African American View
 |
"I stand before you today a thief and a robber. I stole this head, this body, these limbs, and ran off with them." Frederick Douglass |
Your
Viewpoint
You are OPPOSED to the
monument.
You believe that the monument will only be about the war as a state's rights issue. You believe a monument should be erected that depicts the African American struggle and slavery. You want the citizens to understand slavery during the Civil War era. You want them to learn about the conditions of slavery and its place in history. You also want them to understand that African Americans fought and died during the war. You hope the monument will be a celebration of the African American struggle and not just be about the Union and Confederate soldiers and their battles.
The mayor's questions
Should the monument be constructed?
If yes, what should it look like?
Should public funding be used to construct it?
Additional questions to consider as you conduct your research
Where in the United States
were slaves held?
What were the conditions they were held under?
What culture did they bring to the United State?
What was the underground railroad?
What was the emancipation proclamation and how did it affect slaves during the war?
What historical events contributed to the start of the Civil War?
Internet Resources
- Civil War General Links:
- Civil War African American and Slavery Links:
- Mason-Dixon Line Information on the underground railroad
- The Avalon Project Documents on Slavery including a timeline of significant events/developments
- Free at Last A Documentary History of Slavery, Freedom, and the Civil War
- Black Soldier A letter from Private Rice to his enslaved daughters and their owners during the Civil War
- Soldier Letter to the President A soldier from the 54th Massachusetts protest the lower pay received by black Union soldiers during the war
- Emancipation Proclamation
- The African American Journey A study of the Emancipation proclamation from World Book
- Who was Sojourner Truth
-
- African American Northern Unit - the 54th Mass. A long article documenting the 54th Mass. and their historic battle.
- Colored Troops An overview from americancivilwar.com
- Frederick Douglass Douglass and the Civil War - a brief overview from americancivilwar.com