May 2010
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About The Books
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Stealing Freedom Study Guides
Teaching Activity: STEALING FREEDOM
WILL
YOU RUN?
Today, people
often think, "There’s no way I’d stay a slave. I’d escape!" Yet
when we really understand the lives of slaves, we see that this decision was
never simple or easy to make. This activity is designed to shed light on the
complexities of the decision to run or to stay.
The Pros and Cons of Escape:
In STEALING FREEDOM
you’ll find lots of information about the hardships slaves endured in their
everyday lives, what kinds of things motivated slaves to run away or kept them
from running, and what happened to runaway slaves if they were caught. Have students
generate the following lists: (1) The bad things that could happen to you and
the things you’d be giving up if you tried to escape. (2) The disadvantages
of remaining a slave for life. (3) The positive things about running away and
gaining freedom. (4) The positive things about remaining a slave, close to family
members and with at least minimal food and shelter.
Then, divide
students into groups of four or five. Each group should pick a volunteer to be
the "slave" who will need to make the decision to run or to stay. Have
these volunteers pick an identity (see below) out of a hat. (To avoid giggling,
you may want to have a female identity hat and a male identity hat.) The identity
gives a slave’s life situation, family relationships, state of health and
other information pertinent to how motivated and/or successful he or she might
be in an escape. Each volunteer returns to his or her group to discuss the question "Will
you run?" The group should offer suggestions and advice, but the volunteer
makes the final decision whether to go or to stay.
Allow about 5 – 10
minutes of discussion time. If some groups make a hasty "I will run" decision,
tell them they need to now make plans for the escape: When will they leave? How
will they obtain food for the journey? How will they keep from getting caught?
Where will they go?
When the discussion
time is over, the volunteers announce their decisions. A tally may be kept on
the board as to who will run and who will not. This exercise will provide insight
into the pressures slaves faced when considering as escape and will show why
not everyone tried to escape. It can also shed light on who was more likely to
try an escape: Many more men than women escaped, and women with small children
were the least likely to run. Young, strong slaves were more likely to run than
older slaves, especially those with physical ailments.
IDENTITIES
You are a young
woman, nineteen years old. You have lived with the same master and mistress your
whole life, and though they whip all their slaves cruelly for the slightest offense,
they have kept your family together. Your mother, father, sister, and your two
children live with you. Your husband lives two miles away and you are able to
see him almost every Sunday. Your children are ages one and three—too young
to walk far, and too young to be quiet if you tried to escape and hide. Will
you run?
You are a man,
almost sixty now—old and tired is how you’d describe yourself. You
ran once when you were a young man, and when the slave catchers brought you back,
your master broke both your legs. They never healed right, and now that you’re
getting older, it hurts to walk. All of your family has been sold away and you
wish you could see one of your children, or your wife, again before you die.
But you don’t know where they have been sold to, and your master has refused
your request for a travel pass. It hurts so much to walk, and at least here you
get three meals a day—you’ve heard the stories about fugitives starving
in the woods. Will you run?
You are a young
man, 22 or so, and healthy. You are light-skinned, with straight auburn hair
and hazel eyes. More than once you’ve been mistaken for the son of your
master and mistress. (You are, in fact, the son of your master, which is why
you look so much like him.) You believe that you could blend into white society
and disappear if you could just get away. Your master has begun to send you on
your own to do the marketing in town, which means you have a little money in
your pocket. Will you run?
You are a woman,
still strong and still young enough to have more children. Until recently you
lived with your five children, ages 3 to 14. But your master, because of mounting
debt, has sold all five of your children away from you. Your heart is broken,
but not your spirit. Your master has sworn that if you run away he will have
slave catchers hunt you down and kill you. Will
you run?
You are a man
in your mid twenties. You live with your mother and two younger sisters. Your
master has recently "gotten religion" at a Methodist revival meeting,
and has begun to use severe whippings to teach his slaves to "submit to
their master" like it says in the Bible. You are enraged at the new harsh
treatment, and believe that if you don’t get away soon, you will do something
you’ll regret, like try to kill your master. You fear that if you run alone,
your master may take out his wrath on your mother and sisters. Yet it seems impossible
to make a safe escape with a woman and two young girls in tow. Will
you run?
