(At the follwing of what we did last time)

At first, the week was called “Negro History Week” in 1926. Woodson’s first goal was to prove to white Americans that black people have played important roles in the creation of America. Secondly, the aim was to increase the visibility of black life and history at a time when the black community was portrayed very badly in the mainstream media (with racist imagery…).

In 1976, some black activists mobilized to establish a Black History Month. Therefore, President G. Ford made the first proclamation for this event. Then in 1986, Congress officially recognized Black History Month. Since then, ever president has proclaimed a theme annually except for Trump.

Nowadays, the event is controversial because some white people are calling out for a “White History Month”, or even a “Confederate History Month”. Moreover, some other people think that Black History Month is useless, and it goes against American values.

To conclude, it is surprising to learn that in some states they do net mention it at all. Furthermore, teaching Black History is not mandatory in the national curriculum. On top of that, less than 9% of history class is dedicated to Black History. To finish with, Black history is still a sensitive subject in the USA.  

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Black History Month

The document under study is a short documentary about the creation and the evolution of Black History Month. We have learned that it is celebrated every February in the USA and in Canada. The founder of the concept was Carter G. Woodson, a black historian man. It started in 1926, it was initially set on the second week of February. It was called “Negro History Week”.

The aims of this celebration were firstly to increase the visibility of black life and history at a time when segregation was intense. On top of that, the media portrayed black people as inferior and were also mocking them with anti-black and racist imagery. Secondly, the goal was to build a form of equality among American citizens, and to show that black people played important roles in the creation of the country.

In 1976, it became a month through the lobbying of black activists to become a month and renamed “Black History Month”. At the time, President Gerald Ford made the first proclamation. Then, in 1986, Congress officially recognized Black History Month.

However, the celebration is still controversial because some people think it is useless, and it is opposed to American values. Some others complain that there should be a “White history month or even a “confederate history month”.

(We will continue the study if the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

#FeesMustFall – South Africa

Culture note :

-The South African Schools Act of 1996 allows for learners from poor families to be exempted from paying school fees. The School Fee Exemption policy says that each school, through its school governing body (SGB), must determine fees and inform parents and caregivers about the exemption policy.

The document under study is a video from TRT World, published in 2016 on their YouTube channel.  It deals with the inequality that existed in the education system of South Africa at the time.

We have learned that apartheid ended in 1994.  Even though South Africa has evolved since the end of apartheid, nevertheless, some inequalities were still present in the country with poverty and discrimination. In fact, the best jobs non-white people could have access to were teaching and nursing. Otherwise, the majority of them were forced to do unskilled menial jobs.

As a consequence, because these poor parents were earning low-incomes, they could not afford to pay the tuition fees for the schools of their children.

(We will continue the study of the document next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Malala Yousafzai, on the Power of Education

“Books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first.” Malala Yousafzai

The document under study is a video published in 2015 by Glamour magazine on YouTube. It deals with a young Pakistani activist named Malala Yousafzai who fights for girls’ education. We have learned that without school she would have to marry and become a housewife. Indeed, this is the only possibility for girls in Pakistan when they cannot go to school (no other aspirations). According to Malala, men who prevent girls from going to school are afraid of powerful and educated women in reality. Malala’s voice was heard thanks to a correspondent from the BBC who wanted to know more about what was going on in her country. That was how she started to blog for BBC and speak out about girls’ education in her country. In fact, her country was under the influence of the Taliban who set a reign of violence and fear. Only courage could make someone confront them.

Malala was shot on October 9, 2012 because of her activism on her way to go to school. Afterwards, a movement began to create: young girls and women raised their voices through the hashtag #IAmMalala. The aim of this movement was to give girls the right to go to school and fight terrorism.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Enjoy this free time to have some rest and have some quality time with your loved ones. Organize yourselves to do the work that you have to do in order to stay in touch with your student's duties so that when you come back to school, it will be easy to keep up!

Take good care of yourselves! 

All the best,

Mrs. Wagnac

What is Black History Month?

