GLORY
Glory Homework Questions
1. Explain how the style of fighting in the Civil War was different/similar than that of the
American Revolution.
2. Who was winning the war in the first 2 years?
3. Who won the Battle of Antietam?
4. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in which states? Why not all of them?
5. Why does Shaw seem distant and on edge at his family home?
6. What was Frederick Douglas’ role during the Civil War?
7. Why would a regiment of black soldiers be a good thing for the North?
8. Why does Shaw hesitate when accepting the leadership of the black regiment?
9. List 3 ways in which the 54th soldiers were discriminated against.
10. Why does Shaw train the men so hard?
11. Why does Shaw think the black soldiers are so easily relaxed after training so hard?
12. What will happen to a black soldier if captured in uniform?
13. What will happen to a white soldier commanding a black regiment?
14. How many shots can a good man fire in one minute?
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15. Why do you think Shaw is so hard on the men?
16. What punishment does Trip receive for deserting? Why doe this seem particularly harsh?
17. What 2 things does Shaw do, that finally allows him to earn the respect of his men?
18. What two events in the movie, come from the real story of James Trotter?
19. Which character in the movie is based on Trotter?
20. If you were a free black in the North, what would watching the 54th march before you,
represent or mean to you? Explain.
21. Why does Rollins say (when receiving his stripes) “I’m not sure I want this”, and Shaw
says “I know exactly what you mean.”?
22. Why does Col. Montgomery order the men to burn the town?
23. Why does Shaw obey Col. Montgomery’s immoral order?
24. What does Shaw do to get his men the opportunity to fight?
25. How does the 54th do in the first action at James Island?
26. Who is the hero of this battle?
27. Which soldier becomes wounded at the battle?
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28. Why do you think it is so important to Thomas that he is not sent back?
29. Why does Trip not want to carry the regiment’s colors?
30. Why does Trip think that the Black soldiers can’t win? What will happen to them after the
war?
31. What does Trip suggest the men can do to “get clean”?
32. Why do you think Shaw volunteers the 54th for this deadly mission?
33. The night before the battle, why do you think the men are singing to God?
34. What is the significance of the 54th walking before the white regiment? What does this
signify?
35. Why do you think Shaw gets off his horse and decides to lead the regiment in battle?
36. If the man carrying the colors should fall, who will pick up the flag and carry on?
37. Which of the main characters survive the final battle?
38. What is the significance of the final seen, what do you think it symbolizes about those two
characters?
39. Who are the heroes of this movie?
40. Who changes from weak to strong by the end of the movie?
41. Why do you think the producers of the movie named it “Glory”?
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Glory
Tri-Star Pictures, 1989; directed by Edward Zwick
Major Character
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
John Rawlins
Trip
Cabot Forbes
Thomas Searles
Shirts
Seargent Mulcahy
Actor/Actress
Matthew Broderick
Morgan Freeman
Denzel Washington
Cary Elwes
André Braugher
Jihmi Kennedy
John Finn
What to Watch For
Glory tells the little-known story of the
formation of one of the first all-African-American
regiments during the Civil War and its heroic
assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. The 54th
Massachusetts Regiment was formed in Boston at
the urging of abolitionists and the prominent
African-American leader Frederick Douglass,
who is briefly portrayed in the film. Douglass felt
it was important that African Americans take part
in a war that, especially after the Emancipation
Proclamation, was being fought to gain their
freedom. It was also hoped that African-American
regiments would dispel the stereotype of African
Americans as lazy, shiftless, and cowardly. Watch
for examples of this stereotyping in the film. The
gallant assault on Fort Wagner proved the courage
and discipline of the African-American regiments,
and by the end of the war, African-American
soldiers made up twelve percent of the total Union
forces.
This film does present an accurate picture of the
Civil War era, particularly the method of fighting.
Note how close the battle lines are with a massing
of the soldiers shoulder to shoulder. This is what
accounts for the terrible casualty rate of the Civil
War, one of the highest tin history. The willing
sacrifice of the 54th at Fort Wagner created new
levels of respect for the abilities and courage of
African-American soldiers throughout the Union
Army. The 54th’s “glory” also raises disturbing
questions about the nature of war itself, about the
Fort Wagner tactics, and about the pointlessness
of such sacrifices as a means of gaining respect.