(The following
identity is Ann Maria Weems. This with classes who have not yet finished STEALING
FREEDOM.)
You are a young
girl, just turned thirteen. Until recently you lived with your mother, older
sister, and three brothers, all of whom are slaves, and your father, who is a
free man. But in the past few months, your brothers have been sold south to Alabama,
and your mother and sister have been freed by abolitionists. You remain the only
slave in the home of your master and mistress, who are not unduly cruel, as these
things go. Your mother, father, and sister live near you, and you hope to be
allowed to visit them at Christmas time. If you run, you will have to go all
the way to Canada to be safe (it’s post 1850), and will probably never
see your family again. An abolitionist has offered you the chance to escape to
Canada. Will you run?
All of the above identities are real people, taken from first-person slave
narratives. These slave narratives are an excellent resource for creating more
identities. (To Be a Slave, compiled by Julius Lester is a very good
source). Also, feel free to change and adjust the above identities to meet the
needs of your classroom (for example, when I work with children younger than
5th grade I rewrite the identities in simpler language and delete the line about
the 22 year old man being the son of his master). |
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Courtesy of Random
House Children's Books
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About these books
Based on true stories before and after the Civil War, Elisa Carbone presents
two courageous characters that come face-to- face with prejudice and bigotry
and struggle to make new lives for themselves.
 Ann
Marie Weems, the main character in Stealing Freedom, is born a slave on
a small Maryland farm where her family lives and works for the Price family.
The Weems family endures cruelty common to all slaves during the preñCivil
War era, but Ann faces the ultimate mistreatment when she is separated from her
family. Armed with courage and determination, Ann accepts an offer to travel
via the dangerous Underground Railroad to Canada in an effort to steal her freedom.
 Set
on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the late 1890s, Storm Warriors tells
the story of a different type of racism. Nathan lives with his father and grandfather
on Pea Island and dreams of becoming a storm warrior, one of those who fought
the sea, wind, and storms to bring sailors home safely, but postñCivil
War racism threatens his chance to fulfill his dream unless he can find a way
to win the battle.
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In the Classroom
The historical setting, the very real characters, and the strong sense of story
make these novels by Carbone excellent choices for read-aloud or class novel
study. Please note that these books do not need to be discussed together. Each
title represents strong content that can be taught independent of one another,
but the themes in both are similar enough to conduct a dual book study.
Discussion questions related to the themes of courage, freedom, prejudice
and bigotry, and family offer students the opportunity to think about the tough
choices that African Americans faced in the 1800s during preñ and postñCivil
War times. This guide also offers activities that link the language arts, social
studies, science, music, and art curriculum.
Pre-Reading Activity
Stealing Freedom is set before the Civil War, and Storm Warriors is
set postñCivil War in the late 1800s. Engage students in a discussion
regarding the treatment of African Americans during these times. Ask them to
make a split-screen collage that contrasts the way African Americans lived preñ and
postñCivil War. Encourage them to use photocopied pictures, writing, quotations,
etc. in their collages.
Thematic Connections
Courage--In Stealing
Freedom, Ann wonders, "which required more courage: to be a fugitive,
or to be the one to help the fugitive to safety." (p. 213) Engage the class
in a discussion about the courage it took for both parties.
Ask students to consider which required more courage in Storm Warriors:
to be the rescuer or the rescued? Nathan says, "I know it takes courage
to meet a storm head on. . . ." (p. 74, Storm Warriors) Compare and
contrast Ann and Nathanís courage. What is Annís "storm"?
Freedom--Ask
students to explain what Annís father means when he says, "Anyone
born a slave gets their freedom stolen the day theyíre born." (p.
19, Stealing Freedom) What is the irony in the phrase "stealing freedom"?
When Ann is in hiding at Mr. Bigelowís house, she says, "How strange
it felt to be free and yet to be a prisoner." (p. 163, Stealing Freedom)
Compare Annís feeling to Nathanís in Storm Warriors.
What is Nathanís prison? Figuratively, how does Nathan have to steal his
freedom?
