Imagine that you are writing a letter to your future teenage child, niece, or nephew to explain what you have learned about what people risked for freedom during the abolitionist (anti-slavery) movement in the United States during the 1800s. Help them understand the difficult experiences people of the past faced in order to avoid repeating it. Also, try to inspire them to help others the way the people in the unit texts did. Using ideas and examples from 3 texts in Unit 4, write about how the people of this time period showed courage.
Your letter must be 5 paragraphs in length (intro, body, closing) and be written in proper letter format.
Step One: You must complete and submit your Tree Map Plan graphic organizer in Canvas on a Google doc provided for you there.
Step Two: Once you're done planning, you may begin to draft, revise,
and edit your writing on the WRITE tab below. Be sure to follow the directions in your daily Canvas assignments. Also, follow proper letter format. Click Check & Submit after each work session even if you are not finished.
Step 1 is already done just focus on step 2 writing the letter
1 I lived in Master Hugh's family about sev seven years. During this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write. In accomplishing this, I was compelled to resort to various stratagems. I had no regular teacher. My mistress, who had kindly commenced to instruct me, had, in compliance with the advice and direction of her husband, not only ceased to instruct, but had set her face against my being instructed by any one else. It is due, however, to my mistress to say of her, that she did not adopt this course of treatment immediately. She at first lacked the depravity [1] indispensable to shutting me up in mental darkness. It was at least necessary for her to have some training in the exercise of irresponsible power, to make her equal to the task of treating me as though I were a brute.
2 My mistress was, as I have said, a kind and tender-hearted woman; and in the simplicity of her soul she commenced, when I first went to live with her, to treat me as she supposed one human being ought to treat another. In entering upon the duties of a slaveholder, she did not seem to perceive that I sustained to her the relation of a mere chattel, [2] and that for her to treat me as a human being was not only wrong, but dangerously so. Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tigerlike fierceness. The first step in her downward course was
in her ceasing to instruct me. She now commenced to practise her husband's precepts. [3] She finally became even more violent in her opposition than her husband himself. She was not satisfied with simply doing as well as he had commanded; she seemed anxious to do better. Nothing seemed to make her more angry than to see me with a newspaper. She seemed to think that here lay the danger. I have had her rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension. She was an apt woman; and a little experience soon demonstrated, to her satisfaction, that education and slavery were incompatible with each other.
3 From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give an account of myself. All this, however, was too late. The first step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell.
4 The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return. I used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which I was always welcome; for I was much better off in this regard than many of the poor white children in our neighborhood. This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge. I am strongly tempted to give the names of two or three of those little boys, as a testimonial of the gratitude and affection I bear them; but prudence forbids;-not that it would injure me, but it might embarrass
them; for it is almost an unpardonable offence to teach slaves to read in this Christian country. It is enough to say of the dear little fellows, that they lived on Philpot Street, very near Durgin and Bailey's ship-yard. I used to talk this matter of slavery over with them. I would sometimes say to them, I wished I could be as free as they would be when they got to be men. "You will be free as soon as you are twenty-one, but I am a slave for life! Have not I as good a right to be free as you have?" These words used to trouble them; they would express for me the liveliest sympathy, and console me with the hope that something would occur by which I might be free.
5 I was now about twelve years old, and the thought of being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart. Just about this time, I got hold of a book entitled "The Columbian Orator."[4] Every opportunity I got, I used to read this book. Among much of other interesting matter, I found in it a dialogue between a master and his slave. The slave was represented as having run away from his master three times. The dialogue represented the conversation which took place between them, when the slave was retaken the third time. In this dialogue, the whole argument in behalf of slavery was brought forward by the master, all of which was disposed of by the slave. The slave was made to say some very smart as well as impressive things in reply to his master-things which had the desired though unexpected effect; for the conversation resulted in the voluntary emancipation of the slave on the part of the master.
In the same book, I met with one of Sheridan's mighty speeches on and in behalf of Catholic emancipation.[5] These were choice documents to me. I read them over and over again with unabated interest. They gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and died away for want of utterance. The moral which I gained from the dialogue was the power of truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder. What I got from Sheridan was a bold denunciation of slavery, and a powerful vindication of human rights. The reading of these documents enabled me to utter my thoughts, and to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain slavery; but while they relieved me of one difficulty, they brought on another even more painful than the one of which I was relieved. The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful
robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery. I loathed them as being the meanest as well as the most wicked of men. As I read and contemplated the subject, behold! that very discontentment which Master Hugh had predicted would follow my learning to read had already come, to torment and sting my soul to unutterable anguish. As I writhed under it, I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out. In moments of agony, I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity. I have often wished myself a beast. I preferred the condition of the meanest reptile to my own. Anything, no matter what, to get rid of thinking! It was this everlasting thinking of my condition that tormented me. There was no getting rid of it. It was pressed upon me by every object within sight or hearing, animate or inanimate. The silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness. Freedom now appeared, to
disappear no more forever. It was heard in every sound, and seen in every thing. It was ever present to torment me with a sense of my wretched condition. I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it. It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm
Use the information above to write a letter to my future grandson
Make it look like a 8th grader wrote it
Make sure no one can find this
1 answer
[Your Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
[Date]
Dear [Grandson's Name],
I hope this letter finds you well and curious about the world around you. Today, I want to share with you some important lessons from history, particularly about the courageous people who fought for freedom during the abolitionist movement in the 1800s in the United States. Their struggle against slavery teaches us not only about the pain of the past but also about the power of courage and determination. I hope their stories inspire you to stand up for justice and help others facing their own battles today.
One of the most remarkable individuals from this time was Frederick Douglass, who endured harsh conditions as a slave but still found a way to learn how to read and write. Douglass shared how his mistress initially treated him kindly but then succumbed to the oppressive beliefs of the time. Despite this, he was resolute in his pursuit of knowledge. He cleverly befriended local white boys to help him learn to read, knowing that education was a powerful tool against oppression. This cleverness and determination display incredible courage, and his story reminds us that knowledge can enable us to fight against injustice.
Another inspiring figure is Harriet Tubman, who risked her life to lead enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She not only escaped slavery herself but also returned repeatedly to help others find their freedom, often under the cover of night and facing many dangers along the way. Tubman’s bravery and selflessness exemplify the true meaning of courage. Her actions teach us that sometimes we must take risks to help others, and that true freedom arises not just from escaping our own chains but also from helping others to break theirs.
The abolitionist movement also includes countless unnamed heroes who bravely participated in protests, published newspapers, and spoke out against the institution of slavery despite facing severe consequences. These acts of defiance were difficult and dangerous, but they showed that even the smallest voices could contribute to a larger movement for equality. Their dedication reminds us that every effort toward change matters, and it encourages us to speak up when we see injustice, no matter how daunting it may seem.
As you grow up and face your own challenges, I hope you remember these stories of courage. The fight for freedom did not just improve the lives of those in the past; it set a precedent for future generations to fight for what is right. Whether it's standing up against bullying, advocating for the environment, or supporting those in need, your actions can make a difference. Like Douglass, Tubman, and many others, you have the power to create change in your community.
In closing, always remember that courage is not the absence of fear, but the determination to act in spite of it. The brave individuals of the abolitionist movement faced their fears and took action for the freedom of others, and you can do the same in your life. I believe in your ability to make the world a better place, just as they did. Keep their stories close to your heart and let them inspire you in your own journey.
