robert Finley entitled ‘Thoughts on the Colonization of Free Blacks’, published in 1816 in Washington, D.C.

Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does Finley’s pamphlet help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

Day 2 Reflection Discussion

• What did you learn today about how abolitionists thought and interacted as they tried to end slavery?

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• What is helping you develop a response to the question? What is challenging?

Day 2 Reflection

Exit Ticket:

Was class interesting and useful today? Why or why not?

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Were the class materials helpful to your learning? Why or why not?

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Do you have any suggestions? Is there anything you’d like me to know?

DAY THREE

Central Question

How did abolitionists think and interact as they tried to end slavery?

To respond to the central question, think about the following while you read sources from abolitionists:

How are abolitionists thinking about slavery?

How are abolitionists working to end slavery?

Who are the abolitionists doing this work?

How are they interacting with each other, their audiences, and with opponents?

“What to the Slave is the 4^th of July?” (Source 7)

Headnote: Frederick Douglass was a Black abolitionist. He was born enslaved around 1818 in Maryland. Douglass escaped around the age of 20. He joined several anti-slavery organizations in Massachusetts. He gave many speeches on abolition. He was against the American Colonization Society. In 1845, he published his autobiography. The speech below was given at the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society the day after the 4^th of July. Douglass uses words from the constitution to argue against slavery in the United States.

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I am not part of this glorious anniversary! Your independence only shows the great distance between us. This day is not celebrated by all people. You enjoy the justice, liberty, prosperity and independence given by your fathers; but I don’t. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes (whippings) and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may celebrate, I must mourn…

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that shows to the American slave, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty that he continues to suffer. To the American slave, your celebration is fake.

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Attribution: From a speech given by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, New York.

Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does Frederick Douglass’ speech help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

News article on Sojourner Truth (Source 8)

Headnote: Sojourner Truth was a Black abolitionist. She fought for women’s rights. She was born enslaved around 1797 in New York. She escaped in 1826 with her daughter and won a court case for the freedom of her son. She became a Christian and a well-known speaker. She gave lectures across the country. She settled in Battle Creek, Michigan in the 1850s. This news report talks about and shares her speech from a Sunday School.

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Rev. T. W. Jones said that the speaker was “Sojourner Truth.” This was enough; five hundred persons were on their feet, prepared to give the most respectful attention to her who was once a slave.

“Children,” she said, “who made your skin white? Was it not God? Who made mine black? Was it not the same God? Am I to blame, therefore, because my skin is black? Aren’t you criticizing God if you hate some of his children because He gave them black skin? Indeed, children, it is. Your teachers should tell you so, and root up, if possible, the great sin of prejudice against color from your minds…. Does not God love colored children as well as white children? And did not the same God die to save the one as well as the other? If so, white children must know that if they go to heaven they must go there without their prejudice against color, for in heaven black and white are one in the love of God. Now, children, remember what Sojourner Truth has told you, and thus get rid of your prejudice and learn to love colored children that you may be all the children of your God who is in heaven.”

This short speech from Sojourner was, perhaps, the most important anti-slavery speech that was ever given at Battle Creek or in Michigan. People’s eyes were filled with tears. It seems as if everyone there agreed with all she said.

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Attribution: Modified news article in the Battle Creek Journal from Battle Creek, Michigan, July 11, 1863, later republished in the National Anti-Slavery Standard newspaper. Link to audio-recording of speech, read by a volunteer with the Black Abolitionist Archive: https://libraries.udmercy.edu/find/special_collections/digital/baa/item.php?record_id=885&collectionCode=baa

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Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does the news article on Sojourner Truth help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

Henry Highland Garnet’s ‘Call to Rebellion’ (Source 9)

Headnote: Henry Highland Garnet was a Black abolitionist. He was born enslaved around 1815 in Maryland. His family escaped when he was nine and lived in New York. He supported the movement of Blacks to Liberia because he thought they would have more opportunities. In 1843, some abolitionists did not agree with his “Call to Rebellion” speech because it encouraged enslaved people to rebel against slaveholders. Those abolitionists supported only non-violent action.