Prejudice
and Bigotry --Stealing Freedom is set preñCivil War when
mistreatment of African Americans was overt, whereas Storm Warriors is
set postñCivil War when racial prejudice was present but less obvious.
How might Nathanís Grandpa identify with the bigotry that Ann feels in Stealing
Freedom?
Have the class read the "Authorís Note" at the end of Storm
Warriors. How did racial prejudice and bigotry contribute to the fact that
the keeper and the crew of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station werenít
honored with the Gold Life-Saving Medal until 100 years later?
Family--Ask
students to discuss how the Weems family in Stealing Freedom has a stronger
sense of family than the Price family. Define the term "extended family." How
do the people involved with the Underground Railroad become a surrogate family
to Ann? Describe Nathanís family in Storm Warriors. Discuss how
the surfmen on Pea Island might be considered an extended family for Nathan.
Interdisciplinary Connections
Language
Arts--In preñCivil War days, it was against the law to
teach a slave to read. Ann learns to read when she tends to Sarah, a relative
of Master Charles and Mistress Carol. Read Nightjohn or Sarny:
A Life Remembered by Gary Paulsen. Write a letter that Ann might write to
Nightjohn or Sarny commending them for their work in teaching African Americans
to read.
In Storm Warriors, Nathan feels extremely close to his grandfather.
He listens to his grandfatherís stories and wishes that his grandfatherís
dreams could have been fulfilled. Ask students to assume the role of Nathan and
write a tribute to be read at his grandfatherís funeral.
Social
Studies--In Stealing Freedom, Ann travels by the Underground Railroad
to Canada. Have students construct a map of Eastern United States and indicate
the major routes of the Underground Railroad. Using clues from the novel, plot
the route that Ann Weems possibly traveled.
The United States Life-Saving Service later became the United States Coast
Guard. Ask students to research the history of the Coast Guard. Then have them
develop a timeline of the work of the United States Coast Guardófrom its
birth on August 4, 1790, to the present.
Music--Ann
Weems loves to sing. Ask students to locate and learn some of the African American
work songs and spirituals that Ann may have sung. Also have students find seafaring
songs that Nathan may have enjoyed in Storm Warriors.
Art--United
States postage stamps often honor outstanding and courageous Americans. Have
students find pictures of postage stamps that have honored African Americans.
Then have them design a stamp that honors the Pea Island Life-Saving crew.
Science--The
men at the Pea Island Life-Saving Station in Storm Warriors communicate
using Morse code. Ask students to research Samuel Morse. How might Morse code
be considered an early life-saving device? What signals and codes do ships and
life-saving stations use today?
In Storm Warriors, Nathan takes books from the Life-Saving Station
and learns about medical treatments that might be necessary in rescue missions.
Have students research the type of first-aid materials that might have been available
in the late 1890s. Then have them construct a first-aid kit that might be used
in rescue missions today. How have first-aid measures changed in the past 100
years?
Vocabulary/Use of Language
Ask students to record unfamiliar words and try to define the words using clues
from the context of the story. In Stealing Freedom, such words may include ferreting (p.
44), lecherous (p. 45), mulatto (p. 73), guano (p. 76), apparition (p.
97), placid (p.113), exorbitant (p. 158), and daguerreotype (p.
213).
In Storm Warriors, such words may include phantom (p. 15), vermilion (p.
18), resuscitation (p. 19), hypothermia (p. 72), vendue (p.
95), seine (p. 111), and rogue (p. 136).
Prepared by Pat Scales, Director of Library Services, the South Carolina
Governorís School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, South Carolina.
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Reviews for Stealing
Freedom
*"A deftly crafted story with a strong, appealing heroine."--Starred, School
Library Journal
*"Imaginatively and sensitively adapted from historical records, Stealing
Freedom will evoke admiration for the courage of both those who resisted slavery
and those who endured it."--Starred, Publishers Weekly
Review for Storm Warriors
"This is a beautifully told story, marked by convincing, distinctive
characters and stirring descriptions of the surfmen's highly skilled and highly
dangerous work."--School Library Journal |
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