(c) ©Corbis; (bg) ©Antonio
Abrignani/Shutterstock
COLLEC TION 3
The Move Toward Freedom
I should fight for liberty as long as my strength lasted.
—Harriet Tubman
141
COLLEC TION 3
The Move Toward Freedom
In this collection, you
will focus on the quest
for freedom that led to
the American Civil War.
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COLLECTION
PERFORMANCE TASK Preview
At the end of this collection, you will complete two performance tasks:
t*OUIFGJSTU ZPVXJMMQBSUJDJQBUFJOBDPMMBCPSBUJWFEJTDVTTJPOBCPVUIPXQFPQMF
responded to the struggle against slavery.
t*OUIFTFDPOE ZPVXJMMXSJUFBMJUFSBSZBOBMZTJTJOXIJDIZPVDPOTJEFSUIFTZNCPMJTN
in a story in light of its historical context.
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
4UVEZ UIF XPSET BOE UIFJS EFGJOJUJPOT JO UIF DIBSU CFMPX :PV XJMM VTF UIFTF XPSET BT
ZPVEJTDVTTBOEXSJUFBCPVUUIFUFYUTJOUIJTDPMMFDUJPO
142
Definition
Related Forms
access
(√k´s≈s) n.
a way of approaching or making use of
BDDFTTJCMF BDDFTTFE
civil
(s∆v´∂l) adj.
of, or related to, citizens and their relations
with each other and the state
civilization, civilian,
civil rights
demonstrate
(d≈m´∂n-str∑t´) v.
UP TIPX DMFBSMZ BOE EFMJCFSBUFMZ
demonstration,
EFNPOTUSBCMF
document
(d≤k´y∂-m∂nt) n.
written or printed paper that provides
evidence or information
documentary,
documentation
symbolize
(s∆m´b∂-lπz´) v.
UP TFSWF BT B TZNCPM PG PS SFQSFTFOU
something else
TZNCPM TZNCPMJD
TZNCPMJTN
(c) ©Corbis; (bg) ©Antonio Abrignani/Shutterstock
Word
VIDEO
Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) was born into enslavement in
Maryland at a time when slavery was still legal in many states in
the Union. As Douglass grew up, he tried to escape several times.
Finally, in 1838, he succeeded. Douglass went on to become a
famous speaker and writer, fighting to abolish, or end, slavery.
His autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,
an American Slave, became a best seller in the United States
and Europe.
from
Narrative of the
Life of Frederick Douglass,
an American Slave
Autobiography by Frederick Douglass
SETTING A PURPOSE As you read, consider why Frederick
Douglass chose these particular events to write about. Think
about what his focus on these events reveals about his
character and his struggle for freedom.
(tr) ©Corbis; (c) ©aceshot1/Shutterstock
I
10
lived in Master Hugh’s family about seven years. During
this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write. In
accomplishing this, I was compelled to resort to various
stratagems. I had no regular teacher. My mistress, who had
kindly commenced to instruct me, had, in compliance with
the advice and direction of her husband, not only ceased to
instruct, but had set her face against my being instructed by
any one else. It is due, however, to my mistress to say of her,
that she did not adopt this course of treatment immediately.
She at first lacked the depravity1 indispensable to shutting me
up in mental darkness. It was at least necessary for her to have
1
As you read, mark up
the text. Save your
work to myNotebook.
t Highlight details
t Add notes and
questions
t Add new words to
myWordList
depravity (d∆-pr√v´∆-t∏): moral corruption.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
143
20
30
40
some training in the exercise of irresponsible power, to make
her equal to the task of treating me as though I were a brute.
My mistress was, as I have said, a kind and tender-hearted
woman; and in the simplicity of her soul she commenced,
when I first went to live with her, to treat me as she supposed
one human being ought to treat another. In entering upon
the duties of a slaveholder, she did not seem to perceive that
I sustained to her the relation of a mere chattel,2 and that for
her to treat me as a human being was not only wrong, but
dangerously so. Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to
me. When I went there, she was a pious warm, and tenderhearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which
she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for
the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within
her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of
these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart
became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of
tigerlike fierceness. The first step in her downward course was
in her ceasing to instruct me. She now commenced to practise
her husband’s precepts.3 She finally became even more violent
in her opposition than her husband himself. She was not
satisfied with simply doing as well as he had commanded; she
seemed anxious to do better. Nothing seemed to make her
more angry than to see me with a newspaper. She seemed to
think that here lay the danger. I have had her rush at me with
a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a newspaper,
in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension. She was
an apt woman; and a little experience soon demonstrated, to
her satisfaction, that education and slavery were incompatible
with each other.
From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a
separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to
be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give
an account of myself. All this, however, was too late. The first
step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet,
had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me
from taking the ell.
2
3
chattel (ch√t´l): a property or slave.
precepts (pr∏´s≈pts´): a rule or principal regarding action or conduct.
144 Collection 3
commence
(k∂-m≈ns´) v. When
things commence,
they begin or start.
apprehension
(√p´r∆-h≈n´sh∂n) n.
Apprehension is the
fear or dread of the
future.
Slavery proved as injurious
to her as it did to me.
50
60
70
80
The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was
most successful, was that of making friends of all the little
white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as
I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid,
obtained at different times and in different places, I finally
succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands,
I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my
errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return.
I used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was
always in the house, and to which I was always welcome; for
I was much better off in this regard than many of the poor
white children in our neighborhood. This bread I used to
bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would
give me that more valuable bread of knowledge. I am strongly
tempted to give the names of two or three of those little boys,
as a testimonial of the gratitude and affection I bear them; but
prudence forbids;—not that it would injure me, but it might
embarrass them; for it is almost an unpardonable offence to
teach slaves to read in this Christian country. It is enough to
say of the dear little fellows, that they lived on Philpot Street,
very near Durgin and Bailey’s ship-yard. I used to talk this
matter of slavery over with them. I would sometimes say to
them, I wished I could be as free as they would be when they
got to be men. “You will be free as soon as you are twenty-one,
but I am a slave for life! Have not I as good a right to be free
as you have?” These words used to trouble them; they would
express for me the liveliest sympathy, and console me with the
hope that something would occur by which I might be free.
I was now about twelve years old, and the thought of
being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart.
Just about this time, I got hold of a book entitled “The
Columbian Orator.” 4 Every opportunity I got, I used to read
this book. Among much of other interesting matter, I found
in it a dialogue between a master and his slave. The slave was
4
prudence
(pr◊d´ns) n.
Prudence is the wise
handling of practical
matters.
“The Columbian Orator”: a collection of political essays, poems, and
dialogues that were used to teach reading and speaking at the beginning of the
19th century.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
145
90
100
110
represented as having run away from his master three times.
The dialogue represented the conversation which took place
between them, when the slave was retaken the third time. In
this dialogue, the whole argument in behalf of slavery was
brought forward by the master, all of which was disposed of by
the slave. The slave was made to say some very smart as well
as impressive things in reply to his master—things which had
the desired though unexpected effect; for the conversation
resulted in the voluntary emancipation of the slave on the
part of the master.
In the same book, I met with one of Sheridan’s mighty
speeches on and in behalf of Catholic emancipation.5 These
were choice documents to me. I read them over and over
again with unabated interest. They gave tongue to interesting
thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed
through my mind, and died away for want of utterance. The
moral which I gained from the dialogue was the power of
truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder. What I got
from Sheridan was a bold denunciation of slavery, and a
powerful vindication of human rights. The reading of these
documents enabled me to utter my thoughts, and to meet the
arguments brought forward to sustain slavery; but while they
relieved me of one difficulty, they brought on another even
more painful than the one of which I was relieved. The more
I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I
could regard them in no other light than a band of successful
robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and
stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us
to slavery. I loathed them as being the meanest as well as the
most wicked of men. As I read and contemplated the subject,
behold! that very discontentment which Master Hugh had
predicted would follow my learning to read had already come,
to torment and sting my soul to unutterable anguish. As I
writhed under it, I would at times feel that learning to read
had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a
view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened
5
one of Sheridan’s mighty speeches on and behalf of Catholic
emancipation: Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) was an Irish playwright
and politician who made speeches about the rights of people who practiced the
Roman Catholic religion in Britain and Ireland.
146 Collection 3
unabated
(≠n´∂-b∑´t∆d) adj.
If something is
unabated, it keeps
its full force without
decreasing.
denunciation
(d∆-n≠n´s∏-∑´sh∂n) n.
A denunciation is the
public condemnation
of something as
wrong or evil.
vindication
(v∆n´d∆-k∑´sh∂n) n.
Vindication is the
evidence or proof
that someone’s claim
is correct.
120
130
my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to
get out. In moments of agony, I envied my fellow-slaves for
their stupidity. I have often wished myself a beast. I preferred
the condition of the meanest reptile to my own. Any thing,
no matter what, to get rid of thinking! It was this everlasting
thinking of my condition that tormented me. There was no
getting rid of it. It was pressed upon me by every object within
sight or hearing, animate or inanimate. The silver trump of
freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness. Freedom
now appeared, to disappear no more forever. It was heard
in every sound, and seen in every thing. It was ever present
to torment me with a sense of my wretched condition. I saw
nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it,
and felt nothing without feeling it. It looked from every star, it
smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in
every storm.
COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION Frederick Douglass describes his
ability to read as a curse. With a partner, discuss why he comes to
think this way after working so hard to learn to read. Cite specific
evidence from the text to support your ideas.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
147
Analyze Text: Autobiography
EL A RI.8.3, RI.8.6
ELD PI.8.6
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography, an account of
the writer’s own life. Almost all autobiographies
t are told from the first-person point of view using the pronouns I and me
t focus on the most significant events and people over a period of time in
the author’s life
Authors of autobiography often have a purpose, or reason for writing,
beyond informing readers about what happened to one individual. For
example, writers might also want to shed light on the time period in which
they lived, or on an issue that has shaped their lives as well as the lives of
others. Sometimes writers state their purpose directly, but often you must
infer it by paying attention to what topics they come back to repeatedly
and the thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs about these topics that they reveal.
What topic does Frederick Douglass focus on in this excerpt of his
autobiography?
Analyze Structure
EL A RI.8.5
ELD PI.8.6, PII.8.1
In an autobiography, authors often choose to focus on events that are related
by cause and effect, which means that one event brings about another
event or creates a change in attitude. The first event is the cause, and what
follows is the effect. Paragraphs may be structured to show these cause-andeffect relationships.
For example, review the second paragraph of this selection. Douglass
begins by saying his mistress was “a kind and tender-hearted woman,” and
he gives examples to support his statement. Then he explains how slavery
caused her to change. “Under its influence, the tender heart became stone,
and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tigerlike fierceness.” He
supports this description of slavery’s effects by giving examples. “Nothing
seemed to make her more angry than to see me with a newspaper. . . . I have
had her rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a
newspaper.”
Cause: Slavery
Effect: A kind woman turns angry and cruel.
Review the autobiography and find another paragraph that explains a
cause-and-effect relationship.
148 Collection 3
eBook
EL A RI.8.1, RI.8.3, RI.8.4, RI.8.5, RI.8.6, W.8.2b,
W.8.9b, SL.8.1a, SL.8.4 ELD PI.8.1, PI.8.6,
PI.8.7, PI.8.10, PI.8.11, PII.8.1
Analyzing the Text
Cite Text Evidence
Support your responses with evidence from the text.
1.
Cause/Effect Read lines 14–48. Did the mistress’s initial kindness or her
eventual cruelty have a greater effect on Frederick Douglass? Explain.
2.
Interpret When describing how he paid his child tutors, Douglass says,
“This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return,
would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.” In what way is
knowledge “bread”?
3.
Cause/Effect Douglass reads a dialogue between a master and his slave
as well as a speech by Sheridan. In a chart like the one shown, list several
effects that resulted from reading these documents.
Cause: Douglass reads
dialogue and speech.
Effect:
Effect:
Effect:
4.
Analyze Why does Douglass say in line 121, “I have often wished myself
a beast”?
