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Organization and purpose of
these Lesson Plans
The purpose of these plans is to provide the
teacher with background information to the book as well as
ideas
for pre-teaching and extension activities. Included is also a
set of questions for each chapter and a resources page with web
sites and books listed. We will begin with a brief education
behind the ideas in the book, recommendations for teaching with
it, specific questions and finally ideas for further research.
What is Send ‘Em
South about?
Send ‘Em South is a
story about two young people who both suffer discrimination. As
a slave in Georgia,
Lisa naturally experiences racism. However
she hopes that when she finally makes it north, all of her
problems will be over. Unfortunately, the new fugitive slave law
allows for slave catchers to follow
Lisa and try to return her
to slavery. Her only hope is a young Irish boy who is resented
by his Irish
buddies as well as the people of Boston who think
the Irish don’t belong. Together the two of them must try to
evade the slave catchers while figuring out a way to get Lisa to
safety. The action packed adventure teaches them about love,
sacrifice, racism and the dangers of life in pre-civil war
America.
What are the Objectives of Send
‘Em South?
To provide background information on the Civil
War as part of the everyday descriptions.
To introduce major characters such as William
Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglas and
John Brown and portray
them as they appeared to the people of the times.
To portray the time period through the eyes of
the people who lived it.
To portray the events in a non-biased way in
order to allow the reader to evaluate and judge.
To describe the issues of the times in
contemporary terms.
To include the everyday concerns of people of
the time period in order to put the larger issues into
perspective.
To portray the individuals as people similar
to ourselves that the reader can relate to.
To instill an appreciation of history.
To provide the reader with questions and
issues for debate and discussion.
What are the Critical Issues
presented in Send ‘Em South?
Stereotyping and racism is a major issue during
this time period. Not only were blacks subjected to
lack of any
civil rights but also Irish emigrants to America, specifically
in Boston, lived in slum like housing and faced severe
discrimination. Byintroducing two characters from these groups,
the reader is able to experience the racism first hand and make
value judgements about the dangers of grouping people into
categories.
In addition, the Fugitive Slave law had in
effect made the North a partner in the slave trade by forcing
Northerners to return
escaped slaves. Northern abolitionists
were faced with the choice of obeying the law or their
conscious.
This forces the reader to consider the ideas behind
laws and to explore the ethics of laws and lawmakers.
Who is the target audience for Send
‘Em South?
The quick answer to this question is middle
level readers, usually around the age of 11-15. However,
understanding the
uniqueness of individuals, there are of course
many ways to adapt the reading level for different needs.
The
book is appropriate for younger readers who read above level or
have an interest in the civil war or history. Finally, it can
also be used with younger learners in a group reading where an
adult is present.
The book may also be used by older students
and indeed
has been used in grades as high as 11.
What are the important vocabulary
and concepts that a reader should be aware of?
The answer to this question of course
depends on what degree the teacher wants to cover material. A
basic reading with discussion of slavery and racism can be
extended all the way to an in depth examination of society
during the 1850’s as well as an investigation into the causes
of the civil war. To begin with, the following vocabulary should
be known:
Fugitive Slave Law: A law passed in 1851
which required Northerners to return escaped slaves to their
masters.
Underground Railroad: A network of loosely
organized and sometimes independent individuals who
secretly
worked to aid escaped slaves. (For more detail on this, consult
the handout.)
Irish Potato Famine: A devastating famine
that killed millions of Irish and forced millions more to flee
to America.
Free Blacks: An African American who lived
in either the North or the South and was not a slave.
Abolitionists: A person who was openly
against slavery and tried to end it in a variety of ways.
Suggested pre-activities:
**Special Note: Much of the
information needed to cover these topics can be found on the
various web sites listed at the end of these plans.
Discuss the history of slavery and its
conditions.
Study the rights and roles of free blacks in the
South
Examine the Underground Railroad and famous
conductors like Harriet Tubman.
Discuss the activities of Abolitionists like
Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison.
