United States History to 1877

Expansion and Reform: 1801 to 1861

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Begin the unit by asking students what the main ideas expressed by the abolitionists were and what the main ideas expressed during the suffrage movement were.
• Explain that the abolitionists worked to end slavery. The suffrage movement helped women gain equal rights.
• Explain to students what an abolitionist was. Ask students to predict why sometimes abolitionists kept their views a secret. Tell students that sometimes abolitionists didn't only want to free slaves but wanted to create equality for all (including women). Ask students to think about why abolitionists and suffragists often went hand-in-hand.
• Give students the names of three abolitionists (Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and William Lloyd Garrison). Tell students that they will be researching each of these abolitionists to find out their race, motivations, and accomplishments. Hand out the Abolotionists Worksheet to record this information. For the Abolotionists worksheet, CLICK HERE.
• Have students share the information they found on each of the abolitionists.
• Introduce Gabriel Prosser. Provide the following background information. On 30 August 1800, a tremendous storm dropped heavy rain on central Virginia, swelling creeks and turning Richmond's dirt streets into quagmires.  The storm aborted one of the most extensive slave plots in American history, a conspiracy known to hundreds of slaves throughout central Virginia.  A charismatic blacksmith named Gabriel, who was owned by Thomas Prosser, of Henrico County, planned to enter Richmond with force, capture the Capitol and the Virginia State Armory, and hold Governor James Monroe hostage to bargain for freedom for Virginia's slaves.  The intensity of the storm delayed the conspirators' planned gathering, and a few nervous slaves told their masters of the plot.  The arrests of the conspirators, including Gabriel, led to trials in Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk, and several surrounding counties. See the Library of Virginia Web site for additional information at http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/exhibits/deathliberty/gabriel/index.htm.
• Explain that Gabriel's Conspiracy had an immediate impact on American politics and Virginia law and society.  The planned rebellion was widely reported in American newspapers, and, during the 1800 presidential campaign, the Federalists cited the event as a consequence of the Democratic-Republicans' support of the French Revolution and ultra democratic ideals.
• Discuss that reactions to these events contributed to the growing debate about slavery and its role in American society. White Virginia authors used both Gabriel's proposed and Nat Turner's successful rebellions as background events in novels such as The Old Dominion, Judith, and Their Shadows Before to perpetuate their belief that slavery was ultimately benign, that slaves were loyal, and that literacy, uncontrolled religion, and outside influences all threatened the stability of Virginia society. In contrast, black Virginians immortalized the story of Gabriel in song and tale, occasionally blending Gabriel with other revolutionaries, such as Denmark Vesey of South Carolina and Nat Turner, and black writers such as Martin Delany (Blake, 1858) and Arna Bontemps (Black Thunder, 1936) used the stories of these slave revolutionaries to emphasize themes of struggle and liberation.
  