The document under study is a video from USA Today, published in February 2021. It is about the evolution of Black History Month, which is celebrated in the USA and in Canada every year in February. We have learned that Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian was the founder of the concept. He started with the creation of what was called “Negro history week” in the second week of February in 1926. He had two goals in mind: the first one was to prove that the black community played a major role in the US History. Therefore, they should be treated as equal citizen.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Watch the video again and answer the following questions:

- How did the concept start? What were his goals?

- How did the concept evolve?

- Why is Black History Month controversial?

- How is it taught at school?

Be ready for the Final Task : Tuesday, March 4th 

Scenario (role play): We are in 1860 and you are a “Station Master” in the Underground Railroad. You have been invited by the AASS (American Anti-Slavery Association) in New York City to make a speech to encourage black and white people to commit to freeing slaves from the South and fight against slavery.

Be ready for the Reading Comprehension Evaluation on the theme of the chapter on Friday, March 7th.

Enjoy Your Vacation! 😉 

They Lived to Tell the Tale

Frederick Douglass was a former slave who escaped at around 20 years old. He was born in Maryland. He was a former US ambassador in Haiti. He is considered as the father of the black protest movement in the USA. He learned to read by himself. Throughout his life, he was a writer, an abolitionist, a vocal advocate, a social activist for black people’s rights and women’s right to vote. He also was a publisher and published his own newspaper: The North Star.

Text A

This document is an extract from Douglass’ autobiography published in 1845. In this excerpt, he deals with his childhood and explains how he felt dehumanized because he did not know about his age. In fact, slaves were compared to cattle as they were reduced to mere properties for the slave owners. On top of that, ignorance was a tool for the slave masters to have power/sway over the slaves.

Text B

This document is an extract from a speech pronounced by F. Douglass in 1852. Douglass is addressing the hypocrisy of Independence Day while slavery was still prevailing in America at the time. He argued that Black people had no reason to celebrate this festival because they were not respected and had no rights in this country at the time. Moreover, Black people did not feel included in the American values as they did not have the same rights as white people. They were not free to live as they wished to.

Text C

This text is an extract of a speech pronounced by Harriet Tubman. She was a famous abolitionist who played a big role into the escape of hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad.  She pronounced this speech in Boston in 1859.

She explains the reason why Black people must stay in America. Indeed, some people wanted to send them back to Africa. However, according to her, it is not a good thing because they had been living in America for a while, therefore their made their lives in America, they belonged to the country. Sending them back to Africa could ruin their lives. She uses a simple metaphor by using the examples of garlic and onions so that her message could be understood by everyone.

To conclude, all the texts are denouncing the atrocities of slavery. However, one is more emotional (text A) and the others are more political (text B and C). Besides, we can feel the anger in the texts and the way they really wanted to share their arguments in a way everyone can understand them. They strongly wanted to put an end to slavery so that it would not happen again.

They Lived to Tell the Tale

Text A

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland, USA. Later, he escaped from slavery and became a famous writer and speaker against slavery. He also became a publisher publishing a newspaper for black people: The North Star. Moreover, he also was an activist for women’s right to vote. He is still a reference in the USA for the social movements that fight for more equality, whether it is for gender parity, race relations and minority recognitions.

In F. Douglass’ own words: “knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave”. This text is an excerpt of his autobiography that deals with impose ignorance that slave masters put on slaves. He expresses that this lack of knowledge can be the root to his discontent and his condition. Indeed, ignorance was a tool for slave masters to be able to control their slaves.

Back then, slaves were the properties of their masters. On top of that, they were dehumanized and compared to horses or cattle.  

Text B

This document is a speech pronounced by F. Douglass in 1852. He is denouncing the hypocrisy of the American government. He sheds light on the poor meaning of the celebration of Independent Day in a country where slaves were sentenced to suffer from their unfair conditions. Therefore, Black people had no reason to celebrate this festival because it marked the beginning of the intensification of the system of slavery. Furthermore, the Black people who participated for the independence of the country were betrayed by the Founding Fathers.

Text C

Harriet Tubman was an African-American abolitionist, activist and a former enslaved person. She became a key figure in the Underground Railroad. She helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom. Later, she worked as a spy and a scout for the Union Army during the Civil War. She also fought for women’s rights to vote.