5.
Evaluate Reread lines 105–112. What words reveal Douglass’s perspective
on, or view of, slaveholders?
6.
Analyze What is Douglass’s purpose for writing? Identify three events in
this selection that help him achieve his goal.
Speaking and Listening
In lines 116–117, Douglass says “ I would at times feel that learning to read
had been a curse rather than a blessing.” With a partner or small group,
discuss Douglass’s statement and examine whether people today might share
his attitude. Be sure to support your views with evidence from the text.
PERFORMANCE TASK
Writing Activity: Literary Analysis
How does the tone of Douglass’s
autobiography help him achieve his
purpose? Write a short literary analysis.
t With a partner, discuss the author’s
purpose for writing. Identify the
tone of the piece, or the writer’s
attitude toward his subject.
t Next, find examples where
Douglass’s choice of words helps
establish the tone.
t When you write, begin by stating
your view. Then support that view
with evidence from the text.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
149
EL A L.8.4a, L.8.4d
ELD PI.8.6
Critical Vocabulary
commence
apprehension
prudence
unabated
denunciation
vindication
Practice and Apply Use what you know about the Vocabulary words to
answer the following questions.
1.
If a criminal receives vindication, will he feel relieved or upset?
2.
Which demonstrates prudence, saving an allowance or spending it all?
3.
To commence baking a cake, would you stir the batter or study the
recipe?
4.
Which is a type of denunciation, praise or criticism?
5.
Would you feel apprehension about taking a test or about getting an A?
6.
If your interest in Frederick Douglass is unabated, will you read many
books about him or just one?
Vocabulary Strategy: Use Context Clues
Context clues are the words, phrases, and sentences surrounding a word
that provide hints about a word’s definition. These clues can be found either
before or after the unfamiliar word. Look at this example:
She seemed to think that here lay the danger. I have had her
rush at me with a face made all up of fury . . . in a manner that
fully revealed her apprehension.
The first sentence says that the subject perceives some danger. This provides
a clue to the meaning of the word apprehension, which you can infer is a
feeling of fear or dread that often arises in the face of danger. The dictionary
definition confirms this guess.
Practice and Apply Find the following words in Douglass’s autobiography.
Look at the surrounding words, phrases, and sentences for clues to each
word’s meaning. On a separate piece of paper, fill out a chart like the
one shown.
Word
divest (line 26)
apt (line 39)
bestow (line 61)
console (line 75)
150 Collection 3
Context
Clues
Guessed
Definition
Dictionary
Definition
VIDEO
Background Before the Civil War, many enslaved people
fled north to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret
network of safe houses. One of the Underground Railroad’s most
famous “conductors” was Harriet Tubman.
Ann Lane Petry (1908–1997) grew up in a small town in
Connecticut, where she and her family were the only African
American residents. Much of her writing focused on the
important contributions of African Americans.
from
HARRIET TUBMAN:
Conductor on the
Underground Railroad
Biography by Ann Petry
SETTING A PURPOSE As you read, look for clues about the
kind of person Harriet Tubman was. What qualities led others
to trust her as a leader? Write down any questions you have.
The Railroad Runs to Canada
©Jacob Harris/AP/Wide World Photos
A
10
long the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in Dorchester
County, in Caroline County, the masters kept hearing
whispers about the man named Moses, who was running off
slaves. At first they did not believe in his existence. The stories
about him were fantastic, unbelievable. Yet they watched for
him. They offered rewards for his capture.
They never saw him. Now and then they heard whispered
rumors to the effect that he was in the neighborhood. The
woods were searched. The roads were watched. There was
never anything to indicate his whereabouts. But a few days
afterward, a goodly number of slaves would be gone from the
plantation. Neither the master nor the overseer had heard or
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
151
20
30
40
50
seen anything unusual in the quarter.1 Sometimes one or the
other would vaguely remember having heard a whippoorwill
call somewhere in the woods, close by, late at night. Though it
was the wrong season for whippoorwills.
Sometimes the masters thought they had heard the cry of a
hoot owl, repeated, and would remember having thought that
the intervals between the low moaning cry were wrong, that
it had been repeated four times in succession instead of three.
There was never anything more than that to suggest that all
was not well in the quarter. Yet when morning came, they
invariably discovered that a group of the finest slaves had
taken to their heels.
Unfortunately, the discovery was almost always made on
a Sunday. Thus a whole day was lost before the machinery of
pursuit could be set in motion. The posters offering rewards
for the fugitives could not be printed until Monday. The men
who made a living hunting for runaway slaves were out of
reach, off in the woods with their dogs and their guns, in
pursuit of four-footed game, or they were in camp meetings
saying their prayers with their wives and families beside them.
Harriet Tubman could have told them that there was
far more involved in this matter of running off slaves than
signaling the would-be runaways by imitating the call of a
whippoorwill, or a hoot owl, far more involved than a matter
of waiting for a clear night when the North Star was visible.
In December, 1851, when she started out with the band
of fugitives that she planned to take to Canada, she had been
in the vicinity of the plantation for days, planning the trip,
carefully selecting the slaves that she would take with her.
She had announced her arrival in the quarter by singing
the forbidden spiritual—“Go down, Moses, ’way down to
Egypt Land”2—singing it softly outside the door of a slave
cabin, late at night. The husky voice was beautiful even when
it was barely more than a murmur borne3 on the wind.
Once she had made her presence known, word of her
coming spread from cabin to cabin. The slaves whispered
to each other, ear to mouth, mouth to ear, “Moses is here.”
“Moses has come.” “Get ready. Moses is back again.” The ones
1
2
3
quarter: the area in which enslaved people lived.
“Go down, Moses, ’way down to Egypt Land”: a line from an African
American folk song.
borne: carried.
152 Collection 3
60
70
80
who had agreed to go North with her put ashcake and salt
herring in an old bandanna, hastily tied it into a bundle, and
then waited patiently for the signal that meant it was time
to start.
There were eleven in this party, including one of her
brothers and his wife. It was the largest group that she had
ever conducted, but she was determined that more and more
slaves should know what freedom was like.
She had to take them all the way to Canada. The Fugitive
Slave Law4 was no longer a great many incomprehensible
words written down on the country’s lawbooks. The new law
had become a reality. It was Thomas Sims, a boy, picked up on
the streets of Boston at night and shipped back to Georgia. It
was Jerry and Shadrach, arrested and jailed with no warning.
She had never been in Canada. The route beyond
Philadelphia was strange to her. But she could not let the
runaways who accompanied her know this. As they walked
along she told them stories of her own first flight, she kept
painting vivid word pictures of what it would be like to be
free.
But there were so many of them this time. She knew
moments of doubt when she was half-afraid, and kept looking
back over her shoulder, imagining that she heard the sound
of pursuit. They would certainly be pursued. Eleven of them.
Eleven thousand dollars’ worth of flesh and bone and muscle
that belonged to Maryland planters. If they were caught, the
eleven runaways would be whipped and sold South, but she—
she would probably be hanged.
They tried to sleep during the day but they never could
wholly relax into sleep. She could tell by the positions they
assumed, by their restless movements. And they walked at
night. Their progress was slow. It took them three nights of
walking to reach the first stop. She had told them about the
place where they would stay, promising warmth and good
food, holding these things out to them as an incentive to
keep going.
When she knocked on the door of a farmhouse, a
place where she and her parties of runaways had always been
welcome, always been given shelter and plenty to eat, there
4
Fugitive Slave Law: a law by which enslaved people who escaped could be
recovered by their owners.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
153
90
100
110
120
was no answer. She knocked again, softly. A voice from within
said, “Who is it?” There was fear in the voice.
She knew instantly from the sound of the voice that there
was something wrong. She said, “A friend with friends,” the
password on the Underground Railroad.
The door opened, slowly. The man who stood in the
doorway looked at her coldly, looked with unconcealed
astonishment and fear at the eleven disheveled runaways who
were standing near her. Then he shouted, “Too many, too
many. It’s not safe. My place was searched last week. It’s not
safe!” and slammed the door in her face.
She turned away from the house, frowning. She had
promised her passengers food and rest and warmth, and
instead of that, there would be hunger and cold and more
walking over the frozen ground. Somehow she would have
to instill courage into these eleven people, most of them
strangers, would have to feed them on hope and bright dreams
of freedom instead of the fried pork and corn bread and milk
she had promised them.
They stumbled along behind her, half-dead for sleep,
and she urged them on, though she was as tired and as
discouraged as they were. She had never been in Canada but
she kept painting wondrous word pictures of what it would be
like. She managed to dispel their fear of pursuit, so that they
would not become hysterical, panic-stricken. Then she had to
bring some of the fear back, so that they would stay awake and
keep walking though they drooped with sleep.
Yet during the day, when they lay down deep in a thicket,
they never really slept, because if a twig snapped or the wind
sighed in the branches of a pine tree, they jumped to their
feet, afraid of their own shadows, shivering and shaking. It
was very cold, but they dared not make fires because someone
would see the smoke and wonder about it.
She kept thinking, eleven of them. Eleven thousand
dollars’ worth of slaves. And she had to take them all the way
to Canada. Sometimes she told them about Thomas Garrett,
in Wilmington. She said he was their friend even though he
did not know them. He was the friend of all fugitives. He
called them God’s poor. He was a Quaker5 and his speech was
a little different from that of other people. His clothing was
5
Quaker: a member of a religious group called the Society of Friends.
154 Collection 3
disheveled
(d∆-sh≈v´∂ld) adj.
When something is
disheveled, it is messy
or untidy.
instill
(∆n-st∆l´) v. When you
instill something, you
supply it gradually.
dispel
(d∆-sp≈l´) v.
When you dispel
something, you
drive it away.
©Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
Harriet Tubman
130
140
different, too. He wore the wide-brimmed hat that the
Quakers wear.
She said that he had thick white hair, soft, almost like a
baby’s, and the kindest eyes she had ever seen. He was a big
man and strong, but he had never used his strength to harm
anyone, always to help people. He would give all of them
a new pair of shoes. Everybody. He always did. Once they
reached his house in Wilmington, they would be safe. He
would see to it that they were.
She described the house where he lived, told them about
the store where he sold shoes. She said he kept a pail of milk
and a loaf of bread in the drawer of his desk so that he would
have food ready at hand for any of God’s poor who should
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
155
150
160
170
suddenly appear before him, fainting with hunger. There
was a hidden room in the store. A whole wall swung open,
and behind it was a room where he could hide fugitives.
On the wall there were shelves filled with small boxes—
boxes of shoes—so that you would never guess that the wall
actually opened.
While she talked, she kept watching them. They did not
believe her. She could tell by their expressions. They were
thinking, New shoes, Thomas Garrett, Quaker, Wilmington—
what foolishness was this? Who knew if she told the truth?
Where was she taking them anyway?
That night they reached the next stop—a farm that
belonged to a German. She made the runaways take shelter
behind trees at the edge of the fields before she knocked at the
door. She hesitated before she approached the door, thinking,
suppose that he, too, should refuse shelter, suppose—Then she
thought, Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to You and You’ve
got to see me through—and knocked softly.
She heard the familiar guttural voice say, “Who’s there?”
She answered quickly, “A friend with friends.”
He opened the door and greeted her warmly. “How many
this time?” he asked.
“Eleven,” she said and waited, doubting, wondering.
He said, “Good. Bring them in.”
He and his wife fed them in the lamplit kitchen, their faces
glowing, as they offered food and more food, urging them to
eat, saying there was plenty for everybody, have more milk,
have more bread, have more meat.
They spent the night in the warm kitchen. They really
slept, all that night and until dusk the next day. When they
left, it was with reluctance. They had all been warm and safe
and well-fed. It was hard to exchange the security offered by
that clean warm kitchen for the darkness and the cold of a
December night.
“Go On or Die”
180
Harriet had found it hard to leave the warmth and
friendliness, too. But she urged them on. For a while, as
they walked, they seemed to carry in them a measure of
contentment; some of the serenity and the cleanliness of that
big warm kitchen lingered on inside them. But as they walked
farther and farther away from the warmth and the light, the
156 Collection 3
linger
(l∆ng´g∂r) v. When
you linger, you remain
or stay longer.