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Look around you. Notice your loving wives who struggle with pain too terrible for words! Hear the cries of your poor children! Remember the whippings your fathers suffered. Think how many tears you have cried upon the soil that you have farmed. Remember that as native-born American citizens you deserve all the rights that are given to the freest men. Then go to your enslavers and tell them that you want to be free. If you want to be free this is your only hope. Unfortunately, there is not much hope of freedom without shedding blood. But, it is better to die as free men, than to live as slaves.…

Brothers, rise up! Fight for your lives and liberties. If every slave throughout the land fights, then slavery will end soon. You cannot be more oppressed than you have been. You cannot suffer greater cruelties than you have already. It is better to die as free men than to live as slaves. Remember that there are four million of you!

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Attribution: From the speech “Call to Rebellion” by Henry Highland Garnet, delivered August 21, 1843 to the National Negro Convention in Buffalo, New York.

Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does Garnet’s speech help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

F. Douglass on John Brown �(Source 10)

Headnote: In October 1859, a white man, John Brown, led an uprising of enslaved people. They took weapons in Virginia in a raid and seven people were killed. John Brown was arrested and killed in December. Some abolitionists did not agree with Brown’s violent approach, but the raid became a famous event. Frederick Douglass knew and respected Brown, but did not support the raid. Two years after the raid and Brown’s death, Douglass shared the ideas below in a speech at a Baptist church in Boston.

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I agree with all methods of working against slavery: politics, religion, peace, war, Bible, Constitution, disunion, Union—[laughter]—every possible way is my way. But the moral and social ways of opposing slavery have had a greater importance, during the last twenty five years, than ….the John Brown way….

As early as the beginning of the U.S. Government, there were abolition societies in the land…. These societies wanted justice and humanity for the slave. They wanted the South and the nation to behave in a Christian way toward the slave.

However, the nation does not care about these cries for freedom, coming up from the South; and instead of the slaveholders listening to the claims of justice and humanity—they have become madder and madder, …

Now, something must be done to make these slaveholders feel the injustice….. We must reach the slaveholder’s conscience through his fear of personal danger. The Negroes of the South must make these slaveholders feel that there is something uncomfortable about slavery—Every slave that escapes adds to their discomfort. I celebrate every uprising at the South. Slaveholders do not sleep peacefully as they used to. They keep the doors locked, their knives sharp, and their pistols loaded. Their fear will be important in the abolition of slavery.

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Attribution: Speech from Frederick Douglass on John Brown, delivered at Tremont Temple in Boston on December 3, 1860, published in Douglass’ Monthly, January, 1861.

Reasoning about the Source …

1. What are you feeling and thinking after reading this source? What questions do you have?

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• How reliable is this source for understanding the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists?

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Reliable –

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Unreliable –

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(3) How does F. Douglass’ speech on Brown help you understand the thoughts and interactions of abolitionists? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(4) Box the parts of the source that help you think about the central question.

Discussion

• How do the sources you’ve read today lead you to respond to this question: How did abolitionists think and interact as they tried to end slavery?

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• Has anything changed from your response yesterday? Why or why not?

Weigh the Evidence

8th

Step 1 – Review your annotations of the sources.

Step 2 – Sort and discuss evidence.

Step 3 – Construct and discuss arguments.

Step 4 – Record possible arguments in an anchor chart as a class.

WTE Step 1: Review your annotations of the sources

Take turns sharing with a partner –

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What did each source help you understand about the central question?

This source helped me think about…

This was the source that showed me…

WTE Step 2: Sort & discuss evidence…

(select 2-4 per investigation)

Sort sources by date and place they were created.

Which sources agree?

Which sources disagree?

Which sources were written for similar purposes?

Or, which sources were written to help/harm people?

Which sources are most useful (relevant) for answering this central question?

Which sources show who benefits from their current social context?

Which sources were written by authors (or have main actors) with similar identities?

Sort sources by how useful (relevant) they are for for answering the central question -

the different ways people were thinking about ending slavery and working to end slavery.

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Discuss with your group and sort your source cards -

*Discuss with your group –

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Sorting by their usefulness/relevance to the central question made me think about…

Which sources were written by authors (or have main actors) with similar identities?

�Different identities?

Discuss with your group and sort your source cards -

*Discuss with your group –

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Sorting by authors (or main actors) with similar identities made me think about…

Which sources agree? Which sources highlight the same ways abolitionists thought and interacted?

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Which sources disagree? Which sources highlight different ways abolitionists thought and interacted?

Discuss with your group and sort your source cards -

*Discuss with your group –

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Sorting by points of agreement and disagreement made me think about…

WTE Step 3: Construct & discuss arguments

6th & 8th

7th

Your Assignment

Background: The New York Times’ 1619 Project has an article about why slavery is mistaught in American schools. The abolitionist movement is also often misrepresented.

