Read the excerpts from published slave narratives found in Content under
American Voices as AV I. Complete and submit a ten-paragraph written
assignment based on this content (and this content alone) addressing each
of the four topics below and following the instructions and format for each
topic:
1. Compare and contrast the accounts of Olaudah Equiano and
Boyrereau Brinch:
Based on the limited information available to you in these two
excerpts, what do you think Equiano and Brinch want their
audiences to know about their lives in Africa before they were
captured? (Paragraph one)
While both excerpts describe the capture of young people in
western Africa, what was the essential difference between
Equiano’s kidnappers and those that grabbed Brinch, and how
does this fact explain the differences in the experience each
described? (Paragraph two)
2. Compare and contrast the accounts of Henry Bibb, Josiah
Henson, and William Anderson:
What conclusions can you draw about slave auctions in the
South from reading these three accounts? Identify, describe,
and provide evidence of at least two common and prevalent
themes (Paragraphs three and four – one for each common
theme)
In what important way was Henry Bibb and his experience
different from that of Henson and Anderson? (Paragraph
five)
3. Compare and contrast the accounts of John Jacobs, Lunsford
Lane, and Harriet Jacobs:
What conclusions can you draw about the worst aspects of
living as a slave in the American South from the reading of
these three accounts? Identify and describe one unique
(shared in only one account) deprivation or danger from
each account (John Jacobs – Paragraph six; Lunsford Lane
– Paragraph seven; Harriet Jacobs – Paragraph eight)
From a personal perspective, which of the three aspects you
identified in Paragraph five would you consider the worst and
why? (Paragraph nine)
4. What is your most important takeaway from these document
excerpts and what makes these 19th century accounts relevant
today?
Identify a relevant current issue in the United States and
explain how the position a 21st century American takes on
this issue could be informed by the history revealed in this
set of primary documents. (Paragraph ten