190
200
210
220
cold and the darkness entered into them. They fell silent,
sullen, suspicious. She waited for the moment when some one
of them would turn mutinous. It did not happen that night.
Two nights later she was aware that the feet behind her
were moving slower and slower. She heard the irritability in
their voices, knew that soon someone would refuse to go on.
She started talking about William Still and the
Philadelphia Vigilance Committee.6 No one commented. No
one asked any questions. She told them the story of William
and Ellen Craft and how they escaped from Georgia. Ellen
was so fair that she looked as though she were white, and
so she dressed up in a man’s clothing and she looked like a
wealthy young planter. Her husband, William, who was dark,
played the role of her slave. Thus they traveled from Macon,
Georgia, to Philadelphia, riding on the trains, staying at the
finest hotels. Ellen pretended to be very ill—her right arm was
in a sling, and her right hand was bandaged, because she was
supposed to have rheumatism. Thus she avoided having to
sign the register at the hotels for she could not read or write.
They finally arrived safely in Philadelphia, and then went on
to Boston.
No one said anything. Not one of them seemed to have
heard her.
She told them about Frederick Douglass, the most famous
of the escaped slaves, of his eloquence, of his magnificent
appearance. Then she told them of her own first vain effort at
running away, evoking the memory of that miserable life she
had led as a child, reliving it for a moment in the telling.
But they had been tired too long, hungry too long, afraid
too long, footsore too long. One of them suddenly cried out in
despair, “Let me go back. It is better to be a slave than to suffer
like this in order to be free.”
She carried a gun with her on these trips. She had
never used it—except as a threat. Now as she aimed it, she
experienced a feeling of guilt, remembering that time, years
ago, when she had prayed for the death of Edward Brodas, the
Master, and then not too long afterward had heard that great
wailing cry that came from the throats of the field hands, and
knew from the sound that the Master was dead.
6
sullen
(s≠l´∂n) adj. Sullen
people show silent
resentment.
eloquence
(≈l´∂-kw∂ns) n.
Eloquence is the
ability to speak
powerfully and
persuasively.
evoke
(∆-v∫k´) v. When you
evoke something, you
summon it.
Philadelphia Vigilance Committee: fundraising organization that helped
people who escaped enslavement.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
157
230
240
One of the runaways said, again, “Let me go back. Let me
go back,” and stood still, and then turned around and said,
over his shoulder, “I am going back.”
She lifted the gun, aimed it at the despairing slave. She
said, “Go on with us or die.” The husky low-pitched voice
was grim.
He hesitated for a moment and then he joined the others.
They started walking again. She tried to explain to them why
none of them could go back to the plantation. If a runaway
returned, he would turn traitor, the master and the overseer
would force him to turn traitor. The returned slave would
disclose the stopping places, the hiding places, the cornstacks
they had used with the full knowledge of the owner of the
farm, the name of the German farmer who had fed them
and sheltered them. These people who had risked their own
security to help runaways would be ruined, fined, imprisoned.
She said, “We got to go free or die. And freedom’s not
bought with dust.”
This time she told them about the long agony of the
Middle Passage7 on the old slave ships, about the black horror
of the holds, about the chains and the whips. They too knew
these stories. But she wanted to remind them of the long hard
7
Middle Passage: sea route along which enslaved Africans were transported to
the Americas.
158 Collection 3
©Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division
A stop on the Underground Railroad
250
260
270
280
way they had come, about the long hard way they had yet to
go. She told them about Thomas Sims, the boy picked up on
the streets of Boston and sent back to Georgia. She said when
they got him back to Savannah, got him in prison there, they
whipped him until a doctor who was standing by watching
said, “You will kill him if you strike him again!” His master
said, “Let him die!”
Thus she forced them to go on. Sometimes she thought
she had become nothing but a voice speaking in the darkness,
cajoling, urging, threatening. Sometimes she told them things
to make them laugh, sometimes she sang to them, and heard
the eleven voices behind her blending softly with hers, and
then she knew that for the moment all was well with them.
She gave the impression of being a short, muscular,
indomitable woman who could never be defeated. Yet at any
moment she was liable to be seized by one of those curious fits
of sleep, which might last for a few minutes or for hours.
Even on this trip, she suddenly fell asleep in the woods.
The runaways, ragged, dirty, hungry, cold, did not steal the
gun as they might have, and set off by themselves, or turn
back. They sat on the ground near her and waited patiently
until she awakened. They had come to trust her implicitly,
totally. They, too, had come to believe her repeated statement,
“We got to go free or die.” She was leading them into freedom,
and so they waited until she was ready to go on.
Finally, they reached Thomas Garrett’s house in
Wilmington, Delaware. Just as Harriet had promised, Garrett
gave them all new shoes, and provided carriages to take them
on to the next stop.
By slow stages they reached Philadelphia, where William
Still hastily recorded their names, and the plantations whence
they had come, and something of the life they had led in
slavery. Then he carefully hid what he had written, for fear it
might be discovered. In 1872 he published this record in book
form and called it The Underground Railroad. In the foreword
to his book he said: “While I knew the danger of keeping
strict records, and while I did not then dream that in my day
slavery would be blotted out, or that the time would come
when I could publish these records, it used to afford me great
satisfaction to take them down, fresh from the lips of fugitives
on the way to freedom, and to preserve them as they had
given them.”
cajole
(k∂-j∫l´) v. When you
cajole, you coax or
urge gently.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
159
290
300
William Still, who was familiar with all the station stops
on the Underground Railroad, supplied Harriet with money
and sent her and her eleven fugitives on to Burlington, New
Jersey.
Harriet felt safer now, though there were danger spots
ahead. But the biggest part of her job was over. As they went
farther and farther north, it grew colder; she was aware of
the wind on the Jersey ferry and aware of the cold damp in
New York. From New York they went on to Syracuse, where
the temperature was even lower.
In Syracuse she met the Reverend J. W. Loguen, known
as “Jarm” Loguen. This was the beginning of a lifelong
friendship. Both Harriet and Jarm Loguen were to become
friends and supporters of Old John Brown.8
From Syracuse they went north again, into a colder,
snowier city—Rochester. Here they almost certainly stayed
with Frederick Douglass, for he wrote in his autobiography:
On one occasion I had eleven
fugitives at the same time under my
roof, and it was necessary for them to
remain with me until I could collect
sufficient money to get them to Canada.
It was the largest number I ever had at
any one time, and I had some difficulty
in providing so many with food and
shelter, but, as may well be imagined,
they were not very fastidious in either
direction, and were well content with
very plain food, and a strip of carpet
on the floor for a bed, or a place on the
straw in the barnloft.
310
320
Late in December, 1851, Harriet arrived in St. Catharines,
Canada West (now Ontario), with the eleven fugitives. It had
taken almost a month to complete this journey; most of the
time had been spent getting out of Maryland.
8
Old John Brown: anti-slavery leader who was executed.
160 Collection 3
St. Catharines, Prince Edward Island, Canada
©All Canada Photos/Alamy Images
330
340
That first winter in St. Catharines was a terrible one.
Canada was a strange frozen land, snow everywhere, ice
everywhere, and a bone-biting cold the like of which none
of them had ever experienced before. Harriet rented a small
frame house in the town and set to work to make a home. The
fugitives boarded with her. They worked in the forests, felling
trees, and so did she. Sometimes she took other jobs, cooking
or cleaning house for people in the town. She cheered on
these newly arrived fugitives, working herself, finding work
for them, finding food for them, praying for them, sometimes
begging for them.
Often she found herself thinking of the beauty of
Maryland, the mellowness of the soil, the richness of the plant
life there. The climate itself made for an ease of living that
could never be duplicated in this bleak, barren countryside.
In spite of the severe cold, the hard work, she came to
love St. Catharines, and the other towns and cities in Canada
where black men lived. She discovered that freedom meant
more than the right to change jobs at will, more than the
right to keep the money that one earned. It was the right
to vote and to sit on juries. It was the right to be elected to
office. In Canada there were black men who were county
officials and members of school boards. St. Catharines had a
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
161
350
360
large colony of ex-slaves, and they owned their own homes,
kept them neat and clean and in good repair. They lived in
whatever part of town they chose and sent their children to
the schools.
When spring came she decided that she would make this
small Canadian city her home—as much as any place could be
said to be home to a woman who traveled from Canada to the
Eastern Shore of Maryland as often as she did.
In the spring of 1852, she went back to Cape May,
New Jersey. She spent the summer there, cooking in a hotel.
That fall she returned, as usual, to Dorchester County, and
brought out nine more slaves, conducting them all the way to
St. Catharines, in Canada West, to the bone-biting cold, the
snow-covered forests—and freedom.
She continued to live in this fashion, spending the winter
in Canada, and the spring and summer working in Cape May,
New Jersey, or in Philadelphia. She made two trips a year into
slave territory, one in the fall and another in the spring. She
now had a definite crystallized purpose, and in carrying it
out, her life fell into a pattern which remained unchanged for
the next six years.
COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION What did you find most
interesting about Harriet Tubman? With a partner, discuss the
characteristics that surprised or impressed you. Cite specific
evidence from the text to support your ideas.
162 Collection 3
EL A RI.8.3, RI.8.5
ELD PI.8.6
Analyze Text: Biography
A good way to gain an understanding of a historical figure is to read his
or her biography, a true account of a person’s life told by someone other
than the subject, usually in the third-person point of view. Biographers
thoroughly research the people they write about. They then use the research
to give readers access to their subjects through one or more methods of
characterization, techniques that reveal a person’s qualities and personality.
To analyze the biography you have just read, examine how the author
characterizes the subject.
t Look at what the author says about Harriet Tubman’s hopes, thoughts,
and worries.
t Consider what Harriet Tubman says and does. What is her motivation, or
reason, for her words and actions?
t Think about how others behave toward Harriet Tubman.
EL A RI.8.4, RI.8.5
ELD PI.8.8, PII.8.1
Analyze Structure
Author’s craft refers to the methods authors use to make their writing come
alive. Notice how Ann Petry combines the techniques below to develop and
refine ideas about Harriet Tubman in the paragraphs cited in these examples.
Review the text to find an additional example of each technique.
5FDIOJRVF
%FGJOJUJPO
Examples
word choice
the author’s use of
specific words to impact
the reader
“The man who stood in the
doorway looked at her coldly,
looked with unconcealed
astonishment and fear. “
sentence
variety and
punctuation
variations in sentence
length and use of dashes
for dramatic effect
“She had never used it—except as
a threat. “
parallelism
similar grammatical
constructions used
to express ideas that
are related or equal in
importance
“When she knocked on the door
of a farmhouse, a place where she
and her parties of runaways had
always been welcome, always been
given shelter. “
syntax
the arrangement of
words and phrases
in sentences used
to convey accurate
meaning and tone
“Sometimes the masters thought
they heard the cry of a hoot owl,
repeated, and would remember
having thought the intervals
between the low moaning cry
were wrong. “
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
163
eBook
Analyzing the Text
Cite Text Evidence
EL A RI.8.1, RI.8.3, RI.8.4, RI.8.5, SL.8.1a,
SL.8.4, W.8.7, W.8.9b ELD PI.8.6, PI.8.8,
PI.8.9
Support your responses with evidence from the text.
1.
Infer Reread lines 1–16. What does the description suggest about the
qualities of the person called Moses?
2.
Interpret Reread lines 28–32. What is the effect of the author’s use of the
phrase “in pursuit of four-footed game”?
3.
Interpret Identify the parallelism in lines 47–49. How does this technique
contribute to the effectiveness of these lines?
4.
Infer In lines 59–70, the author describes the difficulty of the task facing
Harriet Tubman. What is Tubman’s response? Explain what her words and
actions reveal about her.
5.
Analyze Reread lines 258–265. Find and explain three examples of
the techniques the author uses to make the events come alive in this
paragraph.
