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“
Lesson Study Work: Listening to
Abolitionists”
II.
LESSON PLAN CONTENT
Day
1: Pre-Assessment: What do our
students think about slavery?
What strategies do they think
would be most effective, or
that they might use?
- We asked students to write
to this prompt: What would you
have done if you were opposed
to slavery in 1830? What would
you do if you were enslaved?
If you were free? (see
resources)
- Students then placed their
strategies of choice into one
of four categories, visually
represented by a piece of butcher
paper and a quote that represents
an abolitionist’s philosophy:
Violence, Escape, Rhetoric/Moral
Suasion, Day-to-Day-resistance
- Teacher would then reveal
who stated each quote, and place
“featured” abolitionists
into each category
Day
2: What was the constitutional
and legal context that framed
and supported slavery?
- We asked student to consider
what enslaved African Americans,
free African Americans and whites
could do to resist slavery,
given the historical constraints.
- Students read a teacher-created
sheet about “The Constitution,
Politics, and Slavery –
What was an Abolitionist to
Do in the Years Leading Up to
the Civil War (1829-1859)?”
(see
resources)
- While and after reading, students
fill out attached reading/thinking
organizer that asks: What restricted
enslaved African Americans/free
African Americans/whites actions
against slavery? What facilitated
African Americans/free African
Americans/whites actions against
slavery? (see
resources)
Day
3 & 4: Who were some leading
abolitionists? What strategies
did they use to resist slavery?
What facilitated and constrained
their actions
- In groups, students were
assigned one of eight abolitionists,
and given a short biographical
statement about them. They had
to read the statement, and prepare
a presentation and answer basic
questions about the abolitionist.
The students were given an organizer
that helped them prepare their
presentation. (see
resources)
- Each group then took the front
of the class, and answered the
questions they had prepared,
and any other questions students
(or teachers) might ask them.
While the students were presenting,
the other students were asked
to take notes on the same graphic
organizer.
Day
5: Given the constraints of
the day, whose abolitionist
choices were most effective
and why?
- We then had students write
an essay to the prompt below:
Choose two abolitionists. Which
one do you think made the wisest
choice to resist slavery? Select
two abolitionists from your
chart and write an essay that
describes the strategies and
hypothesizes why each abolitionist
chose the way to resist that
they did, given the constraints
of the situation. Hypothesize
why people did not choose the
other strategies that were being
used at the same time.
- We gave the students all of
the biographical readings so
they could choose to compare
and contrast any two of the
abolitionists in their essay.
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