Your task: Write to the 1619 Project about which source(s) should be taught in schools to best tell the story of how abolitionists thought and interacted as they tried to end slavery. Be sure to include evidence and reasoning. You should also respond to someone who holds a different point of view. Prepare a written argument that you can send to the project to include in their collection.

Attribution: 1619 Project from The New York Times

WTE Step 3: Construct & discuss arguments

6th & 8th

7th

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Do people agree that the evidence supports this claim? How do we know?

Brainstorm with your group then discuss as a class - 6th and 8th

Given the evidence, what is one claim that you could make in response to the Central Question?

Is this a reasonable response to the Central Question? Why or why not?

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Do people agree that this evidence supports the claim? If so, how? If not, why not?

Brainstorm with your group then discuss as a class - 6th and 8th

What are two pieces of evidence you could use to support the claim?

(Include source author and quote)

Do people think it is useful or trustworthy evidence? Why or why not?

EVIDENCE

What is a problem with their counterargument?

Brainstorm with your group then discuss as a class - 8th

What could someone who disagrees with your argument say?

What evidence or reasoning could they use?

(Include source author and quote)

How would you argue that your argument is stronger?

COUNTER-CLAIM

COUNTER- EVIDENCE

WTE Step 4: Record arguments in an anchor chart for the class

6th

7th

8th

Argument + Counterargument: Anchor Chart

Day 3 Reflection

CENTRAL QUESTION?

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• Put a on the “Weigh the Evidence” chart next to the strongest claim or the one you feel is the best source for learning about the central question.

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• Put an “X” next to the weakest claim about which source to use.

Day 3 Reflection

Exit Ticket:

Was class interesting and useful today? Why or why not?

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Were the class materials helpful to your learning? Why or why not?

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Do you have any suggestions? Is there anything you’d like me to know?

DAY FOUR

Central Question

How did abolitionists think and interact as they tried to end slavery?

Your Assignment: �Argument with a Counterargument

Argument + Counterargument: You will write an argument with a counterargument. In this type of argument, the writer takes a strong position in response to a question or problem, providing evidence and reasoning to back up the claim. Then, the writer introduces a different point of view, also known as a counterargument, and critiques it. In other words, the writer shows why the counterargument is weak.

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ARGUMENT + COUNTERARGUMENT =

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CLAIM +

EVIDENCE +

REASONING +

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COUNTERCLAIM +

COUNTEREVIDENCE +

YOUR CRITIQUE OF COUNTERCLAIM

OR COUNTEREVIDENCE

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Your Assignment

Background: The New York Times’ 1619 Project has an article about why slavery is mistaught in American schools. The abolitionist movement is also often misrepresented.

Your task: Write to the 1619 Project about which source(s) should be taught in schools to best tell the story of how abolitionists thought and interacted as they tried to end slavery. Be sure to include evidence and reasoning. You should also respond to someone who holds a different point of view. Prepare a written argument that you can send to the project to include in their collection.

Attribution: 1619 Project from The New York Times

Analyze the Mentor Text

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BACKGROUND: The Trail of Tears is often only briefly talked about in U.S. schools. The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. is putting together a curriculum to teach students more about the causes of the Trail of Tears. They are using 1-2 sources from different tribes which were removed. They have asked students to write them about which source(s) best show the causes of the Trail of Tears. The mentor text is one student’s argument for which sources they should include from the Cherokee Removal.

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DIRECTIONS: For each part of the argument (claim, evidence, reasoning, counterclaim, counterevidence, critique of the counterargument), discuss:

• How do you know which part of the argument it is?
• What do you see the writer doing in that part of the argument?
• Does that part of the argument strengthen the overall argument? Why or why not?

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MENTOR TEXT

Dear National Museum of the American Indian,

To teach students about the causes of the Cherokee Removal, you should use one source about racism and one source about the gold found on Cherokee land because these were important causes that people should remember today.

The first source I recommend is the Commentary from Lewis Cass from 1830 because it reveals the racist views of people in power. Cass says, “We doubt whether there is, upon the face of the globe, a more wretched race than the Cherokees.” Lewis Cass was a politician and people believed he was an expert on indigenous peoples. This is a useful source because it shows that one person with a lot of power at the time openly made racist remarks and was still popular enough to be elected.