6.
Draw Conclusions Based on the characterization of Harriet Tubman in
this biography, how would you describe her? Fill out a chart like the one
shown with examples from the selection, and then write a one-sentence
description of this famous woman.
What Harriet Tubman thinks
What Harriet Tubman does
What Harriet Tubman says
What others think and say about her
PERFORMANCE TASK
Speaking Activity: Speech Imagine
that Harriet Tubman will be honored at
a “Hall of Fame” for those who fought
slavery. Prepare and give a speech
explaining why she is a heroic figure.
Consult sources in addition to the
selection. Consider the following:
t What kind of person was Harriet
Tubman?
164 Collection 3
t What was Tubman’s motivation
for bringing enslaved people to
freedom?
t What examples demonstrate
Tubman’s heroism?
t How do historians judge Tubman’s
impact on the quest for freedom
prior to the Civil War?
EL A L.8.5b
ELD PI.8.6, PI.8.12
Critical Vocabulary
disheveled
instill
dispel
linger
sullen
eloquence
evoke
cajole
Practice and Apply Use what you know about the Vocabulary words to
answer the following questions.
1.
Would you linger at a party if you were disheveled? Why or why not?
2.
Could someone instill eloquence in you? Why or why not?
3.
What might someone do to evoke a sullen response?
4.
Would you cajole a friend to dispel a bad mood? Why or why not?
Vocabulary Strategy: Use Word Relationships
You can use relationships among words to help you figure out the meaning
of an unfamiliar word. Look at this sentence from Harriet Tubman:
“Sometimes she thought she had become nothing but a voice
speaking in the darkness, cajoling, urging, threatening.”
The words “cajoling, urging, threatening” are synonyms, or words that have
similar meanings.
Look at this sentence from Harriet Tubman:
“She had promised her passengers food and . . . warmth, and
instead of that, there would be hunger and cold . . .”
The phrase “instead of” provides a clue that the words warmth and cold are
antonyms, or words that have opposite meanings. If you know the meaning
of one word in a synonym or antonym pair, you can often guess the meaning
of the other.
Practice and Apply For each sentence, write an S if the underlined word is a
synonym and an A if it is an antonym. Identify the other word or words in the
synonym or antonym pair. Then write a definition of the underlined word.
1.
Instead of becoming discouraged, she grew more determined.
2.
The effect of the Fugitive Slave Law was appalling, horrifying, and
dismaying.
3.
Her incentive for leading her first group north was the same as her reason
for leading the tenth group: she wanted others to know freedom.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
165
EL A L.8.1c, L.8.3a
ELD PII.8.3
Language Conventions:
Conditional Mood
The mood of a verb indicates the tone or attitude with which a statement
is made. Writers use the conditional mood when they want to make
a statement about what might happen if something else happens. The
conditional mood often includes the words might, could, would, or if.
Look at this example from Harriet Tubman. Notice that the sentence describes
what might happen (“he would turn traitor”) if something else happens (“If a
runaway returned”).
If a runaway returned, he would turn traitor, the master and
the overseer would force him to turn traitor.
If this happens it might cause . . .
. . . this to happen
Study these
examples.
If he did not forge ahead, he would not reach his goal.
He might have succeeded if he had tried harder.
She could have won the game if she had practiced.
Practice and Apply Read the sentences. Rewrite them so that they are in the
conditional mood.
1.
Max did not write a good report because he had not done enough
research.
2.
Kim did not study hard and did not do well on the test.
3.
Maria wanted to succeed but decided to play computer games rather
than to study.
4.
To earn a good grade you have to do thorough research on the topic.
5.
The weather has to be good in order for gym class to be held outside.
166 Collection 3
VIDEO
Background Though Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) is best
known as a science fiction writer, he’s also written plays,
mysteries, fantasies, realistic stories, and novels. In this story,
Bradbury tells about a drummer boy on the night before the
Battle of Shiloh in the Civil War. This two-day battle began on
April 6, 1862, near the southwestern Tennessee church from
which the bloody clash takes its name. More than 23,000 soldiers
died during those two days. At that time, it was the bloodiest
battle in American history.
The
Drummer Boy
of Shiloh
Historical Fiction by Ray Bradbury
(tr) ©Jean-Claude Amiel/Kipa/CORBIS; (cr) ©Stockbyte/Getty Images
SETTING A PURPOSE As you read, pay attention to the details
the author provides about the scene of the battle and about
the men who were preparing to fight. What do the details
suggest about the realities of war?
I
10
n the April night, more than once, blossoms fell from the
orchard trees and lit with rustling taps on the drumskin.
At midnight a peach stone left miraculously on a branch
through winter, flicked by a bird, fell swift and unseen, struck
once, like panic, which jerked the boy upright. In silence he
listened to his own heart ruffle away, away, at last gone from
his ears and back in his chest again.
After that, he turned the drum on its side, where its great
lunar1 face peered at him whenever he opened his eyes.
His face, alert or at rest, was solemn. It was indeed a
solemn time and a solemn night for a boy just turned fourteen
in the peach field near the Owl Creek not far from the church
at Shiloh.
1
solemn
(s≤l´∂m) adj. If an
event is solemn, it is
deeply serious.
lunar (l◊´n∂r): of or relating to the moon.
The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
167
20
30
40
50
“. . . thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three . . .”
Unable to see, he stopped counting.
Beyond the thirty-three familiar shadows, forty thousand
men, exhausted by nervous expectation, unable to sleep for
romantic dreams of battles yet unfought, lay crazily askew
in their uniforms. A mile yet farther on, another army was
strewn helter-skelter, turning slow, basting themselves with
the thought of what they would do when the time came: a
leap, a yell, a blind plunge their strategy, raw youth their
protection and benediction.2
Now and again the boy heard a vast wind come up, that
gently stirred the air. But he knew what it was, the army here,
the army there, whispering to itself in the dark. Some men
talking to others, others murmuring to themselves, and all so
quiet it was like a natural element arisen from south or north
with the motion of the earth toward dawn.
What the men whispered the boy could only guess, and he
guessed that it was: Me, I’m the one, I’m the one of all the rest
won’t die. I’ll live through it. I’ll go home. The band will play.
And I’ll be there to hear it.
Yes, thought the boy, that’s all very well for them, they can
give as good as they get!
For with the careless bones of the young men harvested
by night and bindled3 around campfires were the similarly
strewn steel bones of their rifles, with bayonets fixed like
eternal lightning lost in the orchard grass.
Me, thought the boy, I got only a drum, two sticks to beat
it, and no shield.
There wasn’t a man-boy on this ground tonight did not
have a shield he cast, riveted or carved himself on his way
to his first attack, compounded of remote but nonetheless
firm and fiery family devotion, flag-blown patriotism and
cocksure immortality strengthened by the touchstone of very
real gunpowder, ramrod, minnieball and flint.4 But without
these last the boy felt his family move yet farther off away in
the dark, as if one of those great prairie-burning trains had
chanted them away never to return, leaving him with this
drum which was worse than a toy in the game to be played
tomorrow or some day much too soon.
2
3
4
benediction (b≈n´ ∆-d∆k´sh∂n): a blessing.
bindled: fastened or wrapped by encircling, as with a belt.
ramrod, minnieball, and flint: items used to fire a rifle.
168 Collection 3
askew (∂-sky◊´) adj.
When something is
askew, it is off center.
strew
(str◊) v. If you strew
something, you
spread it here and
there, or scatter it.
60
70
80
90
The boy turned on his side. A moth brushed his face, but it
was peach blossom. A peach blossom flicked him, but it was a
moth. Nothing stayed put. Nothing had a name. Nothing was
as it once was.
If he lay very still, when the dawn came up and the
soldiers put on their bravery with their caps, perhaps they
might go away, the war with them, and not notice him lying
small here, no more than a toy himself.
“Well, by God, now,” said a voice.
The boy shut up his eyes, to hide inside himself, but it was
too late. Someone, walking by in the night, stood over him.
“Well,” said the voice quietly, “here’s a soldier crying before
the fight. Good. Get it over. Won’t be time once it all starts.”
And the voice was about to move on when the boy,
startled, touched the drum at his elbow. The man above,
hearing this, stopped. The boy could feel his eyes, sense him
slowly bending near. A hand must have come down out of the
night, for there was a little rat-tat as the fingernails brushed
and the man’s breath fanned his face.
“Why, it’s the drummer boy, isn’t it?”
The boy nodded, not knowing if his nod was seen. “Sir, is
that you?” he said.
“I assume it is.” The man’s knees cracked as he bent still
closer.
He smelled as all fathers should smell, of salt sweat, ginger
tobacco, horse and boot leather, and the earth he walked upon.
He had many eyes. No, not eyes, brass buttons that watched
the boy.
He could only be, and was, the General.
“What’s your name, boy?” he asked.
“Joby,” whispered the boy, starting to sit up.
“All right, Joby, don’t stir.” A hand pressed his chest gently,
and the boy relaxed. “How long you been with us, Joby?”
“Three weeks, sir.”
“Run off from home or joined legitimately, boy?”
Silence.
“Damn-fool question,” said the General. “Do you shave
yet, boy? Even more of a damn-fool. There’s your cheek, fell
right off the tree overhead. And the others here not much
older. Raw, raw, damn raw, the lot of you. You ready for
tomorrow or the next day, Joby?”
“I think so, sir.
legitimately
(l∂-j∆t´∂-m∆t-l∏) adv.
When you do
something
legitimately, you do it
lawfully.
The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
169
100
110
120
130
“You want to cry some more, go on ahead. I did the same
last night.”
“You, sir?”
“God’s truth. Thinking of everything ahead. Both sides
figuring the other side will just give up, and soon, and the war
done in weeks, and us all home. Well, that’s not how it’s going
to be. And maybe that’s why I cried.”
“Yes, sir,” said Joby.
The General must have taken out a cigar now, for the dark
was suddenly filled with the Indian smell of tobacco unlit as
yet, but chewed as the man thought what next to say.
“It’s going to be a crazy time,” said the General. “Counting
both sides, there’s a hundred thousand men, give or take a
few thousand out there tonight, not one as can spit a sparrow
off a tree, or knows a horse clod from a minnieball. Stand up,
bare the breast, ask to be a target, thank them and sit down,
that’s us, that’s them. We should turn tail and train four
months, they should do the same. But here we are, taken with
spring fever and thinking it blood lust, taking our sulphur
with cannons instead of with molasses5 as it should be, going
to be a hero, going to live forever. And I can see all of them
over there nodding agreement, save the other way around. It’s
wrong, boy, it’s wrong as a head put on hind side front and
a man marching backward through life. It will be a double
massacre if one of their itchy generals decides to picnic his
lads on our grass. More innocents will get shot out of pure
Cherokee enthusiasm than ever got shot before. Owl Creek
was full of boys splashing around in the noonday sun just a
few hours ago. I fear it will be full of boys again, just floating,
at sundown tomorrow, not caring where the tide takes them.”
The General stopped and made a little pile of winter leaves
and twigs in the darkness, as if he might at any moment strike
fire to them to see his way through the coming days when the
sun might not show its face because of what was happening
here and just beyond.
The boy watched the hand stirring the leaves and opened
his lips to say something, but did not say it. The General heard
the boy’s breath and spoke himself.
5
taking our sulphur with cannons instead of with molasses: sulphur was an
ingredient in gunpowder that was used to fire cannons; at that time sulphur was
also used as a tonic or medical treatment. Molasses is a thick, brown syrup, used
to mask the unpleasant taste of medicines.
170 Collection 3
140
“Why am I telling you this? That’s what you wanted to ask,
eh? Well, when you got a bunch of wild horses on a loose rein
somewhere, somehow you got to bring order, rein them in.
These lads, fresh out of the milkshed, don’t know what I know,
and I can’t tell them: men actually die, in war. So each is his
own army. I got to make one army of them. And for that, boy,
I need you.”
“Me!” The boy’s lips barely twitched.