Fort Wagner remained in Confederate hands until
the end of the war, and after the brief
Reconstruction period, African-American soldiers
were reduced to menial tasks and garrison duty
except on the American frontier, where they
performed heroically in the Indian wars.
Glory has stimulated interest in the role played
by the black regiments in the Civil War, a
previously forgotten chapter in African-American
history. “reenactors,” Civil War buffs who
recreate the battles and camp life of the 1860s,
now include more African-American members
among their ranks than before the release of this
film.
Despite the impression given by the movie,
most of the 54th Regiment were Northern African
Americans who had been free all their lives. Some
Northern African Americans were well educated,
like the character Thomas Searles. It is true,
however, that most of the soldiers in the 166
African-American regiments who fought in the
Civil War had been slaves up until a few months
before their enlistment.
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Synopsis
GLORY recounts the bravery of a group of Civil War
soldiers often overlooked by history--the 54th Regiment of
Massachusetts, a troop of free black men who fought to help
win liberty for their enslaved brothers. Based on the historical
novels ONE GALLANT RUSH by Peter Burchand and LAY
THIS LAUREL by Lincoln Kirstein and the letters of Robert
Gould Shaw, the film follows the youthful Colonel Shaw
(Matthew Broderick) as he takes responsibility for readying
these soldiers for battle. Shaw, a privileged young Boston
Brahman, finds the job harder than expected because many of
the men balk at taking orders from him. Private Trip (Denzel
Washington) is especially resistant to Shaw's leadership, but
over time the two come to an understanding as they endure
the hardships of the war. On July 18, 1863, Shaw volunteers
the 54th for the honor of leading the charge against Ft.
Wagner, a mission that means almost certain death, with Trip
carrying the regiment's colors into battle. This gritty and realistic vision of the horrors of war is a
moving and critical examination of a lost piece of history. Beautifully shot and triumphantly acted
(by a cast that also includes Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Andre Braugher), director Edward
Zwick's film serves as a tribute to the courage and selfless bravery of the black soldiers of the Civil
War.
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8
Vocabulary
abolitionist
bayonet
Confederate
contraband
Emancipation Proclamation
Union
Questions Based on the Film
1. Describe how the method of fighting during the Civil War contributed to the high
casualty rate.
2. According to Shaw, how are the black troops different from the white troops in their use
of leisure time and in their attitude?
3. What is the purpose of the proclamation that Shaw reads from the Confederate Congress?
4. Why is flogging so particularly humiliating to Trip?
5. How does the white officer of the contraband troops think secession can be cured?
6. How does the attitude of the white combat troops change towards the 54th?
7. Why do you think the filmmakers chose to call their movie “Glory”?
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election, South Carolina made good its threat and
seceded. Ten other states quickly joined South
Carolina. These states believed in states’ rights.
They argued that each state had the right to secede
from the Union. They formed a new country called
the Confederate States of America.
Why did the North and South go to
war? What part did slavery play in the
conflict?
1. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln ran
for president. He was not wellknown, but most people in the
North and the West liked his
views. He did not want slavery
to spread into the territories. He
also said the Supreme Court’s
Dred Scott decision was wrong.
In the election, Lincoln won in all
the free states. The nation had a new
president.
5. Lincoln became president in March 1861. He
urged the South to avoid war. But the next month,
Confederate soldiers attacked a federal fort called
Fort Sumter. It was in the harbor of Charleston,
South Carolina. North and South were not at war.
The purpose of the war, Lincoln said, was not to free
the slaves. It was to save the Union.
6. In the North, thousands of men signed up for
military service. Free Blacks were also eager to
fight, but the government did not allow them to
enlist. Many leaders did not believe Blacks would
make good soldiers. They also feared that White
soldiers would refuse to serve with Blacks. In
addition, four slave states—Delaware, Maryland,
Kentucky, and Missouri—had remained loyal to the
Union. The president believed that if he agreed to
have Black troops, then these states might join the
Confederates.
