Writing Prompts (student choice or teacher directed)
FUGITIVE SLAVE ACT: The Fugitive Slave Act, passed by Congress in 1850, made it a crime
for any law enforcement official to not arrest a person suspected of being runaway slave.
Suspected fugitives were not given trials and could not legally challenge those claiming to be
their owners. This led to many free blacks being kidnapped into slavery. Northerners used to
thinking of slavery as a southern problem now saw their own officials responsible for enforcing
it. Imagine yourself as a northern abolitionist who happened to also be a policeman or other
official whose duty is to enforce the law. Would you stand against what you believed to be an
unjust policy, or would you compromise your conscience in order to uphold the law of the
land?
LET ME SEE YOUR PAPERS! For free blacks in pre-Civil War United States, “free papers”—
written legal documents declaring their holder to be free—were often all that stood between
them and a slave catcher’s irons. Many papers were borrowed or forged to help with escapes
and changed identities, but as you have seen in Part 5, even genuine papers could be ignored or
destroyed by unethical slave catchers. Free papers were abolished after the Civil War, but in
certain contexts, society has continued to insist that citizens carry something officially
confirming their identity. Driver’s licenses are the most obvious example of this—can you think
of others? At what point do you think requiring official identification comes at the expense of
people’s liberty? What about new laws being passed today requiring people suspected of being
illegal immigrants to show proof of legal residency? Discuss where (or if) you think the line
should be drawn between the practical need to establish people’s identity and an unfair
compromise of their rights.
SLAVE AUCTIONS: Perhaps the most humiliating aspect of slavery was the slave auction, at
which enslaved people were inspected like livestock—often stripped naked to better showcase
their health and strength—and sold to the highest bidder. Far from being shameful events
hidden away from public view, slave auctions were held in prominent locations, widely
advertised, and well-attended—even by those who lacked the money to buy slaves themselves.
Enslaved people were considered expensive investments—like farm equipment or appliances
would be today. Strong males could command prices of up to $1000 to $1200, with healthy
women going for $300 to $500. Children cost between $150 and $200. Families were often
broken up at auction, but many buyers considered happier, more productive slaves a good
return on the investment of purchasing entire families. To better understand how humiliating
this process was, try writing up a slave auction advertisement for yourself from the perspective
of a hypothetical seller. Without mentioning your name, list your qualities and abilities, but
leave out anything about your personality or interests (a potential buyer wouldn’t be interested)
and be sure not to mention any of your troublemaking dreams and ambitions! When you’re
finished, have the teacher read everyone’s advertisements aloud and see how accurately the
class can identify who is who. You may be surprised at how hard this is!
LUCY’S JOURNAL. Through Lucy’s eyes, think about your circumstances from the beginning
to the end of this part of “Flight to Freedom.” Think about the people with whom you
interacted, what you learned from them. Think about the choices you made and the
consequences of those choices. Now write a journal entry from Lucy’s point-of-view
summarizing what happened to you in Part 5. You may choose to illustrate one aspect of your
entry.
Primary Sources to examine after Part 5. The following documents are a part of Lucy's Story. Depending on the choices that you made you may or may not have seen these documents. Review all four documents and write about how each of these had an impact on Lucy's life.
After Part 5
Review Questions PDF - Followed by class discussion. Each student may have a different part to add to the story depending on the choices they made (cause and effect).