“Now, boy,” said the General quietly, “you are the heart
of the army. Think of that. You’re the heart of the army.
Listen, now.”
And, lying there, Joby listened.
And the General spoke on.
If he, Joby, beat slow tomorrow, the heart would beat slow
in the men. They would lag by the wayside.6 They would
drowse in the fields on their muskets. They would sleep
You’re the heart
of the army.
150
160
forever, after that, in those same fields, their hearts slowed by
a drummer boy and stopped by enemy lead.
But if he beat a sure, steady, ever faster rhythm, then,
then their knees would come up in a long line down over that
hill, one knee after the other, like a wave on the ocean shore!
Had he seen the ocean ever? Seen the waves rolling in like a
well-ordered cavalry charge to the sand? Well, that was it, that’s
what he wanted, that’s what was needed! Joby was his right
hand and his left. He gave the orders, but Joby set the pace!
So bring the right knee up and the right foot out and the
left knee up and the left foot out. One following the other in good
time, in brisk time. Move the blood up the body and make the
head proud and the spine stiff and the jaw resolute. Focus the
eye and set the teeth, flare the nostrils and tighten the hands, put
steel armor all over the men, for blood moving fast in them does
indeed make men feel as if they’d put on steel. He must keep at it,
at it! Long and steady, steady and long! Then, even though shot
or torn, those wounds got in hot blood—in blood he’d helped
6
resolute
(r≈z´∂-l◊t´) adj.
If you are resolute,
you are firm or
determined.
lag by the wayside: fall behind.
The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
171
170
180
190
200
stir—would feel less pain. If their blood was cold, it would be
more than slaughter, it would be murderous nightmare and
pain best not told and no one to guess.
The General spoke and stopped, letting his breath slack
off. Then, after a moment, he said, “So there you are, that’s it.
Will you do that, boy? Do you know now you’re general of the
army when the General’s left behind?”
The boy nodded mutely.
“You’ll run them through for me then, boy?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. And, God willing, many nights from tonight,
many years from now, when you’re as old or far much older
than me, when they ask you what you did in this awful time,
you will tell them—one part humble and one part proud—
‘I was the drummer boy at the battle of Owl Creek,’ or the
Tennessee River, or maybe they’ll just name it after the church
there. ‘I was the drummer boy at Shiloh.’ Good grief, that has
a beat and sound to it fitting for Mr. Longfellow. ‘I was the
drummer boy at Shiloh.’ Who will ever hear those words and
not know you, boy, or what you thought this night, or what
you’ll think tomorrow or the next day when we must get up
on our legs and move!”
The general stood up. “Well, then. God bless you, boy.
Good night.”
“Good night, sir.”
And, tobacco, brass, boot polish, salt sweat and leather, the
man moved away through the grass.
Joby lay for a moment, staring but unable to see where the
man had gone.
He swallowed. He wiped his eyes. He cleared his throat.
He settled himself. Then, at last, very slowly and firmly, he
turned the drum so that it faced up toward the sky.
He lay next to it, his arm around it, feeling the tremor, the
touch, the muted thunder as, all the rest of the April night
in the year 1862, near the Tennessee River, not far from the
Owl Creek, very close to the church named Shiloh, the peach
blossoms fell on the drum.
COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION Do you think the drummer boy
regretted his decision to become part of the Army once he begins
to realize what war is like? With a partner, discuss your impressions
of him and the choice that he made. Cite specific evidence from
the text to support your ideas.
172 Collection 3
muted
(my◊´t∆d) adj. When
something is muted,
it is softened or
muffled.
EL A RL.8.2, RL.8.3
ELD PII.8.1
Analyze Stories: Historical Fiction
Every story has a setting, the time and place in which the action occurs. In
historical fiction such as “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh,” the setting is usually a
key aspect of the work.
Historical fiction refers to stories that are set in the past and include real
places and events from the time period. Like other works of historical fiction,
Ray Bradbury’s story involves characters that may be based on real people,
plot developments that reflect real events, and details that are historically
accurate. Sometimes, you may not know whether elements of a work of
historical fiction are based on something real unless you do some research.
Review “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” for additional examples of historical
details and references to actual events.
EL A RL.8.4
ELD PI.8.8
Determine Meanings of
Words and Phrases
When you get a general sense of anxiety, sadness, giddiness, or some other
emotion as you read a story, you are responding to the work’s mood, the
feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for readers. Various elements
work together to contribute to a story’s mood.
Elements
How they
create mood
Setting, where and when
the events take place
The writer’s choice of setting and the words
he or she uses to describe it can create a mood.
Imagery, language that
appeals to the five senses
What we see, hear, or otherwise sense can make
us feel frightened, cheerful, or many other things.
Symbol, a person, place,
object, or activity that
stands for something
beyond itself
The emotions evoked by a symbol or what
happens to it can affect the overall feeling of
a piece. For example, a wounded bird might
contribute to a mood of vulnerability.
Allusion, or reference to
a famous person, place,
event, or work of literature
An allusion to a serious person can help set a
somber mood, just as an allusion to a fanciful
place can contribute to a whimsical mood.
Notice the author’s use of symbols and allusions to create the mood as
you analyze “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.”
The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
173
eBook
EL A RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4,
W.8.7, W.8.8, SL.8.1, SL.8.2, SL.8.4
ELD PI.8.1, PI.8.6, PI.8.8, PI.8.9
Analyzing the Text
Cite Text Evidence
Support your responses with evidence from the text.
1.
Analyze In the description of the setting in lines 24–26, what does the
special wind suggest about the locations of the two armies? Identify what
mood this description helps create.
2.
Cite Evidence What are the descriptive details that the author provides
about the General in lines 77–80 that help make this historical fiction
accurate for its time? What is the effect of providing these details?
3.
Interpret Why does the General refer to the pace of the boy’s drumming
as “the heart of the army” in lines 141–157?
4.
Analyze Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a popular American author
who wrote “Paul Revere’s Ride” and other works immortalizing early
American history. Identify the allusion to him in lines 177–188. What mood
does this allusion help create in the last paragraph?
5.
Compare What is the similarity between the General’s talk with the
drummer boy and the drummer boy’s role in the next day’s battle?
6.
Analyze What do the peach blossoms symbolize in this story?
Explain how this symbol contributes to the overall mood.
Speaking and Listening
Working with a partner, act out the scene in which the General discusses
the boy’s fears and his role in the coming battle. Prepare by discussing the
General’s motivation for the conversation and how that might affect the way
the General speaks.
PERFORMANCE TASK
Speaking Activity: Informative
Report Research the Battle of Shiloh,
including the legend of the drummer
boy. Find out how many people died
and how the significance of the battle
is viewed today. Discuss whether your
reaction to the following parts of the
174 Collection 3
story has changed as a result of your
research:
t
t
t
t
lines 98–101
lines 106–124
lines 151–157
lines 181–190
EL A L.8.4a, L.8.5a, L.8.6
ELD PI.8.6, PI.8.8
Critical Vocabulary
solemn
askew
strew
legitimately
resolute
muted
Practice and Apply Use what you know about the Vocabulary words to
answer the following questions.
1.
When did you have to act in a resolute way to face a challenge?
2.
When did you legitimately claim that someone owed you something?
3.
When did you strew things across a room? Why did you do it?
4.
When would you need to be solemn in a group of people?
5.
When has your response to news been muted?
6.
When has your hat been askew on your head?
Vocabulary Strategy:
Interpret Figures of Speech
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that communicates meanings beyond
the literal definition of the words. Idioms, or expressions in which the entire
phrase means something different from the words in it, are one kind of figure
of speech. Consider this idiom from the story.
“These lads, fresh out of the milkshed, don’t know what I
know, and I can’t tell them.”
You can use nearby words and phrases, or context, to help you understand
that “fresh out of the milkshed” implies that not long ago these lads were
farmer hands milking cows. The phrase “don’t know what I know” helps you
understand that the General is using a figure of speech to express concern
that his soldiers lack battle experience.
Practice and Apply Use context to explain the meaning of each underlined
figure of speech below.
1.
“Yes, thought the boy, that’s all very well for them, they can give as good
as they get! . . . Me, thought the boy, I only got a drum, two sticks to beat
it, and no shield.”
2.
“There’s a hundred thousand men, . . . not one as can spit a sparrow off a
tree, or knows a horse clod from a minnieball . . . . should turn tail and
train.”
3.
“He might at any moment strike fire to them to see his way through the
coming days when the sun might not show its face.”
The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
175
Language Conventions: Indicative Mood
The mood of a verb shows the speaker’s attitude toward what is being said.
There are several moods for verbs.
Examples
Moods for Verbs
The indicative mood is used to state a
fact or ask a question. Most sentences
are statements of fact in the indicative
mood.
As he lay there, blossoms fell from
the orchard trees.
The imperative mood is used for a
command or request.
Make the blossoms fall from the
trees.
The subjunctive mood expresses a
condition that is contrary to facts.
If the wind were to blow, the
blossoms would fall from the trees.
Notice how Ray Bradbury uses the indicative mood for effect. Read these
sentences from the story aloud and hear how they use statements of fact
to express difficult truths about the uncertainty of battle:
“The boy turned on his side. A moth brushed his face, but it
was peach blossom. A peach blossom flicked him, but it was a
moth. Nothing stayed put. Nothing had a name. Nothing was
as it once was. . . . the peach blossoms fell on the drum.”
Practice and Apply Rewrite each sentence using the indicative mood.
1.
I hope we have not lost the document that proves we own this land.
2.
Stop crying and do something useful!
3.
Try to get some sleep before the sun comes up.
4.
If the troops guard the camp, everyone will be safer.
5.
Don’t charge until I give the order.
6.
The cause may be lost if we do not succeed.
7.
If the war ended sooner, many lives would have been saved.
8.
Prepare for battle so you have a greater chance to survive it.
176 Collection 3
EL A L.8.1c
ELD PII.8.3
Background Confederate leaders believed that by abandoning
their capitol in Richmond, they would be able to prolong the Civil
War. But just a few days after they left Richmond, General Robert
E. Lee was forced to surrender to the Union Army. Shortly after,
the Civil War ended and President Lincoln was assassinated.
James L. Swanson has written several books about the Civil
War and Abraham Lincoln. He has been fascinated with Lincoln’s
life since his tenth birthday, when he received an engraving of the
pistol used to assassinate the president.
BLOODY TIMES:
The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln
and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis
from
History Writing by James L. Swanson
SETTING A PURPOSE As you read, pay attention to the details
the author provides about Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson
Davis. What sorts of leadership qualities did each man possess?
(tr) ©Getty Images; (c) ©Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division
Prologue
I
n the spring of 1865, the country was divided in two: the
Union in the North, led by Abraham Lincoln, fighting
to keep the Southern states from seceding from the United
States. The South, led by its president, Jefferson Davis,
believed it had the absolute right to quit the Union in order to
preserve its way of life, including the right to own slaves. The
bloody Civil War had lasted four years and cost 620,000 lives.
In April 1865, the war was about to end.
secede
(s∆-s∏d´) v. When you
secede, you formally
withdraw from an
organization or
association.
Introduction
10
In April of 1865, as the Civil War drew to a close, two men set
out on very different journeys. One, Jefferson Davis, president
Bloody Times
177
20
30
40
of the Confederate States of America,1 was on the run,
desperate to save his family, his country, and his cause. The
other, Abraham Lincoln, murdered on April 14, was bound for
a different destination: home, the grave, and everlasting glory.
Today everybody knows the name of Abraham Lincoln.
But before 1858, when Lincoln ran for the United States
Senate (and lost the election), very few people had heard of
him. Most people of those days would have recognized the
name of Jefferson Davis. Many would have predicted Davis,
not Lincoln, would become president of the United States
someday.
Born in 1808, Jefferson Davis went to private schools and
studied at a university, then moved on to the United States
Military Academy at West Point. A fine horseback rider, he
looked elegant in the saddle. He served as an officer in the
United States army on the western frontier, and then became
a planter, or a farmer, in Mississippi and was later elected a
United States Congressman and later a senator. As a colonel
in the Mexican-American War, he was wounded in battle and
came home a hero.