2. Southerners were alarmed by Lincoln’s
victory. Many feared that he would free the slaves.
Others were afraid the slaves would rebel. For years,
Lincoln had opposed slavery. He believed Blacks
had as much right to freedom as anyone else, and
every person was entitled to the fruits of his or her
labor. No human being should have the right to own
another human being.
3. Yet Lincoln did not agree with the
abolitionists. He felt that they stirred up trouble
without solving any problems. Let slavery remain
legal in the South, Lincoln said, but outlaw it
everywhere else. Then, in time, it will die out.
Lincoln assured southerners that he was not their
enemy, but he also made it clear that he did not like
slavery.
7. The Confederates also did not want Blacks in
their army. The South needed slaves to grow food,
make weapons, and build ships. Slaves also helped
build forts and move military supplies. Without
slave labor, the South could not fight the war.
8. As the Civil War went on, slaves became
hard to control. Many refused to work. As Union
troops advanced, more slaves ran away. Thousands
escaped to Union lines.
4. Throughout
the
election
campaign,
southerners threatened to secede if Lincoln won. To
secede means to withdraw from the rest of the
nation. In December 1860, a month after Lincoln’s
12
Understanding What You Have Read
A. Write the name of the person, place, or thing next to the statement that correctly describes each one. Not all
choices will be used.
George Washington
South Carolina
Charleston Harbor
free Blacks
the Union
Abraham Lincoln
____________________ 1. Person who became president in 1861
____________________ 2. First state to secede
____________________ 3. An attack here began the Civil War.
____________________ 4. They were not allowed to fight the South.
____________________ 5. What Lincoln wanted to save
B. In each of the sentences that follow, the underlined word or words make the sentence true or false. If the
sentence is true, write T in the blank before it. If it is false, write the word or words that make the sentence
true.
____________________ 1. Lincoln disagreed with the Dred Scott decision
____________________ 2. Lincoln said he did not wish to end slavery in the south.
____________________ 3. A total of six states seceded from the Union.
____________________ 4. Many slaves escaped to Union armies.
____________________ 5. Slaves helped the South during the war.
13
Spotlight on People
Mary Peake. Mary
Peake always wanted
to help others. She felt
that she was luckier
than most Blacks.
Peake and her family
were free. She was
born in Virginia. As a
girl, she had learned
to read and write.
When Peake was 23
years old, she and her
mother moved to
Norfolk, Virginia. Peake joined the First Baptist
Church there. She spent much of her time helping
poor Black families of the city.
A few years later, Peake settled in Hampton,
Virginia. She started a group called the Daughters of
Zion. Throuh this group, Peake helped Blacks who
were ill and poor. Peake knew how important it was
to be able to read and write. So she taught Black
children and adults in her home.
Early in the Civil War the town of Hampton was
burned to the ground. Peake moved into a nearby
cabin. There she opened a school for slaves who
escaped during the war. People in the North sent
money to support her school. Schools like Mary
Peake’s gave many Blacks an education for the first
time.
Peake had a disease called tuberculosis. In the
1800s, there was no cure for this disease. Peake went
on teaching and helping her people as long as she
could. She died sometime during the Civil War—no
one knows just when. But hundreds of people
remembered what she had done. Mary Peake helped
many former slaves get ready for a life of freedom.
Recalling the Facts
Choose each correct answer and write the letter in the space provided.
_____ 1. Mary Peake felt lucky because she
a. lived in the South.
b. had no problems.
c. was free.
_____ 2. Peake was born in
a. Virginia.
b. Texas.
c. Maryland.
_____ 3. Unlike most Blacks, Mary Peake
a. learned to read and write.
b. was a slave.
c. came from Africa.
_____ 4. Peake started a group to
a. fight the Confederates.
b. help the poor.
c. help Union soldiers.
_____ 5. Peake gave reading classes
a. in her home.
b. under a tree.
c. in a barn.
_____ 6. Mary Peake died from
a. a train accident.
b. a Civil War battle.
c. tuberculosis.
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Using Primary Sources
Boston Blackwell was born a slave in Arkansas. When he was 11 years old, Blackwell ran away
to join the Union Army. Here he tells about that experience.
