These excerpts were chosen from more than 215 selections by 158 authors in the anthology.
![William Henry Seward, [Fifteenth Amendment resolution], February 27, 1869 (Gilde](http://gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/aggregate-208x148/content-images/00788.01_p1.jpg "William Henry Seward, [Fifteenth Amendment resolution], February 27, 1869 (Gilder Lehrman Collection)")
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass describes his arduous journey from slavery to freedom. In doing so, he provides a detailed account about slaves’ everyday lives that enlightens his readers about the realities of slavery. Though there are many passages of note, one that is particularly powerful comes at the end of Chapter 2, when Douglass discusses the slaves’ singing. These few paragraphs correct the common misunderstanding that slaves sang to express their joy, as Douglass stresses...
Students will examine African American slave spirituals, a painting, and a personal narrative to analyze the underlying messages of these materials.
MaterialsThe Old Plantation (painting) can be seen at:http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume3/february05/iotm.cfmThe following materials are available as pdf files:...
