HIST 133 African American History to 1865 DuBose-Simons: Home

Group Research and Presentation Assignment

At the end of this semester each student will be required to participate in a group presentation.  For each group doing a presentation, you must collectively decide to focus on some particular aspect of the topic you are assigned. 

Topic: Freedom and equality are ideas at the center of American politics, identity, and values.  During the second half of the 19^th Century the topic of freedom and equality was defined and redefined in relation to the institution of slavery.  Different ideas about economic, political, and civil equality also emerged in support of and in opposition to the institution of slavery. For this presentation each group should choose an individual, organization, or group of people working to define freedom and equality in relation to slavery between 1820 and 1865.  What was their definition of freedom? How did that definition relate to slavery and the construction of race from 1820-1865?

Individual Research
 

Each student will choose a topic and complete a series of research submissions individually.

• All topics must be approved by me.
• Individual submissions will be worth 75 points.
• Outside sources must be used.
• You are required to use both primary and secondary sources. 
• You must also have a thesis.

The purpose is to not just repeat what the textbook says on the topic, but to find more information for the rest of the class to expand our knowledge on the topic.  Be sure to include in your presentation the significance of the person(s) or events you are presenting on.  In other words, make sure you answer the following questions: What was their definition of freedom? How did that definition relate to slavery and the construction of race from 1820-1865?

• John Brown
• David Walker
• Free Soil Party
• Theodore Dwight Weld
• American Colonization Society
• Nat Turner Rebellion
• Angelina and Sarah Grimke
• Solomon Northup
• “Wages of Whiteness” / whiteness theory
• Minstrelsy
• Raid on Harper’s Ferry 1859
• Charles Grandison Finney
• New York City Draft Riots of 1861
• Underground Railroad
• Emancipation Proclamation and its significance
• Abraham Lincoln
• Frederick Douglass
• Sojourner Truth
• Southern Christianity / churches / ministers
• John Calhoun
• “The Mudsill Theory”

Group Presentation

• Based on individual topics I will place you into groups to present your research to the rest of the class. Presentations should be approximately 15-20 minutes in length (based on group size). 
• The presentation must also connect your topic to present day conditions in American society.
• It should include reference to primary and secondary sources.
• It should also include an answer to the research question: What was their definition of freedom? How did that definition relate to slavery and the construction of race from 1820-1865?

Individual Research
 

Each student will choose a topic and complete a series of research submissions individually.

• All topics must be approved by me.
• Individual submissions will be worth 75 points.
• Outside sources must be used.
• You are required to use both primary and secondary sources. 
• You must also have a thesis.

The purpose is to not just repeat what the textbook says on the topic, but to find more information for the rest of the class to expand our knowledge on the topic.  Be sure to include in your presentation the significance of the person(s) or events you are presenting on.  In other words, make sure you answer the following questions: What was their definition of freedom? How did that definition relate to slavery and the construction of race from 1820-1865?

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSIONS

• Timeline
• Scholarly Article Summary
• Primary Source Analysis
• Individual Thesis
• Bibliography