Unit 4: The Secret Road to Freedom (1èreG_gr2)

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.

Homework: Learn the lesson.