It is a speech pronounced by H. Tubman in 1859. She explains why black people should not be sent back to Africa because they are rooted/belonged to America. She uses a metaphor referring to onions and garlics comparing them to black people, when they are planted in a soil, they cannot be taken away, the same for black people in America.

To conclude, the three texts deal with racism and injustice in America. They advocate for dignity and the rights of African Americans. Each texts was produced by African American activists and former slaves in the 19^th century.

7 ways education powers a better world.

The document under study is a web article from Knowledge Hut website, published on February 5^th 2016. It deals with how education powers the world.

Indeed, we have learned that education brings self-confidence to complete our goals in life and a sense of pride as students we did a long way to aim at where are at today.

In this article, education is defined as being a fundamental right. Moreover, it is not only something we practice at school, it is a process that happens at any age and anywhere. Besides, it helps people to become better citizens to improve the places where they live. It can also develop the economy of a country.

The 7 ways education makes the world a better place are that first, education spreads awareness. Secondly, it helps us stand our ground and fight for what is right. Thirdly, it powers progress. Fourthly, it gives us a healthier lifestyle. Fifthly, it helps us becoming more productive. Sixthly, it helps us connect internationally and finally, it empowers people.

Homework: Learn your lesson.

Be ready to select one reason and justify your choice. Be ready to share your arguments with your classmates.

Enjoy your Vacation! 😉

Indian Educational Divide

The document under study is an article from the Guardian published on January 30^th, 2020. It deals with a seven-year-old girl named Janhavi Kumari who is alone in a school in a small village in India. Moreover, we know that the school is a tiny one with only two teachers and one cook. It is a state school, which means that it is financed by the government.

The seven-year-old girl comes from a poor family therefore, her parents cannot afford to pay the school fees to send her in a private school. Nevertheless, even if she is the only student in this school, going there will be the only way for her to receive an education and someday to have better prospects in life.

Nowadays, more and more rich Indian people do not trust schools financed by the government and prefer to send their children to private institutions, even if these schools offer products to help students to study in good conditions, rich parents are not convinced to leave their children there.

Another possible reason why wealthy people refuse to let their children go to those schools is that they do not want to see their children hanging out with children belonging to the lowest caste. In fact, they do not want their children to rub shoulders with “Dalit kids”.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Debating Time: In groups, imagine why state schools tend to be losing their appeal/attractivity in some parts of the world and discuss the potential risks in terms of access to knwoledge.

A spokesperson from your group will have to list orally the elements you would have discussed about. 

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Throughout the trailer, he is called by his name “Solomon” and a free man, these callings really represented him. However, the slave owners called him “boy”, “servant”, “a slave” and “Georgia runaway”. These nicknames dehumanize him and deprive him from his real identity. In fact, his identity is denied.

When he was living in New Work, he had a happy life with his family. He was living by his passion: music. Nevertheless, when he was unfairly sent in the South, he became angry as he was deceived, in fact he was drugged against this will to be kidnapped and sold into slavery. Indeed, he was a victim of an unfair situation. Above all, he was determined to go back to where he belonged. Eventually, 12 years later who could be free again.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of waht we did lats time)

Throughout the trailer, he is called by his name “Solomon”, “a free man” these callings were his real identity. However, throughout the trailer, he was also called by pejorative nicknames, such as “boy”, “ a Georgian runaway”, “freak”, “a slave”, which dehumanized Solomon and deprived him from his real identity.

Beforehand, he had a great life with his family in the North and he was living by his passion, music. Nevertheless, he was deceived as he was drugged against his will to be kidnapped to be sold into slavery. He was beaten up and mistreated. He refused this situation that he found it unfair. He missed his family and his home. He wanted to go back to the North where he belonged. In fact, he felt betrayed by society because he believed in the American Dream in which everyone can succeed and achieve their dreams. Eventually, he lived as a slave for 12 years.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Opening the door of science to Girls

The document under study is an extract of a speech pronounced/delivered by the chief of the United Nations in February 2020. He speaks about the importance of educating young girls. More precisely, he thinks that it is paramount to reach gender parity in STEM studies (STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). In fact, according to him, it is important to reach gender parity in this filed in order to move forward because girls can also bring a lot to this field. It is a necessity to suppress the male-dominated culture in science in order to give the girls an opportunity to build these new skills to take an active part in tomorrow’s society. It is a good thing to have a right balance in this field in order for everyone to have a chance to succeed in life. Moreover, girls can be a real benefit for the society. Therefore, it is important to fight against the existing barriers that prevent girls from choosing careers based on STEM.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Unequal Access to Knowledge

Why is it important to invest in girls’ education?

