Nathan W.
Ally B.
Jack A.
Nathan F.
Slide 1: Slavery has existed since the beginning. Africans were kidnapped and forced
into slavery. Slaves were taken away from their homes and families to work on a
plantation; slaves were lucky if they even survived to go back home and see their
families. Slaves were placed in unbearable conditions to be tortured by their masters. The
issue of slavery has caused several problems, all culminating in the Civil War with the
abolitionists fighting to end slavery and the slave owners fighting to keep it.
Slide 2 and 3: Willis was born on July 17th, 1845, in Mississippi. Willis was forced to
work on a plantation for a man named Bob. Bob treated Willis with harsh punishments
including whipping and other forms of physical abuse. Willis slept with the pigs in the
barn and was not treated well by his master Bob.
Slide 4: Once President Abraham Lincoln was elected president, slaves could now live
freely thanks to the passing of the 13th amendment, which outlawed slavery in the United
States. The 13th amendment was a large step in the direction of freeing the slaves. The
14th amendment was then passed giving Willis, United States citizenship. The 14th
amendment recognized that Willis was born in Mississippi thus making him a United
States citizen.
Slide 5: After the Civil War, Willis had no money, education, or a place to live. In light
of the founding of the Freedman’s Bureau and the growing use of sharecropping, Willis
began to search for a job. Sharecropping allowed Willis to get a job, but landowners
made it difficult for Willis to make money. Willis was not able to sell the share of crops
he produced on the landowner’s farm, which left him unable to pay off his debt.
Slide 6: The KKK, a white supremacist group, sought to take away Willis’ new rights
and wanted him to still be held to the bonds of slavery. The KKK terrorized Willis and
wanted Willis to die.
Slide 7: After Lincoln was assassinated; Willis began to fear that his rights were going to
be violated. Lincoln helped Willis in his quest to freedom by leading the United States
towards outlawing slavery, but once Lincoln passed away Willis felt that his voice was
quieted.
Slide 8: In 1868, Willis voted the Republican candidate, Ulysses S. Grant to become
president. Once Ulysses S. Grant is elected president, Willis finally feels that his voice is
being heard.
Slide 9: During Reconstruction, the North protected Willis’ political and social rights.
Once the Compromise of 1877 ends Reconstruction, the governments of Southern States
begin to take away Willis’ rights as a free slave that he once enjoyed.