The Bondwoman's Narrative Lesson Plan Unit
By Cynthia D. James

Overview

The Bondwoman's Narrative lesson plan unit is designed for the high school history curriculum. The focus is on The Bondwoman's Narrative as a primary source, with secondary emphasis, research, and discussion on the factors/influences surrounding the novel as a historical text:

• The discovery of the original manuscript;
• The person credited with its discovery, purchase, and publication;
• The controversy surrounding the authenticity of the text; and
• The genre of historical fiction.

This lesson also requires an extensive writing assignment with the historical perspective. This lesson is excellent as an interdisciplinary assignment for History and English.

Curriculum Standards

For a list of standards that this unit addresses, click here.

Time Required

Three to four weeks

Materials

• The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts, edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
• Internet Access
• Access to LCD projector, computer, and projector screen
• Paper and pencil/pen
• Africans in America (2 pk DVD), available from http://www.pbs.org
• Wonders of the African World with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (VHS) available from http://www.pbs.org


• The following books:


• Our Nig, or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black (1859) by Harriet E. Wilson (discovered by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., in the 1980s), available online at:
  http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/hwilson/intro.htm
• Bullwhip Days
• Narrative of Life of Frederick Douglass


• Any additional materials needed for extended study

The Lesson

Anticipatory Set

1. Ask students to answer the following:


• What is their perspective and/or understanding of the African as it relates to American history?
• Name a few people whose names are associated with the subject of slavery.
• Discuss why, perhaps, some people do not view slavery in as harsh a light as others, pointing out the argument of there having been kind slave owners who had the welfare of the slaves at heart.


2. Next, visit the narratives section of the site and allow the students to listen to firsthand accounts of what it was like to be a slave:
3. Next, go to the Image Gallery and, with the students, view images pertaining to the slave trade.
4. Play a recording of old Negro spirituals or show the documentary/video clip on the subject of slavery. Follow this visual introduction with a discussion on slavery and its reality in American history. (Note to the teacher: It's up to you to decide how in-depth or fervent/intense you allow the discussion to become.)

Procedures

Note to the teacher: This lesson is divided into five parts, all interconnected and hinging on the discoveries and questions presented in the individual mini-lessons. You should have familiarized yourself with the materials presented on the websites, as well as the text and articles, before you guide each step (Parts I-IV).

1. Lesson One: Historical Background of the Period
   
   
   1. Introduce students to the historical events in American history that led up to and perpetuated the institution of slavery. This will require that you present information in a lecture context so that students will have a strong foundation on which to build their research and draw their conclusions for the forthcoming assignments and study. You also can have students read the historical overview as one way of introducing this time period.
   
   
   2. With students, revisit the slave narratives presented earlier, then listen and react to more narrative accounts. Students will review and compare these to the text at a later date.
   
   
2. Lesson Two: Look at the Life of a Slave Between 1850-1865
   
   
   1. Divide students into groups of three or four each (depending on the size of your class), with each group consisting of students from varying ethnic/racial, religious, and social backgrounds so as not to single out any particular differentiating characteristic of a student. You should keep this activity within the confines of the classroom, if possible, so as to discourage abuse/hazing of individuals. Give students prompts/situations as to what has happened on the plantation created on a daily basis, by either writing the prompt/situation on the board or distributing it on a piece of paper. Allow the students to work on the problem/situation in class for the remainder of the class period.
   
   
   2. Ask the students in one group to assume the role and identity of slaveholders. They will be responsible for determining where their plantation will be located (i.e., North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina). They must also decide what type of crop they will be growing, how many slaves they will need to work the crop, how they're going to provide for the slaves, etc. The Slave Trade map can assist students with crop decisions. Tell students they must keep a journal of developments in this activity as to what life is like, what their thoughts are on the role that they're playing, etc.
   
   
   3. Have the other group assume the roles and identities of slaves. Tell them to keep a journal of developments in this activity as to what life is like and their thoughts on the role that they're playing.
   
   
   4. Read aloud excerpts from Bullwhip Days, Narrative of Life of Frederick Douglass. Involve students in a discussion of their experience in the class activity and compare their perspectives to those presented in the aforementioned excerpts.
   
   
3. Lesson Three: Text Reading of The Bondwoman's Narrative
   Have daily discussion and reading quizzes to enable students to understand/comprehend the text, as well as to provide an opportunity for progress grades (daily grades). You can vary these quizzes from short answers to a single essay question to a combination of both. Note that the questions should lend themselves towards in-depth answers in which students are required to use examples from the text in their discussion, which further gauges reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. It is important that you, the teacher, have read this text *before* beginning this unit. Here are some suggested questions for discussion:
   
   
   • How has religion influenced this text?
   