I’ll tell you how I ran away and joined the Yankees. You know Abraham
Lincoln declared freedom in ’63. It was the first day of January. In October
’63 I ran away. I went to Pine Bluff to get to the Yankees.
I was on a plantation. They were building a house. I wanted to feel some
putty in my hands. One morning I climbed a ladder to get a little piece. The
overseer man, he saw me. He says he’s going to whip me ‘cause I’m a thief.
When he’s gone to eat breakfast, I runs to my cabin. I tells my sister, “I’m
leaving this place for good.” She cries. “The overseer man, he’ll kill you.” I
says, “He’ll kill me anyhow.”
I hid in a dark woods. It was cold, frosty weather. Two days and two nights
I traveled. When I got to the Yankee camp, all my troubles were over. We got
all the food we could eat. There were hundreds of runaways there. The
Yankees fed all of them.
They made me a driver of a team [of horses]. I was careful to do everything
they told me. They told me I was free. If you could get to the Yankees’ camp,
you were free right now.
1. Why did Boston Blackwell run away?
2. How did Blackwell explain his decision to his sister?
3. What happened to Boston Blackwell when he got to the Union camp?
4. What name did Boston Blackwell give to the Union army?
Chapter Review: Critical Thinking
Slavery divided the North and South. It led them into a civil war. At first, Blacks were kept out
of the war. But in time, the Union had to change its goals.
1. Do you believe the southern states had a right to secede from the Union? Why or why not?
2. If you had been a free Black in the North in 1860, explain why you would or would not have
voted for Abraham Lincoln.
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How did Blacks become Union soldiers? What role did Blacks play in the Civil War?
1. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, few
people thought it would last long. Each side
believed it would win in three months. But the war
dragged on. After a year, Americans knew it would
be a long fight.
Union forces. Most of them came from the slave and
border states.
5. Within a few months, Black soldiers were in
the thick of combat. In May 1863, five Black
regiments attacked Confederate forces at Port
Hudson in Louisiana. Although the Confederates
won, everyone was impressed by the bravery of the
Black soldiers. “No body of troops has fought better
in the war,” said a northern newspaper. Ten days
later, 2,000 southern troops attacked a Union fort at
Milliken’s Bend in Mississippi. More than 800
Blacks and 160 Whites defended the fort. In fierce
hand-to-hand combat, the Union soldiers held the
fort.
2. The Union called for more soldiers.
Thousands of men were being killed or wounded.
Many were running away. Many people in the north
were growing tired of war. Fewer men offered to
sign up. Union leaders began to think seriously
about accepting Blacks in the armed forces.
3. Down in Virginia in
1861, the Union general,
Benjamin Butler, welcomed
runway slaves, who had
been building Confederate
defense works. Slave
owners said that Blacks
were property. Very well,
Butler thought. According
to the rules of war, an army
has a right to capture enemy
“property.” Butler put the
runaways to work helping the Union army. The
following year, in New Orleans, Butler invited
1,400 free Blacks to join his army. Soon other
Union officers began to accept Blacks. The navy,
too, began to use escaped slaves aboard warships.
6. During the rest of the
Civil War, Blacks fought on
every front. Blacks also served
behind the lines. Harriet
Tubman was among the
Blacks who were valuable
spies and scouts for the Union.
The secretary of war wrote
President Lincoln that Blacks
“have proved themselves
among the bravest of the
brave.”
7. Black soldiers faced many special dangers.
When captured by the Confederates, they were often
treated worse than White soldiers. Some southern
officers killed Black soldiers instead of taking them
prisoners of war. And in the union army they faced
discrimination. Yet, when the Civil War ended in
1865, Blacks could proudly say that they had not
simply sat by and waited to be freed. They had
fought and shed their own blood for the freedom
that had been denied them for more than two
hundred years.
4. Lincoln, however, moved slowly. Not until
January 1863 did he issue the Emancipation
Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the states of the
Confederacy. Lincoln finally agreed that Blacks
could serve in the military. Thousands of Blacks
quickly enlisted. Frederick Douglass and other
Black leaders urged Blacks to sign up as volunteers.
