SLAVERY WEBQUEST

By J. Goring

John F. Kennedy High School

Bronx, NY

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations! Your superior writing abilities have earned you your first book contract. You have been commissioned to write a children’s book on the life of a slave in Civil War times. The public is awaiting your product, your agent has already booked your appearance on many talk shows, and your mother has bragged about your accomplishment to all her friends and coworkers. This said, you have quite a lot of work to do in order to make them proud. Please use this webquest to assist you in your assignment

TASK

The publishing company is very demanding in what they want to see for your final product. Your book must include the following:

-An interesting story line

-At least two illustrations

-A reference to the Dred Scott Supreme Court case, detailing what the case was about as well as the court’s decision in this case.

-A half page epilogue regarding the Jim Crow laws of Reconstruction, and making a reference to the Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson

PROCESS

1.) Gather information on what the life of a slave was like from the resources provided.

2.) Look up the Dred Scott and Plessy cases on the internet. Record what the issue in each of these cases was, and what the court decided.

3.) Use your information to write a story book on the life of a slave.

4.) Include a half page epilogue on Jim Crow and the Supreme Court’s upholding of Jim Crow through Plessy v. Ferguson.

5.) Illustrate your story.

RESOURCES

www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia

innercity.org/holt/slavechron.html

www.afroam.org/history/slavery

CompuLEGAL—under the following website (http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/instruct1.html)

Look up Dred Scott and Plessy under “Equal Protection”

EVALUATION

As a project, this grade counts as the equivalent of a test. Here is the breakdown of the grade:

Story                       40%

Dred Scott              20%

Plessy v. Ferguson 20%

Illustrations            20%

CONCLUSION

Very nice work! Your agent is happy, the publishing company is happy, and your mother is just ecstatic. You have become very rich off this commission, and the public eagerly awaits your next work. Great job!