Assignment: Frederick Douglass

We now turn our attention to arguably, America’s original sin—slavery. Please go over all the files in the
module before doing the assignment.

The Learning Objectives are:

1. How Frederick Douglass, born a slave, was determined to escape the chain and the whip and
become a free man. His strategy was to become educated and, despite laws and customs that
prohibited slaves from learning to read and write, he accomplished his objective. His education
set him free as well as enabling him to be the most influential civil rights leader of the 19 th
century.
2. Choose a single significant theme from his autobiography and find quotes from the text to
support it.
3. Find articles, journals and books in library databases (secondary sources) that address the
chosen theme. To this point in the other modules, I have recommended working with sources
that address the particular reading. Here you may expand the scope and search for material on
American slavery beyond just Frederick Douglass. I.e. Other slaves who endeavored to learn
how to read and write.
4. USE A QUOTE FROM A 2NDRY SOURCE TO ANCHOR THESIS AND SERVE AS AN OUTLINE FOR
ESSAY. THIS WOULD NOT BE A QUOTE FROM DOUGLASS’S MEMOIR (THAT’S THE PRIMARY
SOURCE).
5. Create an annotated bibliography reflecting and chronicling your research. (At least six sources)
6. Make appointments with reference librarians to help with research,
7. Make appointments with tutors in the Tutoring Center to edit your essay.
8. Do peer work with classmates to discuss assignments and essay.

After carefully reading Douglass’s memoir, choose a single significant theme. You may take a look at
Sparknotes or Wikipedia for suggestions. I include segments of speeches by other renowned Black
orators as Douglass was considered a brilliant orator. This may serve as a theme. The Netflix video
focusing on the 14th Amendment may also inspire a theme you may pursue. Again, remember these are
not necessarily academic sources and cannot be used in either the essay or annotated bibliography but
serve as prompts for searches in library’s databases.

FINAL PRODUCT

1. Essay
2. Annotated Bibliography

The essay should be 750-1000 words. Essay should contain 4-6 quotes from the primary source as well
as 6 quotes out of your annotated bibliography. There should be at least 6 sources in the annotated
bibliography. YOU MUST HAVE A SECONDARY SOURCE QUOTE TO BOLSTER THESIS IN ESSAY’S 1 ST
PARAGRAPH!

A few possible themes:

1. Education
2. Christianity
3. The Owner’s Brutality