The document under study is an infographic published in 2014, it from UNICEF. It deals with the evolution of gender parity at school in sub-Saharan Africa.

It is striking/astonishing/surprising to see that, throughout the school years, there are less and less girls enrolled in school.

If girls would stay at school longer, they will have a chance to marry years later. They would not die during pregnancy or childbirth. Moreover, their children would have fewer children therefore, they would be more healthier and they would be able to go to better schools, even universities to have better job prospects.

In fact, the reasons for gender inequality are because of social and structural barriers that stereotype and discriminate girls.  On top of that, girls are often more exposed to sexual violence. Besides, the lack of sanitary facilities can also be a big issue for girls. On a financial level, parents would prefer to pay school fees for their sons rather than for their daughters. To finish with, young girls are forced into early child marriage, as their parents cannot take care of them, so they end up marrying older men to take care of them.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Reverse Underground – 12 Years a Slave (2013)

The document under study is a trailer for the movie entitled “12 years a Slave”, released in 2013. It is about the real story of Solomon Northup, who was born a free black man in the North. However in 1841, he was kidnapped by slave catchers to be sent to the South to be sold as a slave. In fact, at first, he was living in New York with his wife and kids and was a famous violin player. Then, he was sent against his will in Georgia. Unfortunately, he was a victim of the reverse underground as he never was a slave before. On top of that, the trailer seems to show us that he is smarter than his slave owner.

Throughout the trailer, he is called by his name “Solomon”…

(We will continue the study of the trailer newt Tuesday)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The benefits of studying abroad.

The document under study is a video from CNN Student News, published in 2014. It is an interview of former First Lady, Michelle Obama speaking about the benefits of studying abroad.

She was at the time in China. She was interviewed by two American exchanged students: one of them studied in Japan, and the other one was in Ghana at the time.

According to Michelle, her words of advice on studying abroad are, first to be open-minded it is important not to have preconceived ideas about the country. Moreover, one should respect the culture and the people of the host country. Besides, one should not be afraid of making mistakes to learn better. Furthermore, one should be aware that it won’t be easy because there will be challenges.

The first country Michelle visited was France. She was a student in high school, a Sophomore, she was around 15 years old. At first, she did not feel at ease to ask her father to pay for this trip. However, her father encouraged her to go on this trip because he wanted her to have all the opportunities he could not have. It was a one-week trip. They stayed at a youth hostel.

To study abroad, students often have to take a student loan of $27 000 to add to their normal student loans in their home country (USA).

Homework: Learn the lesson.

International students and their host countries

The document under study is an article from Keystone Academic Courses, published in January 2019. The document deals with how international students contribute to their host countries. Indeed, international students have an impact on the economy, the social life on campus and the soft power of their host countries.

For the economic part, we have learned that in 2016 the students have generated 39 billion dollars to the US economy through tuition fees, clothing, food, transportation and living expensive. Moreover, they also have a positive impact on the social life on campus, as for example, they develop the social and cultural diversity. Furthermore, they enrich the diversity of the host country. On top of that, these students are more able to adapt to a new life style.

To finish with, these students also have an impact on the soft power of the host countries. In fact, some exchange students won prices in their host countries representing their home countries in the countries they study in. They are like informal ambassadors. There is also the creation of international partnerships. Besides, by staying in their host countries after having graduated, they contribute to the local skilled workforce development.

Homework: Learn the lesson. 

Those who Diced with Death: The Life of Harriet Tubman

The document under study is a video about the life of Harriet Tubman, a former slave who became an abolitionist later. This video is from TED-ed and was posted in 2018.