Examine the Geography of the United States at
the time. Identify Southern and Northern states as well as
likely
underground railroad routes.
Discuss the Irish Potato Famine and examine why
the Irish came to America and how they were treated.
Explore the early origins of Baseball
Specific Questions for Send
‘Em South:
These questions are designed to be used by many
levels of students. They are broken down in to simple
recall and
understanding, in-depth and critical thinking questions, and
extension/discussion questions.
Feel free to use whatever
questions meet the needs of the age group you are using.
Chapter One
Recall:
-
What happened to Lisa’s mother?
-
Why did they run away on a Saturday?
-
What did Mrs. Woodhouse do in Savannah?
-
Why did black children have to wrap their
books up?
-
What was the escape plan?
-
Why would Lisa be a problem?
Critical Thinking:
-
Lisa noticed that the free blacks looked
different from other blacks. How were they different and
what could
account for this?
Discussion:
Should the people who helped slaves escaped
be punished for breaking the law? Why or why not?
Should master’s be compensated for the
lost money when a slave runs away?
Extension:
Research the life of Free Blacks in the
South. To what degree were they free?
Chapter Two:
Recall:
-
What was David’s nickname?
-
Why did it bother him?
-
Where did most Irish live in Boston?
-
How do Bostonians treat the Irish?
-
Where do the rich in Boston live?
-
What are David’s parents like?
-
Why did David steal the laundry?
Critical Thinking:
-
Why do you think the Bostonians don’t like
the Irish? What could explain this?
-
Why don’t John and Fred like Blacks?
Discussion:
When large groups of different people move
into an area why is there tension? What can be done to avoid
it?
Extension:
Research other immigrant groups to the
United States and compare them to the Irish. Did they face
racism?
Describe it.
Chapter Three:
Recall:
-
How did the Captain feel about the first
mate?
-
What did the Captain threaten to do to him?
-
What did he offer to him to keep quiet?
-
What is the inspector’s job?
-
Who saved Lisa from being discovered?
Critical Thinking:
-
Why did the Captain think it was alright to
break the law?
Discussion:
-
Is what the Captain is doing right or wrong?
-
Is it ever alright to break the law? When?
Chapter Four:
Recall:
-
How did the Irish and the Police get along?
-
What was it about David and George’s
family that stopped the Sergeant from arresting the boys?
-
What did Uncle Sean make the boys do after
the fight?
Critical Thinking:
-
Why did the people in the pub get mad at
Sean?
Chapter Five:
Recall:
-
Who is Mrs. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper?
-
What does the Fugitive Slave Law say about
how escaped slaves are treated once they are living in the
North?
-
How will Lisa and her father find their way?
-
Why was the town of Farmington a good place
to stay?
-
How will they know if a house is friendly?
-
Describe the underground railroad conductors
in Farmington who helped Lisa and her daddy. What is their
house like?
-
Why can’t Jack tell Mr. Washington about
their route?
-
Why did Jack run away?
Critical Thinking:
-
What did Mrs. Harper say that made Lisa
sadder than she had ever been before? Why did it disturb her
so?
-
What was the Underground Railroad and who
were the conductors?
Extension:
-
Pretend that you are an escaped slave. Write
a detailed description of your run through the woods on the
way to freedom.
Chapter Six:
Recall:
-
Who is Mr. Pettis?
-
List each slave catcher and tell why they
chose to hunts slaves.
-
Who tipped the slave catchers off about Lisa
and Jack.
Discussion:
-
Are these slave catchers bad men or are they
just enforcing the law?
Chapter Seven:
Recall:
-
Why go to Boston?
How did Jack know the tracks on the side of
the road were slave catchers?
Why can’t they cross at the bridges?
What happened to Jack?
Chapter Eight:
Recall:
-
How did Lisa and David meet?
-
Who is John Coburn?
-
Why is David’s house a good place to hide?
Critical Thinking:
-
Why does John Coburn know about Lisa
already?
