Abraham, Martin & John: The Impact of American Heroes

1. BR_main Before Reading 1. English Song -- Abraham, Martin & John 2. Text Prediction 3. Background Information

2. BR1_main English Song -- Abraham, Martin & John Think While Listening Read the Script of the Song People in the Song

3. BR1.1 Think While Listening Listen to the song Abraham, Martin & John, sung by Dion, and think about the following questions. 1. A few names are mentioned in this song. Can you make out whom these people are? Clues: They are all Americans. All died young. They freed a lot of people. They are Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. 2. Do you know why they all died young? 3. Whom did they free? ■

4. BR_ 1.2 Read the Script of the Song ■

5. BR_ 1.3_1 People in the Song 1. Abraham Lincoln ■

6. BR_ 1.3_2 2. John F. Kennedy ■

7. BR_ 1.3_3 3. Martin Luther King ■

8. BR_ 1.3_4 4. Bobby Kennedy ■

9. BR2 Text Prediction Read the introductory part of the text and think about the following questions. In 2004 a center in honor of the “underground railroad” opens in Cincinnati. The railroad was unusual. It sold no tickets and had no trains. Yet it carried thousands of passengers to the destination of their dreams. 1. What is an underground railroad in the normal sense? 2. What is this underground railroad special for? 3. Can you imagine what this railroad was built for? 4. What probably are the dreams of the passengers? 5. What probably is the destination of their dreams? 6. What is the text probably about?

10. BR3_main Background Information Map Reading Timeline of Slavery The Underground Railroad Uncle Tom’s Cabin

11. BR3.1_1 Map Reading Read the following three maps and answer the following questions. Click the map to enlarge!

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13. BR3.1_1_Popwin_map2

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15. BR3.1_2 1. Find the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. Which part do these states belong to, the Northern States or the Southern States? 2. Which states are most densely populated with slaves? 3. Where did most slaves want to go?

16. BR3.2_1 Timeline of Slavery 1619 -- Slaves in VirginiaAfricans brought to Jamestown are the first slaves imported into Britain’s North American colonies. 1705 -- Slaves as PropertyDescribing slaves as real estate, Virginia lawmakers allow owners to bequeath their slaves. The same law allowed masters to “kill and destroy” runaways. 1775 -- American Revolution BeginsBattles at the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord on April 19 spark the war for American independence from Britain.

17. BR3.2_2 Timeline of Slavery 1776 -- Declaration of IndependenceThe Continental Congress asserts “that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States”. 1783 -- American Revolution EndsBritain and the infant United States sign the Peace of Paris treaty. 1808 -- United States Bans Slave TradeImporting African slaves is outlawed, but smuggling continues. 1860 -- Abraham Lincoln ElectedAbraham Lincoln of Illinois becomes the first Republican to win the United States Presidency.

18. BR3.2_3 Timeline of Slavery 1861~1865 -- United States Civil WarFour years of brutal conflict claim 623,000 lives. 1863 -- Emancipation ProclamationPresident Abraham Lincoln decrees that all slaves in Rebel territory are free on January 1, 1863. 1865 -- Slavery AbolishedThe 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution outlaws slavery.

19. BR3.3_1 The Underground Railroad 1. General Information The Underground Railroad was not underground. Because escaping slaves and the people who helped them were technically breaking the law, they had to stay out of sight. They went “underground” in terms of concealing their actions. Sometimes they even hid in unusual places. Many clever and creative ideas helped slaves during their escape. When abolitionist (废奴主义者) John Fairfield needed to sneak (偷偷摸摸地进行) 28 slaves over the roads near Cincinnati, he hired a hearse (灵车) and disguised the group as a funeral procession. Henry “Box” Brown, a slave, had himself shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia in a wooden box. ■

20. BR3.3_2 The Underground Railroad 2. Routes to Freedom The routes the slaves traveled appear in this map. The trip is 560 miles (900 kilometers) long. A strong, lucky runaway might have made it to freedom in two months. For others, especially in bad weather, the trek (跋涉) might have lasted a year.

