Student Objectives

1. Better understand the work of a historian
2. Properly utilize a primary source to answer a research question
3. Use runaway ads to learn more about the lives and culture surrounding both enslaved people and enslavers

Resources

• Freedom on the Move’s searchable database
• Video, What Is the Difference Between History and Memory?
• Handout for student reflection on ads

Warm-Up

1. Begin the lesson by asking students to write down five words that come to their mind when they think of the word “historian.” Have students share their answers and hold on to them until the end of the lesson.
2. Show the video What is the difference between history and memory? In this video, Christy Clark-Pujara says, “When we’re doing history (and everybody can do history), we shouldn’t imagine what it was, or what we think it was, or what we wanted it to be, but evaluate what it was. In order to do that, we look at primary documents, and we ask all kinds of questions of those documents from different perspectives.” Ask students to discuss their takeaways from the video.
3. Tell students that today in class, they are going to play the role of historians by using primary documents. Today we will be examining the value of enslaved people by studying runaway ads.

Instruction

1. Show students this ad from the Freedom on the Move database. Ask students:

• What does the ad say about Rachel’s physical appearance? What does this tell us about her story?
• What was the reward for her return? How much would that be in today’s terms?
• What does the reward amount tell you about the monetary value assigned to enslaved people?

1. Explain to the class the definition of a “commodity.” With the definition of this term in mind, challenge the class to compare modern day commodities to the way in which enslaved people were viewed by slave-holding culture. Ask the class what gives a commodity value, and inform the class that they will explore the values placed on enslaved people by enslavers.
2. Next, pose the question, “What factors contributed to the value of an enslaved person during the mid-19th century?” Explain to the class that they will only be allowed to use Freedom on the Move’s searchable database as a resource to answer this question. Explain that they will search within the database to find articles about enslaved people who escaped slavery, and further filter these articles based on the reward for their capture.
3. In groups or individually, students will read and transcribe three ads and investigate what traits (physical or otherwise) may have contributed to the reward for their capture. Students must find values that potentially added to the enslaved person’s reward, and values that would have subtracted from it. Record their findings on this handout. Again, encourage students to look for traits other than simply physical ones; these could include skills and knowledge, family associations, etc. Students should also note what other factors may have contributed to the reward or value of the runaway: location, date, and other historical events that occurred around the time of the enslaved person’s escape.
4. Students will then present their ideas, along with the evidence that supports their claim.
5. Finally, students will debrief together in groups by following a list of guided questions for discussion:

• Seeing that enslaved people were indeed viewed as commodities rather than human beings, how do you think this affected their emotional state?
• How do you think the descriptions of the enslaved people in the ads affected the motivation of people finding and returning the enslaved person to the enslaver?
• Does the value of enslaved people change over time? For example, is there an effect on or change in the value of slaves as the years approach the beginning of the Civil War?

Return to Warm Up

1. Look back at your list from the beginning of the lesson about what a historian does. Is there anything you would add to the list? Has your definition changed? If so, how?

Extension Activity

Students will write an essay using evidence from the Freedom on the Move ads to answer the question: What factors contributed to the value of an enslaved person during the mid-19th century? Using correct MLA formatting, students will utilize Freedom on the Move as the primary source; however, students are allowed to use two or three credible outside sources to help make their claim.

This lesson aligns to key concepts 4, 5, 6 and 10 of Teaching Tolerance’s Teaching Hard History Framework.

Background

Students will read and analyze ads written from 1850 to 1860 and make a timeline of the ads. They will consider important historical events, people and literature from those years and build a timeline in their classroom of that decade to create a fuller, more well-rounded picture of slavery and how these individuals’ lives played into the big picture.

Objectives / Student Tasks

• Create a timeline featuring individual runaway ads and major historical events
• Analyze how and why systems, individuals, events or ideas develop and interact throughout a series of texts
• Recognize the diverse experiences of enslaved people
• Create a narrative based on real or imagined events

Pre-lesson (optional)

You might consider using the following materials to prep students who don’t have much prior knowledge about slavery or runaway ads. This could prepare students to understand more about why enslaved people sometimes escaped.

