Young writers assume the voice of a person living in the US in the 1850's with an engaging historical lesson. They craft a letter to the editor of their local paper that details why they believe slavery should be abolished.

Concepts

black history month, slavery, abolitionists, newspapers, the abolitionist movement

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Expand the assignment and produce a newspaper in an 1850's format

Classroom Considerations

• The activity assumes class members have studied the features of persuasive writing, the format of letters to the editor, and have considerable understanding of the political situation in the 1850's

Pros

• Includes a template for the letter

Cons

• No scaffolding is provided for the assignment