Abolitionist)Literature)
)
Briefly(discuss(the(abolitionist(movement(and(how(literature(played(a(large(role(in(recruiting(supporters(for(this(
movement.(Introduce(the(backgrounds(and(historical(significance(for(William(Lloyd(Garrison,(Frederick(
Douglass,(and(Harriet(Beecher(Stowe.(Make(sure(you(include(the(following:(
(
! William(Lloyd(Garrison(–(considered(the(Father(of(the(Abolitionist(Movement,(supported(equal(rights(for(
all(including(blacks,(women,(animals,(etc.,(he(created(the(newspaper(called(“The(Liberator”,(and(sought(the(
end(of(slavery.(
(
! Frederick(Douglass(–(he(was(born(a(slave(and(later(gained(his(freedom,(he(became(a(strong(abolitionist(
speaker,(write(an(autobiography(that(illustrates(how(slaves(lived(
(
! Harriet(Beecher(Stowe(–(never(supported(slavery,(but(she(thought(it(would(die(out(on(its(own,(she(was(a(
writer(and(after(the(Fugitive(Slave(Act(she(felt(she(had(to(do(something(so(she(wrote(Uncle(Tom’s(Cabin,(
she(wrote(about(and(focused(on(religious(beliefs,(motherhood,(and(the(family(structure,(yet(she(was(never(
focusing(on(racial(equality.(
)
Jigsaw)Activity(
• Jigsaw(Activity((literature(based)(–(Students(are(split(into(6(groups.(Every(two(groups(will(have(the(same(
excerpt(to(become(an(expert(with(that(material.(After(the(allotted(time(students(will(move(to(the(next(
group(where(they(will(teach(the(new(group(about(their(specific(topic.(In(these(new(teaching(groups(there(
will(be(more(than(one(person(at(each(group(that(is(discussing(the(same(topic.(
! The(Liberator(–(Passionate(about(racial(equality(
! Uncle(Tom’s(Cabin((1852)(–(Centered(on(religion,(motherhood,(and(family((
! Narrative(of(the(Life(of(Frederick(Douglass((1845)(–(depicted(life(of(a(slave(
(
• When(they(first(get(in(the(teaching(groups(have(students(summarize(the(readings(they(have(learned(about.(
They(should(refer(to(the(questions(that(were(located(on(the(reading(excerpt(page.(
• The(graphic(organizer(is(to(be(completed(in(the(teaching(group.(The(design(of(the(graphic(organizer(is(to(
eliminate(students(from(copying(answers(to(the(questions(on(their(literature(excerpt.(So(while(the(
questions(ask(similar(questions(they(are(not(identical(and(therefore(require(students(to(discuss(the(topics(
in(order(for(them(to(complete(the(graphic(organizer.(
(
The Liberator ’ s “ Declaration of the National Anti - Slavery Convention”
William Lloyd Garrison
December 14, 1833
The$corner)stone$upon$which$they$founded$the$TEMPLE$OF$FREEDOM$was$broadly$this—”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.”$$
$
But$those,$for$whose$emancipation$we$are$striving,$—constituting$at$the$present$time$at$least$one)sixth$part$of$
our$countrymen,—are$recognised$by$the$laws,$and$treated$by$their$fellow$beings,$as$marketable$commodities—
as$goods$and$chattels—as$brute$beasts;$—are$plundered$daily$of$the$fruits$of$their$toil$without$redress;$—really$
enjoy$no$constitutional$nor$legal$protection$from$licentious$and$murderous$outrages$upon$their$persons;$—are$
ruthlessly$torn$asunder)the$tender$babe$from$the$arms$of$its$frantic$mother—the$heart)broken$wife$from$her$
weeping$husband—at$the$caprice$or$pleasure$of$irresponsible$tyrants;$—and,$for$the$crime$of$having$a$dark$
complexion,$suffer$the$pangs$of$hunger,$the$infliction$of$stripes,$and$the$ignominy$of$brutal$servitude.$They$are$
kept$in$heathenish$darkness$by$laws$expressly$enacted$to$make$their$instruction$a$criminal$offence.$
$
We$further$maintain))That$the$slaves$ought$instantly$to$be$set$free,$and$brought$under$the$protection$of$law.!