Davis knew many of the powerful leaders of his time,
including presidents Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce. He
was a polished speech maker with a beautiful speaking voice.
Put simply, he was well-known, respected, and admired in
both the North and the South of the country.
What Davis had accomplished was even more remarkable
because he was often ill. He was slowly going blind in one eye,
and he periodically suffered from malaria, which gave him
fevers, as well as a painful condition called neuralgia. He and
his young wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, contracted malaria shortly
after they were married. She succumbed to the disease. More
than once he almost died. But his strength and his will to live
kept him going.
Abraham Lincoln’s life started out much different from
Jefferson Davis’s. Born in 1809, he had no wealthy relatives
to help give him a start in life. His father was a farmer who
could not read or write and who gave Abe an ax at the age of
nine and sent him to split logs into rails for fences. His mother
died while Lincoln was still a young boy. When his father
1
Confederate States of America: the government formed by the 11 southern
states that seceded from the United States.
178 Collection 3
succumb
(s∂-k≠m´) v. To
succumb is to give in
to an overwhelming
force.
50
60
70
80
90
remarried, Abe’s stepmother, Sarah, took a special interest
in Abe.
By the time Abe Lincoln grew up, he’d had less than a year
of school. But he’d managed to learn to read and write, and
he wanted a better life for himself than that of a poor farmer.
He tried many different kinds of jobs: piloting a riverboat,
surveying (taking careful measurement of land to set up
boundaries), keeping a store, and working as a postmaster.
He read books to teach himself law so that he could
practice as an attorney. Finally in 1846 he was elected to
the U.S. Congress. He served an unremarkable term, and
at the end of two years, he left Washington and returned to
Illinois and his law office. He was hardworking, well-off, and
respected by the people who knew him—but not nearly as
well-known or as widely admired as Jefferson Davis.
It may seem that two men could not be more different
than Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. But in fact, they
had many things in common. Both Davis and Lincoln loved
books and reading. Both had children who died young. One
of Davis’s sons, Samuel, died when he was still a baby, and
another, Joseph, died after an accident while Davis was the
president of the Confederacy. Lincoln, too, lost one son, Eddie,
at a very young age and another, Willie, his favorite, while he
was president of the United States.
Both men fell in love young, and both lost the women they
loved to illness. When he was twenty-four years old, Davis
fell for Sarah Knox Taylor. Called Knox, she was just eighteen
and was the daughter of army general and future president
Zachary Taylor. It took Davis two years to convince her family
to allow her to marry him—but at last he did. Married in June
of 1835, just three months later both he and Knox fell ill with
malaria, and she died. Davis was devastated. His grief changed
him—afterward he was quieter, sterner, a different man.
Eight years later, he found someone else to love. He
married Varina Howell, the daughter of a wealthy family.
For the rest of his life, Davis would depend on Varina’s love,
advice, and loyalty. They would eventually have six children;
only two would outlive Jefferson Davis.
Lincoln was still a young man when he met and fell in love
with Ann Rutledge. Everyone expected them to get married,
but before that could happen, Ann became ill and died.
Lincoln himself never talked or wrote about Ann after her
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100
110
death. But those who knew him at the time remembered how
crushed and miserable he was to lose her. Some even worried
that he might kill himself.
Abraham Lincoln recovered and eventually married Mary
Todd. But their marriage was not as happy as that of Jefferson
and Varina. Mary was a woman of shifting moods. Jealous,
insulting, rude, selfish, careless with money, she was difficult
to live with.
By far the greatest difference between Davis and Lincoln
was their view on slavery. Davis, a slave owner, firmly believed
that white people were superior to blacks, and that slavery was
good for black people, who needed and benefited from having
masters to rule over them. He also believed that the founding
fathers of the United States, the men who had written the
Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, a number
of whom had owned slaves, had intended slavery to be part of
America forever.
Lincoln thought slavery was simply wrong, and he
believed that the founders hadn’t intended it always to exist
in the United States. Lincoln was willing to let slavery remain
legal in the states where it was already permitted. But he
180 Collection 3
©Corbis
Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States of America
120
thought that slavery should not be allowed to spread into the
new states entering the Union in the American south and
southwest. Every new state to join the country, Lincoln firmly
believed, should prohibit slavery.
Lincoln explained his views in several famous debates
during his campaign for Senate in 1858. The campaign
debates between Lincoln and Stephen Douglas brought
Lincoln to national attention for the first time. Though he lost
that Senate race, his new visibility enabled Lincoln to win the
presidential nomination and election in 1860. To the surprise
of many, it was Abraham Lincoln who became the president
of the United States by winning less than 40 percent of the
popular vote. More people voted for the other three candidates
running for president than for Lincoln.
Chapter One
130
140
150
On the morning of Sunday, April 2, 1865, Richmond, Virginia,
capital city of the Confederate States of America, did not look
like a city at war. The White House of the Confederacy was
surprisingly close to—one hundred miles from—the White
House in Washington, D.C. But the armies of the North had
never been able to capture Richmond. After four years of war,
Richmond had not been invaded by Yankees. The people there
had thus far been spared many of the horrors of fighting. This
morning everything appeared beautiful and serene. The air
smelled of spring, and fresh green growth promised a season
of new life.
As he usually did on Sundays, President Jefferson Davis
walked from his mansion to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. One
of the worshippers, a young woman named Constance Cary,
recalled the day: “On the Sunday morning of April 2, a perfect
Sunday of the Southern spring, a large congregation assembled
as usual at St. Paul’s.” As the service went on, a messenger
entered the church. He brought Jefferson Davis a telegram
from Robert E. Lee.
The telegram was not addressed to Davis, but to his
secretary of war, John C. Breckinridge. Breckinridge had
sent it on to Davis. It told devastating news: The Union army
was approaching the city gates, and the Army of Northern
Virginia, with Lee in command, was powerless to stop them.
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181
General J. C. Breckinridge:
Headquarters, April 2, 1865
I see no prospect of doing more than holding our position
here till night. I am not certain that I can do that. . . . I advise
that all preparation be made for leaving Richmond tonight.
I will advise you later, according to circumstances.
R. E. Lee
160
170
180
On reading the telegram, Davis did not panic, but he
turned pale and quietly rose to leave the church. The news
quickly spread through Richmond. “As if by a flash of
electricity, Richmond knew that on the morrow her streets
would be crowded by her captors, her rulers fled… her high
hopes crushed to earth,” Constance Cary wrote later. “I saw
many pale faces, some trembling lips, but in all that day I
heard no expression of a weakling fear.”
Many people did not believe that Richmond would be
captured. General Lee would not allow it to happen, they
told themselves. He would protect the city, just as the army
had before. In the spring of 1865, Robert E. Lee was the
greatest hero in the Confederacy, more popular than Jefferson
Davis, who many people blamed for their country’s present
misfortunes. With Lee to defend them, many people of
Richmond refused to believe that before the sun rose the next
morning, life as they knew it would come to an end.
Jefferson Davis walked from St. Paul’s to his office. He
summoned the leaders of his government to meet with him
there at once. Davis explained to his cabinet2 that the fall
of Richmond would not mean the death of the Confederate
States of America. He would not stay behind to surrender the
capital. If Richmond was doomed to fall, then the president
and the government would leave the city, travel south, and
set up a new capital in Danville, Virginia, 140 miles to the
southwest. The war would go on.
Davis told the cabinet to pack their most important
records and send them to the railroad station. What they
could not take, they must burn. The train would leave tonight,
and he expected all of them to be on it. Secretary of War John
C. Breckinridge would stay behind in Richmond to make sure
2
cabinet: a government leader’s advisers.
182 Collection 3
190
200
210
220
the evacuation of the government went smoothly, and then
follow the train to Danville. Davis ordered the train to take on
other cargo, too: the Confederate treasury, consisting of half a
million dollars in gold and silver coins.
After spending most of the afternoon working at his
office, Davis walked home to pack his few remaining
possessions. The house was eerily still. His wife, Varina, and
their four children had already evacuated to Charlotte, North
Carolina. His private secretary, Burton Harrison, had gone
with them to make sure they reached safety.
Varina had begged to stay with her husband in Richmond
until the end. Jefferson said no, that for their safety, she and
the children must go. He understood that she wanted to help
and comfort him, he told her, “but you can do this in but one
way, and that is by going yourself and taking our children
to a place of safety.” What he said next was frightening: “If I
live,” he promised, “you can come to me when the struggle
is ended.”
On March 29, the day before Varina and the children left
Richmond, Davis gave his wife a revolver and taught her how
to use it. He also gave her all the money he had, saving just
one five-dollar gold piece for himself. Varina and the children
left the White House on Thursday, March 30. “Leaving the
house as it was,” Varina wrote later, “and taking only our
clothing, I made ready with my young sister and my four little
children, the eldest only nine years old, to go forth into the
unknown.” The children did not want to leave their father.
“Our little Jeff begged to remain with him,” Varina wrote,
“and Maggie clung to him . . . for it was evident he thought he
was looking his last upon us.” The president took his family to
the station and put them aboard a train.
While Jefferson Davis spent his last night in the
Confederate White House, alone, without his family, he did
not know that Abraham Lincoln had left his own White
House several days ago and was now traveling in Virginia.
Lincoln was visiting the Union Army.3 The Union president
did not want to go home until he had won the war. And he
dreamed of seeing Richmond.
3
Union Army: the land force of the military that fought for the northern states
during the Civil War.
Bloody Times
183
Chapter Two
230
240
250
260
On March 23 at 1:00 p.m., Lincoln left Washington, bound
south on the ship River Queen. His wife, Mary, came with
him, along with their son Tad. A day later the vessel anchored
off City Point, Virginia, headquarters of General Grant and
the Armies of the United States.
Lincoln met with his commanders to discuss the war.
General William Tecumseh Sherman asked Lincoln about his
plans for Jefferson Davis. Many in the North wanted Davis
hanged if he was captured. Did Lincoln think so, too? Lincoln
answered Sherman by saying that all he wanted was for the
Southern armies to be defeated. He wanted the Confederate
soldiers sent back to their homes, their farms, and their shops.
Lincoln didn’t answer Sherman’s question about Jefferson
Davis directly. But he told a story.
There was a man, Lincoln said, who had sworn never to
touch alcohol. He visited a friend who offered him a drink
of lemonade. Then the friend suggested that the lemonade
would taste better with a little brandy in it. The man replied
that if some of the brandy were to get into the lemonade
“unbeknown to him,” that would be fine.
Sherman believed that Lincoln meant it would be the
best thing for the country if Jefferson Davis were simply to
leave and never return. As the Union president, Lincoln could
hardly say in public that he wanted a man who had rebelled
against his government to get away without punishment. But if
Davis were to escape “unbeknown to him,” as Lincoln seemed
to be suggesting, that would be fine.
At City Point Lincoln received reports and sent messages.
He haunted the army telegraph office for news of the battles
raging in Virginia. He knew that soon Robert E. Lee must
make a major decision: Would he sacrifice his army in a final,
hopeless battle to defend Richmond, or would he abandon the
Confederate capital and save his men to fight another day?
In the afternoon of April 2, Lee telegraphed another
warning to Jefferson Davis in Richmond. “I think it absolutely
necessary that we should abandon our position tonight,”
he wrote. Lee had made his choice. His army would retreat.
Richmond would be captured.
Davis packed some clothes, retrieved important papers
and letters from his private office, and waited at the mansion.
184 Collection 3
Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America
270
©Corbis
280
Then a messenger brought him word: The officials of his
government had assembled at the station. The train that would
carry the president and the cabinet of the Confederacy was
loaded and ready to depart.
Davis and a few friends left the White House, mounted
their horses, and rode to the railroad station. Crowds did
not line the streets to cheer their president or to shout best
wishes for his journey. The citizens of Richmond were locking
up their homes, hiding their valuables, or fleeing the city
before the Yankees arrived. Throughout the day and into the
night, countless people left however they could—on foot, on
horseback, in carriages, in carts, or in wagons. Some rushed to
the railroad station, hoping to catch the last train south. Few
would escape.