The second source you should use is the Land Lottery Map from 1838 because it shows that the discovery of gold may have affected people’s thinking. The headnote says the map shows “where gold was found” and that the land was divided “into 40-acre lots that were to be given out to the state residents.” This tells us that once people found out there was gold on Cherokee land, people in Georgia made plans to divide up and sell the land. This source helps us understand what was happening just before the government removed the Cherokee from this land.

Someone else might argue that you should use the Boudinot Pamphlet. In it, a Cherokee man named Boudinot supports Cherokee Removal because he says, “our people cannot exist in the middle of a white population.” However, Boudinot is not a trustworthy source because in the headnote it says “a small number” of Cherokee supported removal. This shows that the large majority of the Cherokee people did not support removal. Therefore, you should not the use the source from Boudinot to explain the causes of removal because it does not represent the entire Cherokee Nation.

The major causes of Cherokee removal were racism and greed and you should have sources in your curriculum to show that.

Sincerely,

Scarlet Benoit

Analyze Mentor Text

• What is the claim in this text? Note it.
• What makes this a good claim? Or, how could it be improved?

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Sample Argument with a Counterargument

Dear National Museum of the American Indian,

To teach students about the causes of the Cherokee Removal, you should use one source about racism and one source about the gold found on Cherokee land because these were important causes that people should remember today.

The first source I recommend is the Commentary from Lewis Cass from 1830 because it reveals the racist views of people in power. Cass says, “We doubt whether there is, upon the face of the globe, a more wretched race than the Cherokees.” Lewis Cass was a politician and people believed he was an expert on indigenous peoples. This is a useful source because it shows that one person with a lot of power at the time openly made racist remarks and was still popular enough to be elected.

The second source you should use is the Land Lottery Map from 1838 because it shows that the discovery of gold may have affected people’s thinking. The headnote says the map shows “where gold was found” and that the land was divided “into 40-acre lots that were to be given out to the state residents.” This tells us that once people found out there was gold on Cherokee land, people in Georgia made plans to divide up and sell the land. This source helps us understand what was happening just before the government removed the Cherokee from this land.

Someone else might argue that you should use the Boudinot Pamphlet. In it, a Cherokee man named Boudinot supports Cherokee Removal because he says, “our people cannot exist in the middle of a white population.” However, Boudinot is not a trustworthy source because in the headnote it says “a small number” of Cherokee supported removal. This shows that the large majority of the Cherokee people did not support removal. Therefore, you should not the use the source from Boudinot to explain the causes of removal because it does not represent the entire Cherokee Nation.

The major causes of Cherokee removal were racism and greed and you should have sources in your curriculum to show that.

Sincerely,

Scarlet Benoit

Analyze Mentor Text

• What is the claim in this text? Note it.
• What makes this a good claim? Or, how could it be improved?
• What evidence (quotations, examples, facts, or details) is included to support the claim? Note it.
• Does the evidence seem convincing to you?

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Sample Argument with a Counterargument

Dear National Museum of the American Indian,

To teach students about the causes of the Cherokee Removal, you should use one source about racism and one source about the gold found on Cherokee land because these were important causes that people should remember today.

The first source I recommend is the Commentary from Lewis Cass from 1830 because it reveals the racist views of people in power. Cass says, “We doubt whether there is, upon the face of the globe, a more wretched race than the Cherokees.” Lewis Cass was a politician and people believed he was an expert on indigenous peoples. This is a useful source because it shows that one person with a lot of power at the time openly made racist remarks and was still popular enough to be elected.

The second source you should use is the Land Lottery Map from 1838 because it shows that the discovery of gold may have affected people’s thinking. The headnote says the map shows “where gold was found” and that the land was divided “into 40-acre lots that were to be given out to the state residents.” This tells us that once people found out there was gold on Cherokee land, people in Georgia made plans to divide up and sell the land. This source helps us understand what was happening just before the government removed the Cherokee from this land.

Someone else might argue that you should use the Boudinot Pamphlet. In it, a Cherokee man named Boudinot supports Cherokee Removal because he says, “our people cannot exist in the middle of a white population.” However, Boudinot is not a trustworthy source because in the headnote it says “a small number” of Cherokee supported removal. This shows that the large majority of the Cherokee people did not support removal. Therefore, you should not the use the source from Boudinot to explain the causes of removal because it does not represent the entire Cherokee Nation.

The major causes of Cherokee removal were racism and greed and you should have sources in your curriculum to show that.

