Day 3 -- African-American Freedom in Different Historical Contexts

1. Lesson Goal:

   Students will understand the differences between African American freedmen’s lives in the United States and in Mexico (i.e. Alta California) in terms of civil rights and economic opportunities during the 1800s.

   This is tangentially related to Social Science Content Standard 8.7.4, because it helps students compare the lives and opportunities for free blacks in the United States with those of free blacks in another country

2. Objectives:

   A. Given a biography of Allen B. Light and a chapter from the autobiography of B.C. Clayton, students will be able to verbally discuss and compare the differences between both men’s lives, listing these on parallel reports with 85% accuracy.

   B. Given their interpretation of these lists, students will be able to explain the differences in the two contexts of freedom and assess whether one context provides more liberties or rights than the other.

   Time of entire lesson: 50 minutes

3. Materials Needed:

   Copies of Allen Light’s biography, Chapter 11 of Henry Clay Bruce’s autobiography, downloaded from http://docsouth.unc.edu/bruce/bruce.html#bruce11

   Preparation Guidelines:

   • Download and print out chapter 11 of Bruce’s biography at http://docsouth.unc.edu/bruce/bruce.html#bruce76 (pp. 54-56 on print preview) Make enough copies for students in class. Download Allen Light’s biography from the SDHS website and make copies as well.
   • Alternatively, you can ask students to define freedom and come up with their own list of ‘freedom attributes’ to use as the standard for evaluation in this activity.

4. Lesson Presentation:

   A. Introduction: (5 minutes)Today you will examine how ‘freedom’ meant different things to African-Americans during the 1800s depending on where they lived. Allen Light’s route to freedom took him from the East to the West Coast, into what was then another country. Henry Bruce gained his freedom in Kansas and chose to live there with his wife. What did each one do with his freedom? What challenges did each have to face?

   B. Reading comprehension activity (15-20 minutes) - Split the class into those who will analyze Allan Light, and those who will do Henry Bruce. Each sector can then either work individually or in small groups. Have the students read their respective texts and list quality of freedom attributes for each man in terms of:

   • Economic opportunities - jobs, ability to own property
   • Mobility - freedom to travel from place to place
   • Social Standing - place in the community - Were they treated as equals by their peers? Explain why or why not, citing examples from the text.
   • Recourse to law

   C. Presentation and Debate (30 minutes) - Have students present their lists in class. After all attributes have been discussed and compared, have individual students choose which freedman context (American or Mexican) she/he would have preferred if she/he had been an African-American living in that period. Students must defend their choices with examples from the text, explaining what compromises they would have had to make in their respective context.

5. Evaluation:

   A. Written list of attributes

   B. Verbal comparison of freedom contexts

   C. Oral defense of their positions

6. Extension

   A. Have students exchange Light and Bruce texts so that everyone can read both biographies.

   B. Have students write position papers explaining and defending their choice of freedom context.