But not all of Richmond’s inhabitants dreaded the capital’s
fall. Among the blacks of Richmond, the mood was happy. At
the African church, it was a day of jubilation. Worshippers
poured into the streets, congratulated one another, and prayed
for the coming of the Union army.
When Jefferson Davis got to the station, he hesitated.
Perhaps the fortunes of war had turned in the Confederacy’s
jubilation
(j◊´b∂-l∑´sh∂n) n.
Jubilation is the act of
celebrating.
Bloody Times
185
290
300
310
320
favor that night. Perhaps Lee had defeated the enemy after all,
as he had done so many times before. For an hour Davis held
the loaded and waiting train in hopes of receiving good news
from Lee. That telegram never came. The Army of Northern
Virginia would not save Richmond from its fate.
Dejected, the president boarded the train. He did not
have a private luxurious sleeping car built for the leader of a
country. Davis took his seat in a common coach packed with
the officials of his government. The train gathered steam and
crept out of the station at slow speed, no more than ten miles
per hour. It was a humble, sobering departure of the president
of the Confederate States of America from his capital city.
As the train rolled out of Richmond, most of the
passengers were somber. There was nothing left to say. “It was
near midnight,” Postmaster General John Reagan, on board
the train, remembered, “when the President and his cabinet
left the heroic city. As our train, frightfully overcrowded,
rolled along toward Danville we were oppressed with sorrow
for those we left behind us and fears for the safety of General
Lee and his army.”
The presidential train was not the last one to leave
Richmond that night. A second one carried another cargo
from the city—the treasure of the Confederacy, half a million
dollars in gold and silver coins, plus deposits from the
Richmond banks. Captain William Parker, an officer in the
Confederate States Navy, was put in charge of the treasure
and ordered to guard it during the trip to Danville. Men
desperate to escape Richmond and who had failed to make it
on to Davis’s train climbed aboard their last hope, the treasure
train. The wild mood at the station alarmed Parker, and he
ordered his men—some were only boys—to guard the doors
and not allow “another soul to enter.”
Once Jefferson Davis was gone, and as the night wore on,
Parker witnessed the breakdown of order: “The whiskey…was
running in the gutters, and men were getting drunk upon it.…
Large numbers of ruffians suddenly sprung into existence—I
suppose thieves, deserters…who had been hiding.” If the mob
learned what cargo Parker and his men guarded, then the
looters, driven mad by greed, would have attacked the train.
Parker was prepared to order his men to fire on the crowd.
186 Collection 3
oppress
(∂-pr≈s´) v. When you
oppress someone,
you overwhelm or
crush them.
ruffian
(r≠f´∏-∂n) n. A
ruffian is a thug or a
gangster.
looter
(l◊t´∂r) n. A looter is
someone who steals
during a war or riot.
330
340
350
360
Before that became necessary, the treasure train got up steam
and followed Jefferson Davis into the night.
To add to the chaos caused by the mobs, soon there would
be fire. And it would not be the Union troops who would burn
the city. The Confederates accidentally set their own city afire
when they burned supplies to keep them from Union hands.
The flames spread out of control and reduced much of the
capital to ruins.
Union troops outside Richmond would see the fire and
hear the explosions. “About 2 o’clock on the morning of
April 3d bright fires were seen in the direction of Richmond.
Shortly after, while we were looking at these fires, we heard
explosions,” one witness reported.
On the way to Danville, the president’s train stopped at
Clover Station. It was three o’clock in the morning. There a
young army lieutenant, eighteen years old, saw the train pull
in. He spotted Davis through a window, waving to the people
gathered at the station. Later he witnessed the treasure train
pass, and others, too. “I saw a government on wheels,” he
said. From one car in the rear a man cried out, to no one in
particular, “Richmond’s burning. Gone. All gone.”
As Jefferson Davis continued his journey to Danville,
Richmond burned and Union troops approached. Around
dawn a black man who had escaped the city reached Union
lines and reported what Lincoln and U. S. Grant, the
commanding general of the Armies of the United States,
suspected. The Confederate government had abandoned the
capital during the night and the road to the city was open.
There would be no battle for Richmond. The Union army
could march in and occupy the rebel capital without firing
a shot.
The first Union troops entered Richmond shortly
after sunrise on Monday, April 3. They marched through
the streets, arrived downtown, and took control of the
government buildings. They tried to put out the fires, which
still burned in some sections of the city. Just a few hours since
Davis had left it, the White House of the Confederacy was
seized by the Union and made into their new headquarters.
Bloody Times
187
Chapter Three
380
Richmond, Virginia shortly after Union forces entered the city on April 3, 1865.
188 Collection 3
provisions
(pr∂-v∆zh´∂nz) n.
Provisions are a stock
of necessary supplies,
such as food.
©Medford Historical Society Collection/Corbis
370
The gloom that filled President Davis’s train eased with
the morning sun. Some of the officials of the Confederate
government began to talk and tell jokes, trying to brighten
the mood. Judah Benjamin, the secretary of state, talked
about food and told stories. “[H]is hope and good humor
[were] inexhaustible,” one official recalled. With a playful
air, he discussed the fine points of a sandwich, analyzed his
daily diet given the food shortages that plagued the South,
and as an example of doing much with little, showed off his
coat and pants, both made from an old shawl, which had kept
him warm through three winters. Colonel Frank Lubbock, a
former governor of Texas, entertained his fellow travelers with
wild western tales.
But back in Richmond, the people had endured a night of
terror. The ruins and the smoke presented a terrible sight. A
Confederate army officer wrote about what he saw at a depot,
or warehouse, where food supplies were stored. “By daylight,
on the 3d,” he noted, “a mob of men, women, and children, to
the number of several thousands, had gathered at the corner
of 14th and Cary streets … for it must be remembered that in
1865 Richmond was a half-starved city, and the Confederate
Government had that morning removed its guards and
abandoned the removal of the provisions. . . . The depot doors
390
400
410
420
were forced open and a demoniacal struggle for the countless
barrels of hams, bacon, whisky, flour, sugar, coffee . . . raged
about the buildings among the hungry mob. The gutters ran
with whisky, and it was lapped up as it flowed down the
streets, while all fought for a share of the plunder.”
A Union officer wrote about what he saw as he entered the
city in early morning, when it was still burning. “As we neared
the city the fires seemed to increase in number and size,
and at intervals loud explosions were heard. On entering the
square we found Capitol Square covered with people who had
fled there to escape the fire and were utterly worn out with
fatigue and fright. Details were at once made to scour the city
and press into service every able-bodied man, white or black,
and make them assist in extinguishing the flames.”
Constance Cary ventured outside to see her ruined
and fallen city. Horrified, she discovered that Yankees had
occupied the Confederate White House. “I looked over at the
President’s house, and saw the porch crowded with Union
soldiers and politicians, the street in front filled with curious
gaping negroes.” The sight of ex-slaves roving freely about
disgusted her. “It is no longer our Richmond,” she complained,
and added that the Confederate anthem still had the power to
raise some people’s spirits: “One of the girls tells me she finds
great comfort in singing ‘Dixie’ with her head buried in a
feather pillow.”
All day on April 3, Washington, D.C., celebrated the fall
of Richmond. The Washington Star newspaper captured the
joyous mood: “As we write Washington city is in such a blaze
of excitement and enthusiasm as we never before witnessed
here. . . . The thunder of cannon; the ringing of bells; the
eruption of flags from every window and housetop, the shouts
of enthusiastic gatherings in the streets; all echo the glorious
report. RICHMOND IS OURS!!!”
The Union capital celebrated without President Lincoln,
who was still with the army. While Washington rejoiced,
the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, worried about Lincoln’s
safety. He believed that the president was traveling in enemy
territory without sufficient protection. Stanton urged Lincoln
to return to Washington. But Lincoln didn’t take the warning.
He telegraphed back:
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189
Head Quarters Armies of the United States
City-Point,
April 3. 5 P.M. 1865
430
Hon. Sec. of War
Washington, D.C.
Yours received. Thanks for your caution; but I have already
been to Petersburg, stayed with Gen. Grant an hour & a half
and returned here. It is certain now that Richmond is in our
hands, and I think I will go there to-morrow. I will take care
of myself.
A. Lincoln
440
450
460
President Davis did not arrive in Danville until 4:00 p.m.
on the afternoon of April 3. It had taken eighteen hours to
travel just 140 miles. The plodding journey from Richmond
to Danville made clear an uncomfortable truth. If Jefferson
Davis hoped to avoid capture, continue the war, and save the
Confederacy, he would have to move a lot faster than this.
Still, the trip had served its purpose. It had saved, for at least
another day, the Confederate States of America.
On the afternoon and evening of Monday, April 3,
the government on wheels unpacked and set up shop in
Danville, Virginia. Jefferson Davis hoped to remain there
as long as possible. In Danville he could send and receive
communications so that he could issue orders and control
the movements of his armies. It would be hard for his
commanders to telegraph the president or send riders with the
latest news if he stayed on the move and they had to chase him
from town to town. In Danville he had the bare minimum he
needed to continue the war.
The citizens of Danville had received word that their
president was coming, and a large number of people waited at
the station for his train. They cheered Jefferson Davis when
he stepped down from his railroad car. The important people
of the town opened their homes to the president and his
government. But soon refugees fleeing from Richmond and
elsewhere flooded into Danville. There was not enough room
for everyone. Many slept in railroad cars and cooked their
meals in the open.
But in Danville Davis and his government had little to do
except wait for news. The future course of the war in Virginia
190 Collection 3
470
480
490
500
depended upon Robert E. Lee and what was left of his army.
Davis expected news from Lee on April 4, but none came. The
president longed for action: He wanted to rally armies, send
them to strategic places, and continue fighting. Instead, he
had to sit still and wait for word from the Army of Northern
Virginia.
“April 4 and the succeeding four days passed,” noted
Stephen R. Mallory, the secretary of the navy, “without
bringing word from Lee or Breckinridge, or of the operations
of the army; and the anxiety of the President and his followers
was intense.” Refugees from Richmond carried wild stories.
Some said Lee had won “a glorious victory.” Others said Lee
was too busy fighting to send messengers. Jefferson Davis
ignored the rumors.
On April 4, as Davis waited impatiently for news, Lincoln
experienced one of the most thrilling days of his life. “Thank
God that I have lived to see this!” he wrote. “It seems to me
that I have been dreaming a horrid dream for four years, and
now the nightmare is gone. I want to go to Richmond.”
Admiral Porter, a Union navy admiral, agreed to take him
there, “[i]f there is any of it left. There is black smoke over the
city.” On the River Queen they traveled up the river toward
Richmond. When the water became too shallow for big boats,
Porter transferred the president and Tad to his personal craft,
the “admiral’s barge.” Despite the fancy name, it was no more
than a big rowboat. But it allowed them to continue.
The city looked eerie. Lincoln and Porter peered at the
rebel capital but saw no one. They saw smoke from the fires.
The only sound was the creaking of the oars. “The street
along the river-front was as deserted,” Porter observed, “as if
this had been a city of the dead.” Although the Union army
had controlled the city for several hours, “not a soldier was to
be seen.”
The oarsmen rowed for a wharf, and Lincoln stepped
out of the boat. Admiral Porter described what happened
next: “There was a small house on this landing, and behind
it were some twelve negroes digging with spades. The leader
of them was an old man sixty years of age. He raised himself
to an upright position as we landed, and put his hands up to
his eyes. Then he dropped his spade and sprang forward.”
The man knelt at Lincoln’s feet, praising him, calling him
Bloody Times
191
510
the messiah4 come to free his children from slavery. “Glory,
Hallelujah!” he cried, and kissed the president’s feet. The
others did the same.
Lincoln was embarrassed. He did not want to enter
Richmond like a king. He spoke to the throng of former
slaves. “Don’t kneel to me. That is not right. You must kneel
to God only, and thank him for the liberty you will hereafter
enjoy.”