Altogether, more than 186,000 Blacks joined the
16
Understanding What You Have Read
A. Write the name of the person, place, or thing next to the statement that correctly describes each one. Not all
choices will be used.
Milliken’s Bend
Frederick Douglass
Benjamin Butler
Jefferson Davis
Port Hudson
Washington, D.C.
____________________ 1. The Union general who began using runaway slaves
____________________ 2. The leader who helped sign up Blacks for the Union army
____________________ 3. Black troops attacked here but failed
____________________ 4. Blacks fought off southern troops here
B. In each of the sentences that follow, the underlined word or words make the sentence true or false. If the
sentence is true, write T in the blank before it. If it is false, write the word or words that make the sentence
true.
____________________ 1. At first, people thought the Civil War would be short.
____________________ 2. General Butler asked 1,400 Confederates to join his army.
____________________ 3. In 1863, President Lincoln agreed that Blacks could serve in
the armed forces.
____________________ 4. By the time the Civil war was over, about 18,000 Blacks had
joined the Union forces.
____________________ 5. When captured, Black soldiers were sometimes killed.
____________________ 6. Some Blacks served as spies for the North.
17
Spotlight on People
James M. Trotter. James Trotter
was born in Mississippi. His
mother was a slave. His father
was White. When the boy was
11, his father set him and his
mother free. They went to
live in Cincinatti, Ohio.
Ohio was a free state, and
Trotter could go to school
there. He became a school
teacher.
When the Civil War broke out, James Trotter was
eager to fight slavery. He joined the Union army as
soon as he could. Trotter was part of the 55th
Massachusetts Regiment. All the soldiers were
Black. Most of the officers were White. Four Blacks
in the regiment became officers. James Trotter was
one of them. He was made a lieutenant.
The government had promised equal pay for Black
and White soldiers. White soldiers were paid $13 a
month. But Blacks only got $10, the same amount
paid to laborers who worked for the army. Trotter
advised his men not to take the money. He said they
should wait until Blacks and Whites got the same
pay.
His men agreed. They fought for more than a year
without taking any money. The state of
Massachusetts offered to give the soldiers extra
money. But Trotter said that the money did not
matter. What mattered was equality for Blacks.
Again, his men agreed. Finally, the government gave
in. It paid Black and White soldiers equally. James
Trotter and his men had won an important victory.
After the war, Trotter worked for the post office in
Boston. Trotter married and had a son who became a
well-known civil rights leader. Trotter also wrote a
book about Black music. He lived until 1892.
Recalling the Facts
Choose each correct answer and write the letter in the space provided.
_____ 1. James Trotter was born in
a. Ohio.
b. Massachusetts.
c. Mississippi.
_____ 2. He and his mother went to live in
a. Boston.
b. Chicago.
c. Cincinatti.
_____ 3. Trotter became a
a. dentist.
b. bus driver.
c. schoolteacher.
_____ 4. In the army, Trotter, was named a
a. general.
b. lieutenant.
c. post master.
_____ 5. Trotter told his men not to take pay
that was
a. more than White soldiers’ pay.
b. less than White soldiers’ pay.
c. the same as White soldiers’
pay.
_____ 6. After the war, Trotter worked for
a. the post office.
b. a newspaper.
c. the army.
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Using Primary Sources
Joseph Howard was a Black soldier who fought for the Union. During the war, he was captured
by the Confederates. Here he tells what happened to him after he was taken prisoner.
I was taken prisoner at Alabama on September 20, 1864. We were
marched to Mobile, Alabama. It took ’12 days to get there. The rebels robbed
us. They took everything we had that they could use. They searched our
pockets. They even cut the buttons off our clothes.
At Mobile, we were put to work. We had to build a fort. We were treated
badly. If we slowed down, we were whipped. They said we knew what we
were supposed to do. They said we were just pretending to be ignorant.
We got very little to eat. Our food was corn meal and mule meat. Some
times we got a little poor beef.
On the seventh of December, I stole a rowboat. I went down the mobile
River. I was taken on board a Union gunboat. I was taken to Fort Morgan. The
commanding officer sent me to New Orleans.