Discussion:
-
How does George feel in the Negro
neighborhood? Do you ever feel this way when you are among
others who
are different? Why/ why not?
Chapter Nine:
Recall:
-
Where are David’s parents now?
-
Who made Lisa’s doll?
-
Who is the doll supposed to be?
-
Why does Mary agree to help?
Critical Thinking:
5. Why did David’s parents leave
Massachusetts?
Extension:
6. Research the Missouri Compromise of 1820. How
do you think they should decide whether a new state should
be
slave or free?
Chapter Ten:
Recall:
-
What is a typical day like for Uncle
Robert’s children?
-
What is a typical day like for David and his
siblings?
-
Why might Mr. Nell need to send Lisa to
Canada?
-
Why is the Potato so important to Aunt
Patricia?
-
What story does Aunt Patricia tell?
-
What ritual have Joshua and David begun?
-
Why do Uncle Robert and Sean fight?
Critical Thinking:
-
What kind of a family does Lisa have? Why do
you think it is that way?
Chapter Eleven:
Recall:
-
Describe the slums.
-
What was Frederick’s reaction to David’s
plea for help?
Discussion:
3. Look at how David’s mother explains
prejudice between the Irish and the Negro on page 102. Explain
it. Does
this idea about how people treat one another still hold
true today? Explain.
Chapter Twelve:
Recall:
-
How did the slave catchers find David?
-
How did Lisa save David’s life?
-
What did the Policeman do?
Critical Thinking:
-
Why didn’t the Policeman help Lisa and
David? Does this make him a good or bad person?
Chapter Thirteen:
Recall:
-
Why wasn’t David arrested?
-
Why did the slave catchers stay in Boston?
Chapter Fourteen:
Recall:
-
What had the slave catchers done to Lisa?
-
How was the exchange supposed to work?
-
Who fired the first shot?
Critical Thinking:
-
Why would both sides agree to the exchange?
Explain in detail the advantages to both groups.
-
Why did the Abolitionists let the slave
catchers go after the fight?
Summary:
-
In what ways did David change over the
course of the story?
-
In what ways is Lisa treated like a piece of
property?
-
Is Mr. Jones (The Plantation owner where
Lisa is a slave.) wrong for wanting to get his property
back? Explain.
-
Is the government wrong for returning Lisa
to her plantation? Explain.
Suggested Post Activities:
*Discuss the ethics of laws. Who makes them and
should they ever be broken? What are the implications of
breaking laws?
*Discuss the origins of the prejudice against
the Irish. Why does prejudice arise?
*Research other escapes from the underground
railroad.
*Examine the life of many other abolitionists
such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas or William Lloyd
Garrison.
*Research the Irish Potato Famine.
*Examine slave life. Why did some slaves run
away while others did not?
*Research the origins of the civil war. Debate
whether it could have been avoided.
For more ideas or background
information, consult the following web-sites:
Great Teacher Resource Lesson etc… on the
Irish Famine
http://www.nde.state.ne.us/SS/irish/irish_pf.html
Information and sources on the Famine
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~eas5e/Irish/Famine.html
Irish Views on the Famine
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/SADLIER/IRISH/Irish.htm
Primary Source Documents from the London Times
on the Famine
http://vassun.vassar.edu/~sttaylor/FAMINE/ILN/
Lesson Plans on the Underground Railroad
http://www.connectingstudents.com/themes/ugrr.htm
National Parks Description and Sites on the UGRR
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/
Lesson Plans on Harriet Tubman and the
Underground Railroad
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html
Information on the Negroes in Boston
http://www.afroammuseum.org/index.htm
Literature of the Civil War Lesson Plans
http://7-12educators.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yale.edu%2F
ynhti%2Fcurriculum
%2Funits%2F1997%2F2%2F97.02.02.x.html
Lesson Plans on the Civil War
itself
http://7-12educators.miningco.com/cs/historycwlessons/index.htm
Lessons plans and info on slavery and black
history
http://7-12educators.miningco.com/cs/slavery/index.htm
What is the underground railroad?