• In this Teaching Tolerance video, Historian Daina Ramey Berry describes the sale of an infant named Rachel to explore how enslaved people were commodified. The video is humanizing and can set students up for the lesson.
• Link to questions and answers to go with the video.

Warm-up: Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

1. Show pictures of celebrities students might be familiar with. I used Cardi B and Lebron James. Then ask students to describe this person in these ways:

• Based ONLY on what they look like in the picture.
• Based on what you know about them. (Cardi B is a mother, feminist and lover of history, and she’s passionate about politics and people getting the rights that they deserve.)

1. Tell students that oftentimes we make assumptions about the lives of enslaved people without knowing what individual lives were like. Through the Freedom on the Move ads, they will start to learn more about the full stories of individuals who escaped slavery.

Part 1: Explore the Ads

1. Explain to students that they are going to build a timeline ranging from 1850 to 1860 using runaway ads from the Freedom on the Move database.
2. Before distributing the ads, show this video from PBS about the Fugitive Slave Act that was passed in 1850, at the beginning of the timeline.
3. Assign students a year (1850-1860), and allow them to search the Freedom on the Move database for an ad from that year that interests them OR select ads for your students and create a Google Doc that lists your students’ names along with a link to their ad. Click here for an example.
4. Explain to students that they will analyze and read and answer questions about the ad. Students will answer the questions about their ads on a Post-it or piece of paper and present their findings to their classmates.

• In what year was your ad written?
• What is the name of the enslaved person (people) in your ad?
• What words are used to describe the person in your ad?
• How much does the enslaver offer for the return of the person in your ad? (Encourage students to look up how much the amount would be in today’s currency.)

1. Other questions to consider, but leave off Post-it:

• What questions do you have after reading the ad?
• What story can be told based on the information within the ad?

Part 2: Construct the Timeline

In-person instruction

1. Set aside a space in the room for a large sheet of butcher paper. Prep the sheet with the dates 1850-1860 and include the following historical events on the timeline:

• Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
• Henry Box Brown’s Escape (1849)
• “Ain’t I a Woman” Speech by Sojourner Truth (1851)
• Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
• Dred Scott v. Sanford Case (1857)

1. Have students line up in order according to the date their ad was posted and create a living timeline. Once all ads are in order, students can hang their ad onto the large sheet of paper. Instruct students to research at least two of the historic events listed near their ad on the timeline. Ask the students to consider how the historical event connects to the person they read about in their ad.

Online instruction

1. Share a Google Slide with students that includes a timeline from 1850 to 1860. Include the historical events listed above. Students can plug in information about their ad that corresponds with the year. Click here for an example of the virtual timeline in which students can add the answers to the questions provided about their ads. Instruct students to research at least two of the historic events listed on the timeline. Ask the students to consider how the historical event connects to the person they read about in their ad.

Part 3: Discuss as a Group

Allow students to do a gallery walk and read all the posts in the timeline. Ask them to consider the following questions, then open up the room for discussion.

• What are you noticing/learning about the system of slavery that you didn’t know before?
• Does the value of enslaved people change over the years?
• How do the ads help us understand more about the individual lives of enslaved people?

Extension Activities

Compose a Journal Entry

Students will write a diary or journal entry, from the perspective of the enslaved person in their ad, about the day they heard that an ad was posted about them. Remind the students to write from a first-person point of view. Also, encourage students to consider the details provided about the enslaved person. If they had any wounds or scars, that can be included within the narrative. Students may use the following questions to guide them in their writing.

1. What is your initial feeling upon hearing about an ad from the enslaver?
2. Does it cause you to hesitate or motivate you to keep pressing toward freedom?
3. Describe why it causes you to make the choice you make.

Research Historical Events

In small groups, have students research and discuss the different historical events on the timeline. Students can conduct additional research on the topic and create a short presentation for the class. The presentations should highlight the impact the event had on the enslaved people they learned about in their ads.

This lesson aligns to key concepts 4, 5, 6 and 10 of Teaching Tolerance’s Teaching Hard History Framework.

Background

Thorough English teachers are sometimes mistaken for history teachers. Indeed, our love of literature is often couched in historical fascination. To paraphrase many of our most beloved thinkers, the written word (whether imaginative or factual) is the documentation of eras. The “Telling Their Stories” lesson plan guides students through the era of enslavement through the lens of those who chose to flee as a form of resistance. Using the FOTM database of runaway ads, this lesson centers on the lives of the enslaved, and students are tasked with giving voice to the voiceless.