Sincerely,

Scarlet Benoit

Analyze Mentor Text

• What is the claim in this text? Note it.
• What makes this a good claim? Or, how could it be improved?
• What evidence (quotations, examples, facts, or details) is included to support the claim? Note it.
• Does the evidence seem convincing to you?
• Where does the author share reasoning about how the evidence supports the claim and the reliability of the evidence?
• What’s included in an explanation?

Sample Argument with a Counterargument

Dear National Museum of the American Indian,

To teach students about the causes of the Cherokee Removal, you should use one source about racism and one source about the gold found on Cherokee land because these were important causes that people should remember today.

The first source I recommend is the Commentary from Lewis Cass from 1830 because it reveals the racist views of people in power. Cass says, “We doubt whether there is, upon the face of the globe, a more wretched race than the Cherokees.” Lewis Cass was a politician and people believed he was an expert on indigenous peoples. This is a useful source because it shows that one person with a lot of power at the time openly made racist remarks and was still popular enough to be elected.

The second source you should use is the Land Lottery Map from 1838 because it shows that the discovery of gold may have affected people’s thinking. The headnote says the map shows “where gold was found” and that the land was divided “into 40-acre lots that were to be given out to the state residents.” This tells us that once people found out there was gold on Cherokee land, people in Georgia made plans to divide up and sell the land. This source helps us understand what was happening just before the government removed the Cherokee from this land.

Someone else might argue that you should use the Boudinot Pamphlet. In it, a Cherokee man named Boudinot supports Cherokee Removal because he says, “our people cannot exist in the middle of a white population.” However, Boudinot is not a trustworthy source because in the headnote it says “a small number” of Cherokee supported removal. This shows that the large majority of the Cherokee people did not support removal. Therefore, you should not the use the source from Boudinot to explain the causes of removal because it does not represent the entire Cherokee Nation.

The major causes of Cherokee removal were racism and greed and you should have sources in your curriculum to show that.

Sincerely,

Scarlet Benoit

Analyze Mentor Text

• What is the claim in this text? Note it.
• What makes this a good claim? Or, how could it be improved?
• What evidence (quotations, examples, facts, or details) is included to support the claim? Note it.
• Does the evidence seem convincing to you?
• Where does the author share reasoning about how the evidence supports the claim and the reliability of the evidence?
• What’s included in an explanation?
• Where do you see a counterclaim, counterevidence, and reasoning to critique the counterargument?
• How does the author present and reject or rebut an opposing claim or evidence?

Sample Argument with a Counterargument

Dear National Museum of the American Indian,

To teach students about the causes of the Cherokee Removal, you should use one source about racism and one source about the gold found on Cherokee land because these were important causes that people should remember today.

The first source I recommend is the Commentary from Lewis Cass from 1830 because it reveals the racist views of people in power. Cass says, “We doubt whether there is, upon the face of the globe, a more wretched race than the Cherokees.” Lewis Cass was a politician and people believed he was an expert on indigenous peoples. This is a useful source because it shows that one person with a lot of power at the time openly made racist remarks and was still popular enough to be elected.

The second source you should use is the Land Lottery Map from 1838 because it shows that the discovery of gold may have affected people’s thinking. The headnote says the map shows “where gold was found” and that the land was divided “into 40-acre lots that were to be given out to the state residents.” This tells us that once people found out there was gold on Cherokee land, people in Georgia made plans to divide up and sell the land. This source helps us understand what was happening just before the government removed the Cherokee from this land.

Someone else might argue that you should use the Boudinot Pamphlet. In it, a Cherokee man named Boudinot supports Cherokee Removal because he says, “our people cannot exist in the middle of a white population.” However, Boudinot is not a trustworthy source because in the headnote it says “a small number” of Cherokee supported removal. This shows that the large majority of the Cherokee people did not support removal. Therefore, you should not the use the source from Boudinot to explain the causes of removal because it does not represent the entire Cherokee Nation.

The major causes of Cherokee removal were racism and greed and you should have sources in your curriculum to show that.

Sincerely,

Scarlet Benoit

Reflect and Discuss

• What is your claim about which source(s) best teaches how abolitionists thought and interacted? Why is it a strong argument?�
• What evidence will support your claim? �
• What reasoning explains how or why this evidence backs up your claim?

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• How might someone challenge your claim or evidence with a counterclaim?

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Planning Graphic Organizer

Planning Graphic Organizer

Planning Graphic Organizer

Day 4 Reflection

Exit Ticket:

Was class interesting and useful today? Why or why not?

