Fight for change

Fight for change Why is freedom important? What would you do for freedom? Why is reading and writing important?

Fight for change During the early 1800s African Americans were finally seeing changes that eventually led to the ending of slavery in the United States. Before the American Civil War, African Americans looked to end slavery and find freedom through education and violence if needed. Harriet Jacobs, Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass, and Nat Turner are four African American women and men who have dedicated their lives to the freedom of African Americans.

Fight for change The power to read and write has always been important to a revolution or a dramatic change in society. Two of the many African Americans who have used this power are Harriet Jacobs and Fredrick Douglass. Jacobs used her power to read and write as she wrote an autobiography communicating to the world the harsh life of a black female slave. Douglass used his power of reading and writing by teaching and communicating with countless others the importance of African Americans in this country. Both Jacobs and Douglass made a huge impact on the lives of African Americans from the past and present.

Fight for change Not all impactful African Americans just used the power to read and write to make change. Some had to go as far as the use of violence. Harriet Tubman and Nat Turner chose not to only use their power to communicate with society as to why they deserved freedom, but these two, like others, chose to make change happen through direct action. Tubman band many slaves together to run to freedom using the Underground Railroad which, at times, resulted in violence. Turner chose to use his religion to drive him as he and several other slaves fought for their freedom. These were just two of many African Americans who fought for the revolution of freedom for African Americans in the United States.

Fight for change Students will be broken up into 4 groups. Each group will get either a short bio of Harriet Jacobs, Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass, or Nat Turner, in which they will get 10 minutes to read. After reading, each group will rotate to each group with a classmate explaining (3-5 minutes) the short bio of each of the 4 individuals. After each student has learned about each individual, students will write a paragraph about which way they feel is the best way to invoke a revolution: whether it be through education or going as far as to resort to some sort of violence. Be sure to use a focus statement and conclusion sentence in the paragraph.