Tangible Objectives

• Students will write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.
• Students will draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.

Terms to Know

• Enslaved
• Enslaver
• Subscriber
• First-Person Perspective
• Inference
• Elements of Personal Narrative

Required Reading

• Freedom on the Move (database)
• Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (excerpts), by Harriet Jacobs

Supplemental Sources

• The Underground Railroad Records, by William Still (Narrative Collection)
• The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 (Primary Source)
• Harriet Jacobs’ Runaway Poster
• Harriet Jacobs | Slavery and the Making of America (Documentary)
• The Compromise of 1850 Explained
• “Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race” (Article)
• “Eric Foner on the Fugitive Slave Act” (Article)
• Effects of the Fugitive Slave Law (Lithograph With Description)
• How the Fugitive Slave Act Ignited a “Struggle for America's Soul” (Audio)

Instructional Handouts

• Terms to Know
• Personal Narrative Elements

In The Classroom

Review Terms to Know

Image Study

Students will examine Harriet Jacobs’ runaway poster. They are to jot down all descriptors (e.g., name, gender, age, complexion, personality traits, companions, skill(s), location). Students will also note what they find most striking or interesting.

Class Conversation/Group Analysis

Students will discuss their findings and are asked to make inferences based on the descriptors they have culled.

Media

• Harriet Jacobs | Slavery and the Making of America
• The Compromise of 1850 Explained

Formative Tasks

• Students are guided through the Freedom on the Move database using, amongst other materials, a runaway advertisement placed by President Thomas Jefferson for an enslaved man named Sandy
• Again, students will jot down all descriptors, note what they find most striking or interesting, and make inferences based on their findings
• Class Conversation/Group Analysis (Students will discuss their findings.)
• Individual Activity

1. Students will find three runaway advertisements
2. Students will jot down all descriptors
3. Students will write down any inferences they’ve made
4. Students will note what they find most striking or interesting

• Paired Activity

1. Students will gather in pairs to share their findings about the three people they found
2. In a whole class setting, each student will share information with their peer about one runaway they encountered

• Activity Extension
• Students create digital presentations for each of their three people
• Can also be done in pairs or small groups

Direct Instruction

Personal Narrative Elements

• Via an instructional handout, instructor will help students familiarize themselves with the elements of personal narrative.

Reading

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs

• Depending on any number of factors (time, technology, student comprehension levels), the reading can be flexible (e.g., teacher-led, independent, popcorn, small group, abridged text).
• For the purpose of this lesson, I’ve attached a link to a fairly substantive excerpt. (See Required Reading.)
• Due to time constraints, the excerpt may be broken into smaller pieces and assigned as independent reading.

Classroom Conversation / Group Analysis

While reading and afterwards, students will discuss Incidents through the lens of Personal Narrative Elements.

Writing Workshop

Personal Narrative Prompt

After selecting one person from the database, students will compose a Personal Narrative in the voice of their chosen person.

• Students are encouraged to capture a moment in time, not a lifetime.

Summative Assessment

Personal Narrative (Imagined)

Writing Extension

Informative Essay Prompt:

• What was the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and what were its effects?
• Students are directed to use the Supplemental Sources.
• Students MUST use three pieces of textual evidence from three different sources.

Supported Standards, Concepts & Objectives

Focus Standards (Georgia Standards of Excellence)

• ELAGSE11-12RI9: Analyze foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance
• ELAGSE11-12W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences
• ELAGSE11-12W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization and analysis of content
• ELAGSE11-12W9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.
• ELAGSE11-12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 11-12 topics, texts and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• ELAGSE11-12SL5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning and evidence and to add interest.

Key Concepts From Teaching Hard History Framework (Teaching Tolerance)

• (2) Slavery and the slave trade were central to the development and growth of the colonial economies and what is now the United States.
• (3) Protections for slavery were embedded in the founding documents; enslavers dominated the federal government, Supreme Court and Senate from 1787 through 1860.
• (5) Enslaved people resisted the efforts of their enslavers to reduce them to commodities in both revolutionary and everyday ways.
• (6) The experience of slavery varied depending on time, location, crop, labor performed, size of slaveholding and gender.
• (10) By knowing how to read and interpret the sources that tell the story of American slavery, we gain insight into some of what enslaving and enslaved Americans aspired to, created, thought and desired.