• Give students their hero assignment. In this assignment, students need to choose whom they would have liked to meet during this time period. They must have several reasons to back up their choice.
• Explain to students that in the 1830s and 1840s, abolitionists became increasingly outspoken about ending slavery. Abolitionists argued that slavery was morally wrong, cruel, and inhumane and that it was a violation of democratic principles. Active abolitionists were a minority in the north. Their attempts to end slavery were sometimes met with violence. William Lloyd Garrison, for example, was dragged through the streets of Boston. Abolitionists gave lectures, distributed pamphlets, and petitioned Congress in their attempts to end slavery.
• Assign an abolitionist, such as Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, or Angelina and Sarah Grimke, to pairs or larger groups of students. Have students use their textbooks, library resources, and/or Internet sites to research biographical information about their assigned abolitionist.
• After students have completed their research, have them compose a eulogy to commemorate their assigned abolitionist. Each eulogy should contain the following elements, and you may wish to present these elements in worksheet format so that students will have a structure to guide them in their writing:
• Background biographical information, such as place and date of birth and family background
• Outstanding achievements and contributions to the abolitionist movement
• The overall impact that the person's life had on American history
• Ask one student from each pair or group to present the group's eulogy to the class. Encourage students to read their eulogies in a dramatic and emotional manner.
• Review the material with students. List the names of the researched abolitionists on the board, and have students provide information they remember from the various eulogies.
• Emphasize to students that abolitionists varied in their approach to ending slavery. Some wished to use moral persuasion. Others wanted to work through political channels, and still others wished to use violence. For a Continuum of Abolitionist Ideas worksheet, CLICK HERE. Draw the continuum on the board or use an overhead transparency. Explain the purpose of a continuum.
• Review the Continuum of Abolitionist Ideas worksheet with the students.
• Explain the main ideas of the abolitionist movement.
• Most abolitionists demanded immediate freeing of the slaves.
• Abolitionists believed that slavery was
• morally wrong
• cruel and inhumane
• a violation of the principles of democracy
• Abolitionist leaders included both men and women.
• Harriet Tubman
• William Lloyd Garrison
• Frederick Douglass
• Provide background information on Harriet Tubman, who was a runaway slave from Maryland and became known as the "Moses of her people." Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey north to freedom. She later became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during the Civil War she was a spy for the federal forces in South Carolina as well as a nurse. For more information, go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html.
• Provide background information on William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison worked as a compositor for his hometown newspaper in his teens, then began writing articles as well, often under the pseudonym Aristides. In the very first issue of his anti-slavery newspaper, the The Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison stated, "I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. . . . I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- AND I WILL BE HEARD." Garrison made a name for himself as one of the most articulate, as well as most radical, opponents of slavery. While some other abolitionists of the time favored gradual emancipation, Garrison argued for "immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves". For more infomration, go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1561.html.
• Provide background information on Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland but in 1838 escaped to freedom in New York. At age 23 he went to work for abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, traveling and speaking on behalf of Garrison's paper, The Liberator. Eloquent, smart, and determined, Douglass gained fame as a speaker, began his own anti-slavery publications, and became a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. In later years he became a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln and helped persuade Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He is considered by many to be the founder of the American civil rights movement. For more information, go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html.
• Explain to students that many abolitionists also supported the women's rights movement in the 1830s. In the early 1800s, women had few legal rights: they were not allowed to own property, could not claim custody of their children, and could not divorce their husbands. Women were expected to marry and take care of the home and children. Women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first women's rights convention in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York.
• Give each student a copy of the Declaration of Sentiments and the Analysis Worksheet for the Declaration of Sentiments. (For the worksheet, CLICK HERE.) A copy of the Declaration of Sentiments can be found at the National Park Service Web site, http://www.nps.gov/wori/declaration.htm, which also provides short biographies on the signers of the document. Have the students read the introduction of the document and discuss as a class the main ideas. Help students make connections between this document and the Declaration of Independence. Students may need to see the documents together in order to make these connections. Have students consider the ways the Declaration of Independence in its original form fell short of providing true equality to all.
• Have students complete the Analysis Worksheet for the Declaration of Sentiments as they finish reading the document. For the worksheet, CLICK HERE.
• Introduce the suffrage movement.
• Explain that supporters declared, "All men and women are created equal."
• Explain that supporters believed that women were deprived of basic rights.
• Denied the right to vote
• Denied educational opportunities, especially higher education
• Denied equal opportunities in business
• Limited in rights to own property
• The movement was led by strong women who began their campaign before the Civil War and continued after the war had ended.
• Isabel Sojourner Truth
• Susan B. Anthony
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Sojourner Truth epitomized the endurance and charisma of this extraordinary group of women. Born a slave in New York, she grew up speaking Dutch. She escaped from slavery in 1827, settling with a son and daughter in the supportive Dutch-American Van Wagener family, for whom she worked as a servant. They helped her win a legal battle for her son's freedom, and she took their name. Striking out on her own, she worked with a preacher to convert prostitutes to Christianity and lived in a progressive communal home. She was christened "Sojourner Truth" for the mystical voices and visions she began to experience. To spread the truth of these visionary teachings, she sojourned alone, lecturing, singing gospel songs, and preaching abolitionism through many states over three decades. Encouraged by Elizabeth Cady Stanton she advocated women's suffrage. For information, go to http://www.sojournertruth.org/History/Biography/Default.htm.
• Susan B. Anthony was born February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts. She was brought up in a Quaker family with long activist traditions. Early in her life she developed a sense of justice and moral zeal. After teaching for 15 years, she became active in temperance. Because she was a woman, she was not allowed to speak at temperance rallies. This experience, and her acquaintance with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, led her to join the women's rights movement in 1852. Soon after, she dedicated her life to women's suffrage. Ignoring opposition and abuse, Anthony traveled, lectured, and canvassed across the nation for the vote. She also campaigned for the abolition of slavery, women's rights to their own property and earnings, and women's labor organizations. In 1900, Anthony persuaded the University of Rochester to admit women. She had a keen mind and a great ability to inspire. She remained active until her death on March 13, 1906. For more information, go to http://www.susanbanthonyhouse.org/biography.html.
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) is believed to be the driving force behind the 1848 Convention, and for the next 50 years played a leadership role in the women's rights movement. Somewhat overshadowed in popular memory by her long time colleague Susan B. Anthony, Stanton was for many years the architect and author of the movement's most important strategies and documents. Though she became increasingly estranged from the mainstream of the movement, particularly near the end of her career, she maintained to the end her longtime friendship with Anthony. For more information, to go http://www.nps.gov/wori/ecs.htm.
• Review the leaders of the suffrage movement by having the students complete the Suffrage Movement graphic organizer. For the Suffrage Movement graphic organizer, CLICK HERE.

WEB SITES

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html
Harriet Tubman

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1561.html
William Lloyd Garrison

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html
Frederick Douglass

http://www.sojournertruth.org/History/Biography/Default.htm
Sojourner Truth

http://www.susanbanthonyhouse.org/biography.html
Susan B. Anthony

http://www.nps.gov/wori/ecs.htm
Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Copyright ©2008 Prince William Network/Virginia Department of Education