http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/Whatis.htm
Who is Frederick Douglas?
http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/douglass.htm
Remembering Slavery Voices and text of slaves
http://www.uncg.edu/~jpbrewer/remember/
Songs of the Underground Railroad
http://www.appleseedrec.com/underground/
Map of the Underground Railroad
http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/Map.htm
Newspaper account of a conductor’s life
http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/page1.cfm?ItemID=17434
A slave recounts his life primary source
http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/page.cfm?ID=13928&Current=002&View=Text
Or, consult these books used
in the research of Send ‘Em South
Blockson, Charles L. The Underground Railroad.
New York: Prentice Hall, 1987.
Boyer, Paul S.; Clark Clifford E. Jr., et al.
The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People.
Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1990.
Curry, Leonard P. The Free Black in Urban
America 1800-1850. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,
1981.
Engerman Stanley L. and Fogel, Robert William. Time
on the Cross, The Economics of American Negro Slavery
Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1974.
Escott, Paul D. Slavery Remembered Chapel
Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1979.
Gibbon, David. The Old South A Picture Book
to Remember Her By. New York: Crescent Books, 1979.
Gorrell, Gena K. North Star to Freedom
New York: Delacorte Press, 1996.
Handlin, Oscar. Boston’s Immigrants.
New York: Atheneum, 1972.
Hart, Albert Bushnell. American History told
by Contemporaries, Volume IV. New York: The Macmillan
Company, 1964.
Horrocks, Thomas. "The Know Nothings."
American History Volume I, Article 25. Guilford, Conn.:
The Dushkin Publishing Group Inc., 1987.
Kent, Deborah. Boston New York:
Children’s Press, 1998.
Lankevich, George J. Boston, A Chronological
& Documentary History Dobbs Ferry, New York: Oceana
Publications, Inc., 1974.
Levine, Ellen. If you traveled on the
Underground Railroad New York: Scholastic Inc., 1988.
McCutcheon, Marc. Everyday Life in the 1800s
Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1993.
McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom
New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Nevins, Allan. "The Needless
Conflict." A Treasury of American Heritage, New
York: Simon & Schuster, (1960). 216-223
Oates, Stephen B. "God’s Angry
Man." American History Volume I, Article 27
Guilford, Conn.: The Dushkin Publishing Group Inc., 1987.
Quarles, Benjamin. The Negro in the Making of
America New York: Collier Press, 1973.
Rae, Noel. Witnessing America New York:
Stonesong Press, 1996.
Smith, Julian Floyd. Slavery and Rice Culture
in Low County Georgia 1750-1860. Knoxville: The University
of Tennessee Press, 1985.
Stampp, Kenneth M. The Peculiar Institution.
New York: Vintage Books, 1956.
Toledano, Roulhac. The National Trust Guide
to Savannah. New York: Preservation Press, 1997.
U.S. Government Printing Office. Black
Heritage Trail Boston,1992.
Whitehill, Walter Muir. Boston, A
topographical History. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press
of Harvard University, 1963.
Primary Source Document:
"I have
been frequently asked how I felt when I found myself in a free
State. I have never been able to
answer the question with any satisfaction to myself. It was a
moment of the highest excitement I ever experienced….
In
writing to a dear friend, immediately after my arrival in New
York, I said I felt like one who had escaped a den of
hungry
lions. This state of mind, however, very soon subsided; and I
was again seized with a feeling of loneliness.
I was yet liable
to be taken back, and subjected to all the tortures of slavery.
But the loneliness overcame me.
There I was in the midst of
thousands, and yet a perfect stranger; without home and without
friends, in the midst
of thousands of my own brethren-children
of a common Father, and yet I dared not to unfold to any of them
my sad condition…"
Excerpt
from Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglas. New York: Signet, 1968.
http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/Dougesc.htm
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