Because$SLAVERY$IS$A$CRIME,$AND$THEREFORE$IT$IS$NOT$AN$ARTICLE$TO$BE$SOLD.$
$
We$shall$organize$Anti)Slavery$Societies,$if$possible,$in$every$city,$town$and$village$of$our$land.$
We$shall$circulate,$unsparingly$and$extensively,$anti)slavery$tracts$and$periodicals.$
We$shall$enlist$the$PULPIT$and$the$PRESS$in$the$cause$of$the$suffering$and$the$dumb.$
We$shall$aim$at$a$purification$of$the$churches$from$all$participation$in$the$guilt$of$slavery.$
We$shall$encourage$the$labor$of$freemen$over$that$of$the$slaves,$by$giving$a$preference$to$their$productions;$—$
$
Submitting$this$DECLARATION$to$the$candid$examination$of$the$people$of$this$country,$and$of$the$friends$of$
liberty$all$over$the$world,$we$hereby$affix$our$signatures$to$it;—pledging$ourselves$that,$under$the$guidance$and$
by$the$help$of$Almighty$God,$we$will$do$all$that$in$us$lies,$consistently$with$this$Declaration$of$our$principles,$to$
overthrow$the$most$execrable$system$of$slavery$that$has$ever$been$witnessed$upon$earth—to$deliver$our$land$
from$its$deadliest$curse—to$wipe$out$the$foulest$stain$which$rests$upon$our$national$escutcheon—and$to$secure$
to$the$colored$population$of$the$United$States$all$the$rights$and$privileges$which$belong$to$them$as$men$and$as$
Americans—come$what$may$to$our$persons,$our$interests,$or$our$reputations—whether$we$live$to$witness$the$
triumph$of$JUSTICE,$LIBERTY$and$HUMANITY,$or$perish$untimely$as$martyrs$in$this$great,$benevolent$and$holy$
cause.$
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1.$Summarize$this$exc erpt.$
erpt.
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2.$What$is$the$author$trying$to$accomplish$with$this$text?$
2.$What$is$the$author$trying$to$accomplish$with$this$text?
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3.$How$would$this$excerpt$affect$the$public$opinion$regarding$slavery?
Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)!
!
1.!Mrs.!Shelby!is!a!kind,!Christian!mistress!who!takes!her!responsibilities!toward!her!slaves!and!their!
souls!very!seriously.!When!her!husband!sells!Tom!and!Harry,!she!is!sickened!by!the!injustice!of!tearing!
families!apart!and!by!their!own!broken!promises!to!these!faithful!slaves.!B!(Chapter!5,!pg.!30)!
!
“This&is&God’s&curse&on&slavery!—a&bitter,&bitter,&most&accursed&thing!—a&curse&to&the&master&and&a&curse&to&the&
slave!&I&was&a&fool&to&think&I&could&make&anything&good&out&of&such&a&deadly&evil.&It&is&a&sin&to&hold&a&slave&under&lows&
like&ours,@@I&always&felt&it&was,@@I&always&thought&so&when&I&was&a&girl,@@I&thought&so&still&more&after&I&joined&the&
church;&but&I&thought&I&could&gild&it&over,@@I&thought,&by&kindness,&and&care,&and&instruction,&I&could&make&the&
condition&of&mine&better&than&freedom,@@fool&that&I&was!”&“Why,&wife,&you&are&getting&to&be&an&abolitionist&quit.”&
“Abolitionist!&If&the&knew&all&I&know&about&slavery&they&might&talk!&We&don’t&need&them&to&tell&us;&you&know&I&never&
thought&that&slavery&was&right,@@never&felt&willing&to&own&slaves.”&“Well,&therein&you&differ&from&many&wise&and&pious&
men,”&said&Mr.&Shelby.&“You&remember&Mr.&B’s&sermon,&the&other&Sunday?”&“I&don’t&want&to&hear&such&sermons;&I&
never&wish&to&hear&Mr.&B.&in&our&church&again.&Ministers&can’t&help&the&evil,&perhaps,@@can’t&cure&it,&any&more&than&we&
can,@@but&defent&it!—it&always&went&against&my&common&sense.&And&I&think&you&didn’t&think&much&of&that&sermon,&
either.”$
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2.!The!author’s!concluding!remarks.!B!(Chapter!45,!pg.!374)$
$
"The&writer&has&given&only&a&faint&shadow,&a&dim&picture,&of&the&anguish&and&despair&that&are,&at&this&very&moment,&
riving&thousands&of&hearts,&shattering&thousands&of&families,&and&driving&a&helpless&and&sensitive&race&to&frenzy&and&
despair.&There&are&those&living&who&know&the&mothers&whom&this&accursed&traffic&has&driven&to&the&murder&of&their&
children;&and&themselves&seeking&in&death&a&shelter&from&woes&more&dreaded&than&death.&Nothing&of&tragedy&can&be&
written,&can&be&spoken,&can&be&conceived,&that&equals&the&frightful&reality&of&scenes&daily&and&hourly&acting&on&our&
shores,&beneath&the&shadow&of&American&law,&and&the&shadow&of&the&cross&of&Christ.&And&no,&mn&and&women&of&
America,&is&this&a&think&to&be&trifled&with,&apologized&for,&and&passed&over&in&silence?”&
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1.$Summarize$this$excerpt.$
1.$Summarize$this$excerpt.