   
   • Is the typical education of a slave normally conducive to such a highly intellectual writing style as the one presented in this text?
   
   
   • What things that Hannah endures as a woman are resonant of the treatment of women during this particular time period?
   
   
   • Does Hannah come across as a slave who had been educated against the wishes of her master or as a white woman who was simply imagining what life would be like as a slave woman? What evidence supports your opinion?
   
   
   • How hard would it have been for Hannah "to pass?" Did she choose "to pass" or to accept the societal role of a slave? Why?
   
   
   • What possible punishment did her educators face in teaching her to read? What do you suppose happened to them upon the discovery of their "illegal school?"
   
   
4. Lesson Four: Student Research Into the Controversy
   
   
   1. There has been much controversy over the authorship and the legitimacy of the content in the narrative. This is a unique opportunity for students to investigate the controversy and come to their own conclusions. There are two main paths of research: 1. Hannah Crafts' history and 2. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s background.
   
   
   2. Hannah Crafts: Here are some questions for students to answer on Hannah Crafts:
   
   
   • Who is Hannah Crafts? Was she "Jane Johnson?"
   • Read and discuss compiled articles either supporting or refuting the arguments of authenticity.
   • Where did the controversy of ownership originate?
   • What are the flaws in Gates' assertion?
   • Are there any other documents with similar disputations that were discovered by Gates?
   
   Resources: You can advise students to visit the following web sites to better understand who Hannah Crafts is or could have been:
   • http://www.librarycompany.org/JaneJohnson
   • http://ancestorarchive.com/b1/johnsnj.htm
   • http://ancestry.com/library/view/columns/eastman/5718.asp
   • http://www.twbookmark.com/books/7/1586212729
   • http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-bloom072602.asp
   • http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/aaslvbib.htm#narratives
   
   Documents and Articles: Students could also review the material below for additional information:
   • http://www.depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/Camp.pdf (PDF document--requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
   • Flynn, Katherine E., PhD., "Jane Johnson, Found! But Is She Hannah Crafts? The Search or the Author of The Bondwoman's Narrative," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Sept. 2002.
   
   Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: He was the man responsible for the discovery and printing of The Bondwoman's Narrative. This section requires that students to do research on websites containing information about Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and all of his accomplishments. Inform students they will need to keep a file of their findings and their personal commentaries on such. This particular part can be a weighted daily grade or a test grade. It is important that students receive intermediate grades during their research process so that they're not only motivated to meet deadlines but also that you, as the teacher, can gauge how well the students are grasping the concepts, materials, etc. Below are some questions for students to answer on Henry Louis Gates, Jr.:
   
   
   • Who is he?
   • How did he obtain the narrative?
   • What is his background, both biographically and professionally?
   • Based on his work, what is his general reputation in the academic community?
   • Apart from this story, why is he so controversial?
   
   Resources: Tell students they can use the following web sites to assist in this study:
   • http://www.pbs.org/wonders/
   • http://fas.harvard.edu/~amciv/faculty/gates.shtml
   • http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/gates/
   • http://www.salon.com/books/it/1999/06/16/gates
   • http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/12.05/09-gates.html
   • http://www.neh.fed.us/news/humanities/2002-03/excerpts.html
   • http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0878326.html
   • http://www.wwc.edu/lib/wv_authors/authors/a_gates.htm
   • http://www.blacksandjews.com/T.Martin.HNIC.html
   • http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1001553,00.html
   • http://thebookhaven.homestead.com/Z_Bondwomans_Narrative.html
   • http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/oped/slavery.shtml
   
   Documents and Articles: Have students investigate whether there are other documents that have been discovered by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., using the following resources:
   
   
   • http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/hst/biography/OurNig/Chap0.html
   • http://bookstore.mywebfreecenter.com/n_1400031206.htm
   
   
5. Lesson Five: Essay
   As the final research paper is the culmination of this project, instruct and guide students through the proper procedure for writing a sound research essay using MLA or Turabian (teacher's choice) style of documentation.

Assessment

1. You should grade Journals for Lesson One based on whether students have accurately and meticulously recorded or responded to each prompt/situation given. Consider, too, whether students exhibited effort in remaining "true" to the assignment and activity?


2. For additional help, see each section listed above and the suggestions given for grading each part of the project as a separate entity.

Related Works

These are suggested works that lend themselves well to the lesson or complement the lesson:

• Our Nig, or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black (1859) by Harriet E. Wilson
• Bullwhip Days: The Slaves Remember: An Oral History by James Mellon (Introduction)
• The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South by John W. Blassingame
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
• "Runagate Runagate" poem by Robert Hayden
• Cane River by Lalita Tademy

This lesson was submitted by Cynthia D. James, an English teacher at The Byrnes Schools in Florence, SC.