We have learned that Harriet Tubman was born in the 1820s in Georgia under the name of Araminta Ross. She had 8 siblings. Her two elder sisters were sold to other slave owners. Unfortunately, other members of her family were sold, only her two brothers stayed with her and her father. No slave owners wanted to buy her because she was suffering from narcolepsy. She ended up working with her father who taught her to lumber. She married a free black man called John Tubman in 1844. She then decided to change her name and be called Harriet Tubman (Harriet was the name of her mother).

As she was growing up, she would encounter free black men and she would overhear them speaking about a secret way to freedom.

Once, she tried to escape North with her brothers. However, they got lost therefore they went back to their plantation. Then, she had a dream about a road that led to freedom. It encouraged her to escape alone by following the North Star. She successfully ended up in Pennsylvania in 1849. She then went back 13 times to the South to help escape other slaves (300 over 10 years). She became an active member of the Underground Railroad as she had been a conductor. She was even nicknamed “The Black Moses”.

She was not only an abolitionist, indeed she also was a nurse, a spy and a scout in the Union army during the Civil War.

On top of that, after the Civil War she raised funds to make hospitals and schools for black people. Besides, she fought for women’s right to vote in the 1870s.

To conclude, Tubman is seen as a hero as she embodied the Underground Railroad to end slavery. She fought for women’s and black people’s rights throughout her life. She died in 1913.

To pay tribute to her life and legacy, in 2016 a project was put in place to have her on a twenty-dollar bill, so everybody can remember her and her actions in their daily lives.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

Those who diced with Death: Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe was a white woman who was one of the best known abolitionists and a novelist. When she was a young mother in the 19^th century, she lost her son, Charlie because of cholera.

Through her pain, she felt connected with the slave mothers who also lost their children due to slavery. That was how she wrote her famous novel entitled “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.

Her book changed the minds of Americans because she humanized the victims of slavery by giving them emotions in her book. In fact, she used emotion energy of the loss of her son to give that emotion to the slaves she depicted in her book.

She wrote this book after the loss of her son. She had thought about it before, but this sad event made her finally write it. As she was writing it, she felt inspired as if someone else was writing it.

Eventually, her book was successful as there were 245,000 copies sold. It made people aware that slavery was not right and it encouraged people to put an end to slavery.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Those who diced with death: Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe was a white woman who was a famous abolitionist and author in the 19^th century. She wrote a famous novel entitled “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.

She was also a mother, but she lost her son who died of cholera at a young age. After this sad event, she connected the death of her child with the slave mothers’ experiences who lost their children because of slavery. This is the event that made her become an abolitionist. In her book, she humanized the slaves she depicted by giving them emotions.

Her words impacted the image of slavery in the USA in the 19^th century to shed light on the fact that it was an unfair system. Her book became very famous, in fact 245,000 copies were sold back then. Her work is a continuation of the struggle led by previous abolitionist authors such as Frederick Douglass. Hence, her book contributed in changing the minds of Americans to put an end to slavery and give back human rights to the enslaved.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

A Win-win Experience

The document under study is a video from an Australian organization that organizes student exchanges in the USA.

We have learned that the USA is a popular exchange destination. In fact, it has a political and cultural force. Besides, it has the world’s largest economy.

Exchange students can go there for a stay of 5 to 10 months. The departure dates are in January and in August each year. The visa requirements are strict the exchange students should have a passport with a J1-Student visa. Then, they will need to upload their applications on the website of the organization.

Once there, the exchange students will live in host families. The host families from all backgrounds, have interviews and criminal backgrounds checked and homes and references checked.

The exchange students will go to the local high schools and they will be enrolled as Freshmen, or Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors. The subjects they will be able to study will be science, mathematics, PE (physical education), English, social sciences… On top of that, they will be able to do a lot of extracurricular activities such as American football, cheerleading, drama, music bands, debating, sports in general… to be able to make friends easily.

Students should be aged between 15 and 18 years old, no gap year students will be accepted as you need to have completed 11 years of schooling.

It is possible to have financial help through a scholarship or if you enroll early you can enjoy an early bird discount.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Theme 1: Knowledge, Creation, Innovation.

Topic 1: Producing and sharing knowledge

Unit 4: Enriching exchanges

To what extent is the power of education?

Enriching Exchanges: to what extent can studying abroad be a life changing experience?

The document under study is an extract from a web article “Student International”, published in May 2018. It is about the amount of international population in different countries hosting them.