1. Why was Joseph Howard captured?
2. Who took him prisoner?
3. How were Black prisoners treated?
4. Why did the Confederates say that Black soldiers knew what they were supposed to do?
Chapter Review: Critical Thinking
The Union tried to fight the Civil War without Blacks. But it had to change its plan. Blacks
played a big part in the war.
1. Why do you think Blacks wanted to fight for the Union?
2. What made the Union take Black soldiers?
3. Do you think the union could have won the war without Blacks? Why or why not?
19
800,000 slaves in the border states and a few other
areas.
How did the Civil War change life for
Blacks? Why did these changes come
about?
6. Later in 1863, Lincoln visited a battlefield at
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where a cemetery was to
be dedicated. Thousands of soldiers had died there
only a few months earlier. The president gave a short
speech that has become known as the Gettysburg
Address. It is one of the great speeches in American
history. In it he said that those who died at
Gettysburg did not finish their job. He said that the
living must finish it for them. Our “great task,”
Lincoln said, is to bring about “a new birth of
freedom.” Lincoln meant that the Civil War was now
being fought to free the slaves.
1. As you have read, President Lincoln at first
believed that the only goal of the war was to preserve
the Union. Many people in the North urged Lincoln
to free all the slaves. In July 1861, three political
leaders asked the president to emancipate, or free, the
slaves. Lincoln listened sympathetically but refused.
2. Congress took matters into its own hands. In
1861, it passed a law requiring all slaves taken by
Union troops to be set free. The next year, Congress
stopped Union officers from returning fugitive slaves
to their masters. Another law freed slaves in the
territories. Then Congress freed all slaves in those
areas that were in rebellion against the Union and
were held by Union troops.
3. Lincoln drew up his own plan in March 1862.
He wanted to free the slaves slowly, over many
years. Under his plan, masters would be paid for their
slaves. Then former slaves and free Blacks would be
resettled outside the United States. Congress agreed
with Lincoln’s plan. It gave him $600,000 to carry it
out.
4. Lincoln’s plan angered both Blacks and
abolitionists. Why should masters be paid for
something they had no right to own? they asked.
Lincoln met with several leading Blacks and urged
them to support his plan. Why should we give up our
homes, our property, and our birthplace? they asked.
Don’t send us away, they said. Instead, get rid of the
slave owners.
7. Lincoln knew that the Emancipation
Proclamation left much to be done. In 1864, he ran
for president again. He supported an amendment to
the Constitution. The Thirteenth Amendment, passed
in January 1865, outlawed slavery. It said, “Neither
slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within
the United States.”
8. On April 9, 1865, the Civil War ended. Five
days later, Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed. The
nation was to face great challenges in the coming
years. Other leaders would have to help Blacks and
Whites live together.
5. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the
Emancipation Proclamation. It emancipated, or
freed, slaves held by the rebels. Opponents of slavery
celebrated.
But
Lincoln’s
Emancipation
Proclamation went only part of the way. It still left
20
Understanding What You Have Read
C. Write the name of the person, place, or thing next to the statement that correctly describes each one. Not all
choices will be used.
Gettysburg
Abraham Lincoln
Harriet Tubman
Emancipation Proclamation Thirteenth Amendment
Congress
____________________ 1. It gave President Lincoln money to resettle Blacks.
____________________ 2. Where President Lincoln gave an important speech
____________________ 3. Person who drew up a plan to pay slave owners for their salves
____________________ 4. It outlawed slavery in the United States.
____________________ 5. An order by the president that freed the slaves in the
Confederate states.
D. In each of the sentences that follow, the underlined word or words make the sentence true or false. If the
sentence is true, write T in the blank before it. If it is false, write the word or words that make the sentence
true.
____________________ 1. In 1862, Congress freed slaves in the territories.
____________________ 2. Lincoln’s original plan for Blacks pleased both Blacks
and abolitionists.
____________________ 3. Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg showed that he had changed
his mind about the goal of the war.
____________________ 4. The Emancipation Proclamation did not wipe out slavery
in the states on the side of the Union.
____________________ 5. Congress voted against the Thirteenth Amendment.
21
Spotlight on People
John S. Rock. In the 1800s, it
was very hard for blacks to get an
education. But John S. Rock, who
went to school in New Jersey,
became not only a dentist but
also a doctor and a lawyer.