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Were the class materials helpful to your learning? Why or why not?

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Do you have any suggestions? Is there anything you’d like me to know?

DAY FIVE

Central Question

How did abolitionists think and interact as they tried to end slavery?

Your Assignment: �Argument with a Counterargument

Argument + Counterargument: You will write an argument with a counterargument. In this type of argument, the writer takes a strong position in response to a question or problem, providing evidence and reasoning to back up the claim. Then, the writer introduces a different point of view, also known as a counterargument, and critiques it. In other words, the writer shows why the counterargument is weak.

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Your Assignment

Background: The New York Times’ 1619 Project has an article about why slavery is mistaught in American schools. The abolitionist movement is also often misrepresented.

Your task: Write to the 1619 Project about which source(s) should be taught in schools to best tell the story of how abolitionists thought and interacted as they tried to end slavery. Be sure to include evidence and reasoning. You should also respond to someone who holds a different point of view. Prepare a written argument that you can send to the project to include in their collection.

Attribution: 1619 Project from The New York Times

Useful Language for Writing your Argument

Claim:

To teach about how abolitionists thought and interacted, schools should use sources…because…[name two reasons].

Schools should use sources about/which show…. to teach how abolitionists thought and interacted because… [name two reasons].

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Sharing a reason for your claim:

One source schools should use is… because…

Another source I recommend is… because…

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Providing Evidence:

For example, (source) reports that ….. OR According to (source), …..,

Reasoning:

This evidence helps us understand… OR This shows that …..

This is a reliable source because….. OR This evidence is useful for thinking about the question because…..

Introducing a Counterclaim

Some people could say that …..

People who disagree with my point might argue that….

Providing counterevidence

For example, (Source) says …..

They would use (Source) to point out that …..

Reasoning to Critique the Counterargument

I think their evidence is not convincing because….

This is not a strong argument because…

I can see their point, but (evidence could be interpreted differently; source is not reliable; the evidence

doesn’t show what they claim, etc.)

Language in the Sample Argument with a Counterargument�

Dear National Museum of the American Indian,

To teach students about the causes of the Cherokee Removal, you should use one source about racism and one source about the gold found on Cherokee land because these were important causes that people should remember today.

The first source I recommend is the Commentary from Lewis Cass from 1830 because it reveals the racist views of people in power. Cass says, “We doubt whether there is, upon the face of the globe, a more wretched race than the Cherokees.” Lewis Cass was a politician and people believed he was an expert on indigenous peoples. This is a useful source because it shows that one person with a lot of power at the time openly made racist remarks and was still popular enough to be elected.

The second source you should use is the Land Lottery Map from 1838 because it shows that the discovery of gold may have affected people’s thinking. The headnote says the map shows “where gold was found” and that the land was divided “into 40-acre lots that were to be given out to the state residents.” This tells us that once people found out there was gold on Cherokee land, people in Georgia made plans to divide up and sell the land. This source helps us understand what was happening just before the government removed the Cherokee from this land.

Someone else might argue that you should use the Boudinot Pamphlet. In it, a Cherokee man named Boudinot supports Cherokee Removal because he says, “our people cannot exist in the middle of a white population.” However, Boudinot is not a trustworthy source because in the headnote it says “a small number” of Cherokee supported removal. This shows that the large majority of the Cherokee people did not support removal. Therefore, you should not the use the source from Boudinot to explain the causes of removal because it does not represent the entire Cherokee Nation.

The major causes of Cherokee removal were racism and greed and you should have sources in your curriculum to show that.

Sincerely,

Scarlet Benoit

While you are writing, use the tools!

Mentor Text

Planning Graphic Organizer

Weigh the Evidence

Useful Language Chart

Sources

Draft your Argument

• This is silent writing time.
• We will eventually reflect on our writing and make notes for revision.
• So, you may want to

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skip

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every

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other

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line!

Discuss your full draft or your work in progress!

At some point in your writing, pause to reflect and discuss your draft with a partner. Use the Reflection Tool to talk about -

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• What you included and why
• What you have done well
• What you are still working on or what you can improve
• What questions you still have or places you are stuck
• What suggestions your partner has for you

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Revise

• Choose 1-3 things to improve. Write those in your reflection guide.
• In the margins of your first draft, make these improvements or rewrite your draft.

Swap & Vote!

• Read at least two other arguments written by your classmates.

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• Nominate arguments that you think are the strongest to send to the 1619 Project.

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• Vote!