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22. BR3.3_1__popwin_a wooden box

23. BR3.3_2__popwin_in this map

24. BR3.3_3 Uncle Tom’s Cabin Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is one of the most famous and popular pieces of Civil War literature.  Drawn from selected pieces of real life anecdotes, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a book that drew many people into the fight over the institution of slavery.  Northerners hailed (欢呼) the book, while southern slaveholders abhorred it. ■

25. GR-main Global Reading 1. True or False 2. Part Division of the Text 3. Further Understanding For Part 1 Questions and Answers For Part 2 Text Analysis

26. According to Barbara Carter, Josiah Henson was a man of principle and totally different from Uncle Tom. Some whites were driven by religious convictions and took part in this movement. GR1_1 True or False 1. Just like Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Josiah Henson was a long-suffering slave who was unwilling to stand up for himself. () F 2. All the men and women who forged the Underground Railroad were blacks. () F

27. GR1_2 True or False 3. These railroad conductors were frequently faced with death threats and warnings from the local government. () T 4. Many fugitives chose Canada as their primary destination because slavery had been abolished there. () T

28. GR2 Part Division of the Text Parts Lines Main Ideas It is high time to honor the heroes who helped liberate slaves by forging the Underground Railroad in the early civil-rights struggles in America. 1~31 1 By citing examples the author praises the exploits of civil-rights heroes who helped slaves travel the Underground Railroad to freedom. 2 32~114

29. GR3.1_1 Questions and Answers 1. Both Josiah Henson and Uncle Tom were slaves. But in the eyes of Barbara Carter, they were different. In what way was Josiah Henson different from Uncle Tom? Uncle Tom was an enduring slave and unwilling to struggle for himself, while Josiah Henson did what he believed was right and took an active part in the anti-slavery movement. 2. Why was Henson called an African-American Moses? In the Bible, Moses was the leader who brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. Just like Moses, Henson helped hundreds of slaves to escape to Canada and liberty, so he was called an African-American Moses.

30. GR3.1_2 Questions and Answers 3. What was the Underground Railroad? Who forged it? The Underground Railroad was a secret web of escape routes and safe houses. Many men and women, including both the blacks and whites, together forged it. 4. Why does the author want to tell the readers the stories of the heroes of the Underground Railroad? Because most of them remain too little remembered and their exploits are still largely unsung.

31. GR3.2 Text Analysis In this part, the author tells the stories of three civil-rights heroes. Who are they? Give the main idea of each story. Stories Heroes Lines Main Ideas John Parker Levi Coffin Josiah Henson After winning his own freedom from slavery, John Parker helped other slaves to escape north to Canada to get freedom. 1 2 3 32~57 58~86 87~114 Supported by a strong religious conviction, the white man Levi Coffin helped black slaves to escape at huge risk. By traveling the Underground Railroad, Josiah Henson reached his destination and became free at last.

32. After reading-Main After Reading 1. Useful Expressions 2. Listen and Answer 3.Problem Solving 4.Writing Practice 5.Proverbs and Quotations

33. After-1.useful-1 Useful Expressions 1.微风 a gentle breeze 2.支持 stand up for 3.有原则的人 a man of principle a historic site 4.历史遗迹 5.解放奴隶 liberate slaves

34. After-1.useful-2 Useful Expressions 6.决定要做某事 be intent on doing sth. 7.轻轻的敲门声 a soft knock 8.铸铁 iron molding spread the news 9.报告消息 10.宗教信仰 religious convictions

35. After-1.useful-3 Useful Expressions 11.得到庇护 find refuge 12.下一段行程 next leg of the journey 13.主要路线 principal routes face risks 14.面临危险 15.课以罚金 impose a fine

36. After-1.useful-4 Useful Expressions 16.记录 keep a log of 17.路标 road signs 18.出殡队伍 a funeral procession a virgin land 19.未开垦的土地 in the eyes of (sb.) 20.在(某人)看来

37. After-2.Listening and Speaking 1 Listen and Answer • Listen to the personal account of runaway slave Linda Brent and answer the following questions. II ■

38. After-2. Listening and Speaking 2 1. What were Linda’s biggest fears? She feared that the snakes might bite her. 2. What conditions did she have to endure? She had to endure the cramped garret, the rats, the stifling air and the darkness. • Why was she disappointed with what she found in New York? It made her sad to find the north followed the customs of slavery.

39. After-3_ Problem Solving Problem Solving If you had been free individuals living at the time, do you think you would have assisted in helping the slaves to freedom? Consider the pros and cons of your decisions, including the dangers for yourselves if you decided to help.