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2.$What$is$the$author$ trying$to$accomplish$with$this$text?$
trying$to$accomplish$with$this$text?
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3.$How$would$this$excerpt$affect$the$public$opinion$regarding$slavery?
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (1845)$
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1.!Defining!abolition!B!(Chapter!7,!pg.!54)$
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Every$little$while,$I$could$hear$something$about$the$abolitionists.$It$was$some$time$before$I$found$what$the$word$
meant.$It$was$always$used$in$such$connections$as$to$make$it$an$interesting$word$to$me.$If$a$slave$ran$away$and$
succeeded$in$getting$clear,$or$if$a$slave$killed$his$master,$set$fire$to$a$barn,$or$did$any$thing$very$wrong$in$the$
mind$of$a$slaveholder,$it$was$spoken$of$as$the$fruit$of$~abolition.~$Hearing$the$word$in$this$connection$very$
often,$I$set$about$learning$what$it$meant.$The$dictionary$afforded$me$little$or$no$help.$I$found$it$was$"the$act$of$
abolishing;"$but$then$I$did$not$know$what$was$to$be$abolished.$Here$I$was$perplexed.$I$did$not$dare$to$ask$any$
one$about$its$meaning,$for$I$was$satisfied$that$it$was$something$they$wanted$me$to$know$very$little$about.$After$a$
patient$waiting,$I$got$one$of$our$city$papers,$containing$an$account$of$the$number$of$petitions$from$the$north,$
praying$for$the$abolition$of$slavery$in$the$District$of$Columbia,$and$of$the$slave$trade$between$the$States.$From$
this$time$I$understood$the$words$~abolition~$and$~abolitionist,~$and$always$drew$near$when$that$word$was$
spoken,$expecting$to$hear$something$of$importance$to$myself$and$fellow)slaves.$The$light$broke$in$upon$me$by$
degrees.$I$went$one$day$down$on$the$wharf$of$Mr.$Waters;$and$seeing$two$Irishmen$unloading$a$scow$of$stone,$I$
went,$unasked,$and$helped$them.$When$we$had$finished,$one$of$them$came$to$me$and$asked$me$if$I$were$a$slave.$I$
told$him$I$was.$He$asked,$"Are$ye$a$slave$for$life?"$I$told$him$that$I$was.$The$good$Irishman$seemed$to$be$deeply$
affected$by$the$statement.$He$said$to$the$other$that$it$was$a$pity$so$fine$a$little$fellow$as$myself$should$be$a$slave$
for$life.$He$said$it$was$a$shame$to$hold$me.$They$both$advised$me$to$run$away$to$the$north;$that$I$should$find$
friends$there,$and$that$I$should$be$free.$I$pretended$not$to$be$interested$in$what$they$said,$and$treated$them$as$if$
I$did$not$understand$them;$for$I$feared$they$might$be$treacherous.$White$men$have$been$known$to$encourage$
slaves$to$escape,$and$then,$to$get$the$reward,$catch$them$and$return$them$to$their$masters.$I$was$afraid$that$
these$seemingly$good$men$might$use$me$so;$but$I$nevertheless$remembered$their$advice,$and$from$that$time$I$
resolved$to$run$away.$$
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1.$Summarize$this$excerpt.$
1.$Summarize$this$excerpt.
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2.$What$is$the$author$trying$to$ac complish$with$this$text?$
complish$with$this$text?
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3.$How$would$this$excerpt$affect$the$public$opinion$regarding$slavery?$
3.$How$would$this$excerpt$affect$the$public$opinion$regarding$slavery?
&
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&
&
Harriet&
Beecher&
Stowe:&
Uncle&Tom’s&
Cabin&
Frederick&
Douglass:&
Narrative&of&
the&Life&of&
Frederick&
Douglass&
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&
William&Lloyd&
&
Garrison:&
The&Liberator&
What&public&audience&
would&be&most&empathetic&
to&the&content&presented&in&
this&literature?&
What&arguments&were&given&to&
persuade&the&readers&that&
slavery&was&wrong?&
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How&would&a&southerner&
react&to&this&literature?&
NAME:&_________________________________________________________________________________________________________& &&&&&PERIOD:&______________&
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How&would&a&northerner&
react&to&this&literature?&