In fact, studying abroad nowadays is easier thanks to the Internet and the growth of the development of the means of transport. For example, in 2001 there were 2.1 million international students, then in 2017, there were 4.6 million international students.

The motivation factors are generally the fact that there is a higher quality of education in the host countries, a better job prospects as well. Moreover, international students long to improve themselves and to discover new cultures.

There are 16 main host countries which host students every year. The main ones are the US and the UK, followed by Canada, Australia, China and New Zealand.

Recently, Canada overtook the UK because of political reasons with the Brexit. On top of that, in Canada students are sure to find a high quality education, a welcoming environment, and it will be easier to find a good job there.

To finish with, Australia has a high number of international students because the visa policies are easy for international students. Furthermore, there is an increase of students coming from India as the Indian school system and the Australian are similar.

To conclude, we can see that the majority of students usually go to English speaking countries because is English is eventually the international language.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Take the follwing quizz to see in which country you could study later:

Quizz to study abroad

Underground (TV Series)

The document under study is a trailer for the first season for a TV show entitled “Underground”, released in 2017. In this TV show, we are following two main characters: Noah and Rosalee, they are both slaves in the Macon plantation in Georgia. Noah works on the plantation and Rosalee is a house slave. Their goal is to escape from their condition as slaves through the Underground Railroad. It seems like they are helped by other slaves and station masters. We can see them making a plan to escape. Trying to flee is at the risk of their lives because slave catchers could be very violent. Moreover, the slaves who would stay in the plantation do not agree with the runaway slaves because their slave master would go mad and become more violent with them.

The commitment to the abolitionist cause is portrayed by a couple of white people working with a free black man risking their lives by hiding slaves in their house secretly.

The reasons why the slaves wanted to escape from slavery were because they found the situation unfair as they were forced to work for free, they were dehumanized and they wanted to fight for their rights.

They must have been scared because if the slave catchers would catch them, then they could be sent to jail, tortured or even killed.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Colson Whitehead: The Underground Railroad

1.     When did the resistance become more organized?

The resistance became more organized in the  1840s.

2.     How did the network of people help the slaves to escape?

They helped :

a.     By crossing rivers

b.     By hiding the runaway slaves

c.      By giving them passage on wagons

d.     By giving them money

e.      By giving them passage on ships

3.     It was a social network of people helping out slaves to runaway.  Moreover, it was also a magnificent network of technology and transportation to help the slaves escape north.

4.

It was a metaphoric network on which slaves would disappear as their masters would never see them again.

5.Since some people think, even today, that the Underground railroad was a real road underground, it gave him the idea to write a novel about an actual network beneath/under the earth of America where slaves would use it to go to the North.

To conclude, at the time America was the land of the free for the white people, however, for the slaves, it was a place of oppression, that was the reason why they wanted to leave America. In fact, at the time for European immigrants  America was a place where they could pursue their dreams. Meanwhile, for the slaves it was not a safe place for them to stay because of the way they were treated, they were dehumanized. America was the land of the free and the dream for white people, however, it was the home of the oppressed who wanted to flee the country.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

Colson Whitehead: The Underground Railroad

The resistence became more organized in the 1840s.

2.     How did the network of people help the slaves to escape?

They helped :

a.      By hiding them in their homes.

b.     By giving them money

c.      By helping them crossing rivers

d.     By giving them passage in the back of their wagons

e.      By giving them passage on ships

3.     What definition does Colson Whitehead give for the Underground Railroad?

It was a social network of people helping out.

4.     Was the Underground Railroad an actual or metaphoric network?

It was a metaphoric network: people would say for the fugitive slaves who successfully escaped that they had disappeared on the Underground Railroad.

5.Even nowadays, some people still think that the Underground Railroad was a literal road underground. It gave him the idea to write a novel in which the slaves would escape north using an actual network beneath the earth.

As a conclusion, the USA is a country full of contradiction, on the one hand it is the birth place of modern democracy, but on the other hand, it is a country that legitimized slavery for almost 2 centuries. To finish with, in a country that call its inhabitants dreamers, it is sad that some of them were actually living a nightmare. 

Homework: Learn the lesson.