40. After-4_ Writing Practice Writing Practice How do you usually find the information you need in a paper? By using the library resources? It’s a sound idea. But you may have a better choice just by letting your fingers do the job. Guess what it is? Right! The Internet! You have learned quite a lot about the Underground Railroad now, but you may want to know more about what it was like to travel along the Underground Railroad. Here’s how: go through the journey on nationalgeographic.com’s Underground Railroad site (www.nationalgeographic.com/features/railroad). And your homework is to write a composition about the conditions in which slaves lived and some of the dangers that an escaping slave faced.

41. After-5_1 Proverbs and Quotations 1. Give me liberty, or give me death. 不自由，毋宁死。 2. A new breeze is blowing -- and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on: there is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken. -- George Bush, American president 一阵新风正在吹来 —为自由激励的民族随时准备前进：开拓新的道路，采取新的行动。 —美国总统 G. 布什

42. After-5_2 Proverbs and Quotations 3. A man is either free or he is not. There cannot be any apprenticeship for freedom. -- I. A. Baraka, French writer 人要么是自由的，要么是不自由的，从来就不存在过渡阶段。 —法国作家 I. A. 巴拉卡 4. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? -- Patrick Henry, American revolutionary 难道生命如此宝贵，和平如此甜美，以至于不惜以枷锁和奴役为代价来换取吗？ —美国革命家 P. 亨利

43. After-5_3 Proverbs and Quotations 5. Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth. -- George Washington, Father of the United States 自由一旦生根，便是棵迅猛生长的植物。 —美国国父 G.华盛顿

44. Article1 THE FREEDOM GIVERS A gentle breeze swept the Canadian plains as I stepped outside the small two-story house. Alongside me was a slender woman in a black dress, my guide back to a time when the surrounding settlement in Dresden, Ontario, was home to a hero in American history. As we walked toward a plain gray church, Barbara Carter spoke proudly of her great-great-grandfather, Josiah Henson. “He was confident that the Creator intended all men to be created equal. And he never gave up struggling for that freedom.”

45. Article2_S Carter’s devotion to her ancestor is about more than personal pride: it is about family honor. For Josiah Henson has lived on through the character in American fiction that he helped inspire: Uncle Tom, the long-suffering slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ironically, that character has come to symbolize everything Henson was not. A racial sellout unwilling to stand up for himself? Carter gets angry at the thought. “Josiah Henson was a man of principle,” she said firmly.

46. Article3_S I had traveled here to Henson’s last home -- now a historic site that Carter formerly directed -- to learn more about a man who was, in many ways, an African-American Moses. After winning his own freedom from slavery, Henson secretly helped hundreds of other slaves to escape north to Canada -- and liberty. Many settled here in Dresden with him. Yet this stop was only part of a much larger mission for me. Josiah Henson is but one name on a long list of courageous men and women who together forged the Underground Railroad, a secret web of escape routes and safe houses that they used to liberate slaves from the American South. Between 1820 and 1860, as many as 100,000 slaves traveled the Railroad to freedom.

47. Article4 In October 2000, President Clinton authorized $16 million for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to honor this first great civil-rights struggle in the U. S. The center is scheduled to open in 2004 in Cincinnati. And it’s about time. For the heroes of the Underground Railroad remain too little remembered, their exploits still largely unsung. I was intent on telling their stories.

48. Article5 John Parker tensed when he heard the soft knock. Peering out his door into the night, he recognized the face of a trusted neighbor. “There’s a party of escaped slaves hiding in the woods in Kentucky, twenty miles from the river,” the man whispered urgently. Parker didn’t hesitate. “I’ll go,” he said, pushing a pair of pistols into his pockets.

49. Article6_S Born a slave two decades before, in the 1820s, Parker had been taken from his mother at age eight and forced to walk in chains from Virginia to Alabama, where he was sold on the slave market. Determined to live free someday, he managed to get trained in iron molding. Eventually he saved enough money working at this trade on the side to buy his freedom. Now, by day, Parker worked in an iron foundry in the Ohio port of Ripley. By night he was a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, helping people slip by the slave hunters. In Kentucky, where he was now headed, there was a $1000 reward for his capture, dead or alive.

50. Article7_S Crossing the Ohio River on that chilly night, Parker found ten fugitives frozen with fear. “Get your bundles and follow me, ” he told them, leading the eight men and two women toward the river. They had almost reached shore when a watchman spotted them and raced off to spread the news. Parker saw a small boat and, with a shout, pushed the escaping slaves into it. There was room for all but two. As the boat slid across the river, Parker watched helplessly as the pursuers closed in around the men he was forced to leave behind.