Summary Objectives (Teaching Tolerance)

• (11) Students will recognize that enslaved people resisted slavery in ways that ranged from violence to smaller, everyday means of asserting their humanity and opposing their enslavers.
• (13) Students will examine the expansion of slavery as a key factor in the domestic and foreign policy decisions of the United States in the 19th century.

This lesson aligns to key concepts 4, 5, 6 and 10 of Teaching Tolerance’s Teaching Hard History Framework.

Background

Danger of a Single Story Ted Talk

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks on the impact of stories on our perceptions of self, especially to students.

“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”
— J. Nozipo Maraire

It is said that history is written by the victors; however, who are the victors and why are they victorious? In discussing American slavery, to presume the enslaved to be the conquered and the enslavers to be victors is antithetical to anything that resembles humanity. In discussing the institution of slavery, freedom is attributed to the North winning the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. However, many enslaved individuals took very real risks and opposed draconian laws to secure their personal liberation and that of their loved ones.

Runaway ads offered rewards to return liberated enslaved individuals back into bondage. This process served to demonize their struggle for liberation. It also resulted in many free individuals being captured and enslaved.

Objectives / Student Goals

• Analyze components of runaway ads
• Identify propaganda in political imagery
• Re-envision runaway ads to reflect the bravery of the enslaved who liberated themselves
• Construct creative narratives from the perspective of formerly enslaved individuals

Resources

• Runaway ads
• Frederick Douglass. Letter to his old master
• VoxATL (Atlanta Teen Voices)
• For extension activity, Daniel Beaty, Knock Knock
• Newspaper template

Focus Question

In which ways does the fight for liberation reflect the ideals upon which America was founded? In which ways can reimagined liberation ads aid in a compassionate and progressive analysis of American slavery?

Essential Vocabulary

• Enslaved
• Enslavers
• Liberation
• Propaganda
• Rhetoric
• Pathos

Opening Activity (Annotation and Analysis)

Students will explore the Freedom on the Move database of runaway ads, looking for one that grabs their attention. Ask students to consider specific details that may help them connect to the humanity of the person on the ad. Suggestions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Bounty price (Why so much or so little?)
• Family (Did they leave family behind? Are they married?)
• Physical ailments/powers (Have they been injured? Are their strengths listed?)
• Skills (What talents are listed?)

Guided Instruction

Teacher will guide students as they use the “collaborate” function to annotate and answer specific questions about the ad. (This step aids in accuracy and identifying repeated ads. It also serves to help students recognize details to help them further analyze the life of the enslaved. Hopefully, it will also create a personal connection between the student and the person they are studying.)

Independent Practice

Students will rework chosen runaway ads into liberation ads to celebrate the bravery of the enslaved who insisted upon liberation. This task allows students to use details from the previous activity to shape understanding and promote compassion. Ideas might include these:

• Offering a reward for anyone who assists with liberation
• Advertising safe havens (abolitionists and Underground Railroad)
• Celebratory announcements from their new community

Collaborative Practice

Allow students to peer edit each other’s ads, providing positive feedback and suggestions. (Rubrics aren’t suggested, as students are allowed to use their creativity for this activity.)

Students will then use a newspaper template to organize their ads into a resistance newspaper.

Closing Activity

Class will explore resistance newspaper, with each student highlighting their respective ad.

Extension Activity

THE LION’S SIDE

Students will create a narrative of the formerly enslaved person using poetry, rap, visual art or short story.

Teacher will guide students to use all information derived from previous activities to tell the story of the newly liberated person. Suggestions include these:

• A short story on how they achieved liberation
• A rap about their new life
• An artistic representation of a reunited family
• A poem that celebrates the value of freedom

Teachers Note

Please remind students that perfection is not expected from this assignment. The definitive goal should be a personal exploration of slavery and an even more personal celebration of liberation.

This lesson aligns to key concepts 4, 5, 6 and 10 of Teaching Tolerance’s Teaching Hard History Framework.