John Rock’s biggest interest
was his people. Soon he was
spending most of his time working for Black rights.
He helped Black children get the right to go to White
schools in Boston. He gave many speeches. He told
Blacks to feel proud of themselves. He said that
Black people are beautiful.
When the Civil War began in 1861, Rock disagreed
with the government. He believed the North’s goal
of fighting to save the Union was wrong. Instead it
should fight to free the slaves, he said. Does the
government say it cannot take property away from
slave owners? No person has the right to own
another, Rock said. Slaves have the right to their
liberty.
Rock thought the idea of sending the slaves to
Africa was ridiculous. It meant that if slave owners
could not get their slaves’ labor for nothing, they
would send them away. Blacks are like an orange,
Rock said. After it is used up, it is thrown away.
Blacks are fine while they are slaves. But if we are
free, get rid of us! What an idea—a country good for
slavery but not for freedom.
When President Lincoln did free the slaves in 1863,
Rock praised him. He also worked to sign up Black
soldiers.
After the war, Rock went on helping his people. In
1865, he won the right to argue cases before the
Supreme Court. He was the first Black to do so. Rock
died of tuberculosis in 1866. He was only 41 years
old. But during his short life, he did much for
American Blacks.
Recalling the Facts
Choose each correct answer and write the letter in the space provided.
_____ 1. John Rock went to school in
a. North Carolina.
b. New Jersey.
c. Texas.
_____ 2. Rock became a
a. doctor, dentist, and lawyer.
b. dentist, doctor, and dancer.
c. lawyer, teacher, and writer.
_____ 3. Rock was most interested in
a. law.
b. medicine.
c. Black rights.
_____ 4. Rock believed the North should
fight
a. to free the slaves.
b. only to save the Union.
c. England.
_____ 5. During the Civil War, Rock
a. joined the army.
b. lived in France.
c. signed up Black soldiers.
_____ 6. Rock won the right to argue cases
a. in the South.
b. in Africa.
c. before the Supreme Court.
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Using Primary Sources
The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves. There were slaves in Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland.
But these states sided with the Union. They were not in rebellion. So slavery was still legal there. Certain parts of
Louisiana had stopped fighting. Slavery could go on there, too. Here is an easy-to-read version of part of the
Emancipation Proclamation.
The Emancipation Proclamation
On January 2, 1863, all persons held as slaves shall be forever free. This order holds in
any state which is rebelling against the United States.
The Executive Branch of government will protect the freedom of former slaves. Blacks can
join the armed services of the United States. They can man forts. They can serve on ships. They
will be paid for military service.
I believe this order is an act of Justice. The Constitution gives me the power to issue this
order. It is necessary to help us win the war.
I have signed this order. I have put the seal of the United States on it.
Abraham Lincoln
1. Where did Lincoln free slaves?
2. In addition to freeing slaves, what else did the Proclamation provide?
3. What gave Lincoln the power to make the Proclamation?
Chapter Review: Critical Thinking
The North’s aim changed during the war. In time, the government decided to fight against slavery. This decision
would bring about many changes after the war.
1. Do you think slavery could have gone on after the North won the Civil War? Why or why not?
2. President Lincoln did not have a high opinion of Blacks, and the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all
the slaves. Why, then, do you think he is so highly thought of by most Blacks?
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MOVIE REVIEW
NAME____________________
DATE____________________
TITLE OF MOVIE_____________________________________
STARRING:
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THE BASIC PLOT OF THIS MOVIE WAS: ________________________________________
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2 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE: ________________________________________
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2 THINGS I DISLIKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE: ____________________________________
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2 THINGS ABOUT THIS MOVIE THAT LOOKED HISTORICALLY ACCURATE _______
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2 THINGS ABOUT THIS MOVIE THAT LOOKED HISTORICALLY INACCURATE _____
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ON A SCALE OF 1-5 STARS, I WOULD GIVE THIS MOVIE __________ STARS
BECAUSE ___________________________________________________________________
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I WOULD OR WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO A FRIEND BECAUSE
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