Before allowing Lincoln to leave them and proceed on foot
into Richmond, the freed slaves burst into joyous song:
Oh, all ye people clap your hands,
And with triumphant voices sing;
No force the mighty power withstands
Of God, the universal King.
520
530
540
throng
(thrông) n. A throng
is a large group of
people.
The hymn drew hundreds of blacks to the landing. They
surrounded Lincoln, making it impossible for him to move.
Admiral Porter recognized how foolish he had been to bring
the president of the United States ashore without enough
soldiers to protect him.
The crowd went wild. Some rushed forward, laid their
hands upon the president, and collapsed in joy. Some, too
awed to approach Father Abraham, kept their distance and,
speechless, just stared at him. Others yelled for joy and
performed somersaults. Lincoln spoke to them: “My poor
friends, you are free—free as air. You can cast off the name
of slave and trample upon it. . . . Liberty is your birthright.…
But you must try to deserve this priceless boon. Let the world
see that you merit it, and are able to maintain it by your good
works. Don’t let your joy carry you into excesses. Learn the
laws and obey them. . . . There, now, let me pass on; I have but
little time to spare. I want to see the capital.”
Porter ordered six marines to march ahead of the
president and six behind him, and the landing party walked
toward downtown Richmond. The streets were dusty, and
smoke from the fires still hung in the air. Lincoln could smell
Richmond burning. By now thousands of people, blacks and
whites, crowded the streets.
4
messiah: the savior or liberator.
192 Collection 3
boon
(b◊n) n. A boon is a
gift or benefit.
The crowd went wild. Some rushed
forward, laid their hands upon
the president, and collapsed in joy.
550
560
570
A beautiful girl, about seventeen years old, carrying
a bouquet of roses, stepped into the street and advanced
toward the president. Admiral Porter watched her struggle
through the crowd. “She had a hard time in reaching him,” he
remembered. “I reached out and helped her within the circle
of the sailors’ bayonets, where, although nearly stifled with
dust, she gracefully presented her bouquet to the President
and made a neat little speech, while he held her hand. . . .
There was a card on the bouquet with these simple words:
‘From Eva to the Liberator of the slaves.” ’
Porter spotted a sole soldier on horseback and called out to
him: “Go to the general, and tell him to send a military escort
here to guard the President and get him through this crowd!”
“Is that old Abe?” the trooper asked before galloping off.
Lincoln went on to the Confederate White House and
entered Jefferson Davis’s study. One of the men with him
remembered watching Lincoln sit down and say, “This must
have been President Davis’s chair.” Lincoln crossed his legs
and “looked far off with a serious, dreamy expression.”
Lincoln knew the Confederate president had been here, in this
room, no more than thirty-six hours ago. This was the closest
Abraham Lincoln had ever come to Jefferson Davis.
One observer remembered that Lincoln “lay back in the
chair like a tired man whose nerves had carried him beyond
his strength.” Sitting in the quiet study of the Confederate
president, perhaps Lincoln weighed the cost—more than
620,000 American lives5—paid to get there. He did not speak.
Then he requested a glass of water.
After Lincoln left the Confederate White House, he toured
Richmond in a buggy. Blacks flocked to him and rejoiced, just
5
more than 620,000 American lives: the number of deaths caused by the Civil
War.
Bloody Times
193
580
590
600
as they had done at the river landing. But not all of Richmond
welcomed him to the ruined capital. Most whites stayed in
their homes behind locked doors and closed shutters, with
some glaring at the unwelcome conqueror through their
windows.
It was a miracle that no one poked a rifle or a pistol
through an open window and opened fire on the despised
Yankee president. Lincoln knew the risk. “I walked alone on
the street, and anyone could have shot me from a second-story
window,” he said. His Richmond tour was one of Lincoln’s
triumphs. It was the most important day of his presidency.
It was also one of the most dangerous days of his life. No
American president before or since has ever placed himself
at that much risk.
Before Lincoln left Richmond, the Union general left in
charge of the city asked Lincoln to tell him how he should
deal with the conquered rebels. Lincoln’s answer became an
American legend. He replied that he didn’t want to give any
orders, but, “If I were in your place I’d let ’em up easy, let ’em
up easy.”
During his time in Richmond, Lincoln did not order
arrests of any rebel leaders who stayed in the city, did not
order their property seized, and said nothing of vengeance
or punishment. Nor did he order a manhunt for Davis and
the officials who had left the city less than two days ago. It
was a moment of remarkable greatness and generosity. It was
Abraham Lincoln at his best.
COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION With a partner, discuss how
Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis demonstrated leadership
qualities in the last days of the war. Cite specific evidence from the
text to support your ideas.
194 Collection 3
vengeance
(v≈n´j∂ns) n.
Vengeance is a
punishment given in
return for a wrong.
EL A RI.8.3, RI.8.5
ELD PI.8.6, PII.8.1
Analyze Structure: Comparison
and Contrast
The Civil War is a topic that lends itself to the examination of two sides.
One way to do that in writing is through the use of compare and contrast
organization, a pattern of organization in which an author compares two
or more subjects by explaining how they are similar and contrasts them by
explaining how they are different.
t Two subjects can be compared and contrasted within a single
paragraph. In this example from Bloody Times, Swanson identifies ways
that Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were alike:
It may seem that two men could not be more different . . .
But in fact, they had many things in common. Both . . . loved
books and reading. Both had children who died young.
t A comparison and contrast can be made in two separate paragraphs,
with one paragraph covering various aspects of the first subject and the
next paragraph covering similar aspects of the second subject.
t A comparison and contrast can be made within larger sections of a
piece, such as chapter by chapter.
Look for examples of each type of compare and contrast organization as
you analyze Bloody Times.
EL A RI.8.4, L.8.5c
ELD PI.8.8
Analyze Connotative Meanings
Word choice, an author’s selection of words, can affect a reader’s attitude
toward a subject. For example, every word has a dictionary definition, or
denotation. Words also have connotations—the feelings or ideas that
people associate with that word. Words with a similar denotation can have a
positive, neutral, or negative
g
connotation.
Positive
Neutral
determined, resolute
firm
Negative
stubborn, obstinate
Study this sentence. How would your feelings about Lincoln be different
if the author had used the word stubbornly instead of firmly?
Every new state to join the country, Lincoln firmly believed,
should prohibit slavery.
Review Bloody Times to find another sentence whose meaning would
change if a word with a similar denotation but different connotation was used.
Bloody Times
195
eBook
Analyzing the Text
Cite Text Evidence
EL A RI.8.1, RI.8.3, RI.8.4, RI.8.5, W.8.2,
W.8.7, W.8.8, W.8.9b ELD PI.8.6, PI.8.8,
PI.8.10, PII.8.1
Support your responses with evidence from the text.
1.
Identify Patterns Review the overall pattern of organization that author
James Swanson used in this piece. How is the organizational pattern in the
introduction different from each of the chapters?
2.
Interpret Reread lines 74–82. Swanson writes that Davis was “sterner.”
How is the connotation of stern different from words such as harsh and
authoritarian that have similar denotations?
3.
Compare What does the author identify as the greatest difference
between Davis and Lincoln? How did this difference affect the life course
of these two men?
4.
Draw Conclusions Reread lines 175–183. Describe Jefferson Davis’s
behavior. What does his conduct reveal about his character?
5.
Evaluate When an author refers to another literary work without naming
it, it is called an allusion. Identify several allusions to the Bible in lines
502–546. What do these suggest about the way Lincoln was viewed by the
end of the Civil War?
Writing and Research
With a small group, conduct research and write a short report about how
Lincoln’s views on slavery and emancipation changed over time. Explain his
thoughts about emancipation before, during, and after the Civil War, and
describe what led to his changing attitudes. Share your findings with the class.
PERFORMANCE TASK
Writing Activity: Informative
Essay Create a poster that compares
and contrasts Abraham Lincoln and
Jefferson Davis.
t First, draw a Venn diagram on
your poster. Label each side of the
diagram with one man’s name and
include an image to represent him.
196 Collection 3
t Next, revisit the text of Bloody Times
to identify character traits of these
two leaders. Write the traits in the
appropriate sections of your Venn
diagram.
t Finally, use the traits you identified
to write a brief character sketch of
each man below the corresponding
parts of the diagram.
EL A L.8.4a, L.8.4d
ELD PI.8.6
Critical Vocabulary
secede
succumb
jubilation
oppress
ruffian
looter
provisions
throng
boon
vengeance
Practice and Apply Use your understanding of the Vocabulary words to
complete each sentence.
1.
A store owner might succumb to a looter because . . .
2.
Some wanted vengeance against those who tried to secede because . . .
3.
It would be scary to see a throng of ruffians because . . .
4.
Provisions would be a boon to people following a hurricane because . . .
5.
There is no jubilation when someone tries to oppress people
because . . .
Vocabulary Strategy: Use Context Clues
Context clues are the words and phrases surrounding a word that provide
hints about its meaning. Sometimes, you may find a context clue in the same
sentence as the unfamiliar word you are trying to understand. The overall
meaning of a sentence can also be a good context clue. Look at this example:
If the mob learned what cargo Parker and his men guarded,
then the looters, driven mad by greed, would have attacked the
train.
If you didn’t know what looters means, the words greed and attacked are
clues. The overall meaning of the sentence is another context clue. Together,
these hints can help you guess that looters are “robbers who use violent
means during times of chaos.” You can confirm your guess by checking a print
or a digital dictionary.
Practice and Apply Find each of the following words in the selection and
look for clues to the word’s meaning. Then, complete a chart like the one
shown.
Word
Context
Clues
Guessed
Definition
Dictionary
Definition
fatigue (line 400)
anthem (line 410)
despised (line 583)
Bloody Times
197
EL A L.8.1a
ELD PII.8.4
Language Conventions: Gerunds
Recall that a verbal is a word that is formed from a verb but is used as a noun,
an adjective, or an adverb.
A gerund is one type of verbal. It is a verb form ending in -ing that
functions as a noun. In this sentence, the word fighting is a gerund:
He wanted to rally armies, send them to strategic places, and
continue fighting.
Gerunds can perform the same functions as nouns in a sentence.
Subject
Direct Object
Object of
Preposition
Predicate Noun
Fighting changed the soldiers’ lives forever.
The soldiers stopped fighting.
Many believed nothing could prevent the two sides
from fighting.
For many the only solution was fighting.
Don’t confuse gerunds with other kinds of words that end in -ing. A verb
can end in -ing. A participle that modifies a noun or a pronoun can also end
in -ing.
Gerund
Thinking became a
torment for Davis.
Verb
The slaves were thinking
about freedom.
Participle
Lincoln was a thinking person.
Practice and Apply Write each gerund. Label it subject, direct object, object of
preposition, or predicate noun to explain its function in the sentence.
1.
Reading gave Lincoln and Davis access to inspiring ideas.
2.
The former slaves were demonstrating their joy by singing.
3.
Davis and other promising leaders eventually stopped fleeing.
4.
Studying was what allowed Lincoln to become a lawyer.
5.
Vengeance meant losing because Lincoln believed it would destroy the
healing nation.
198 Collection 3
Background On April 14, 1865, only five days after
the Civil War ended, President Abraham Lincoln was
assassinated at the Ford Theater in Washington,
D.C., where he was watching a performance. Lincoln
was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and
a Confederate sympathizer. Although Booth initially
escaped, he was discovered days later by Union
soldiers. Booth was killed while trying to avoid capture.
O Captain!
My Captain!
(cr) ©Jupiterimages/Getty Images; (r) ©inxti/Shutterstock; (br) ©CORBIS
Poem by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819–1892) was a great admirer of President
Lincoln. After the president was assassinated, Whitman wrote
“O Captain! My Captain!” to capture the sense of tragedy that
descended upon the country. Largely unknown to the public when
he wrote this poem, Whitman eventually gained a reputation as
one of the greatest American writers. “O Captain! My Captain!” is
among his most famous works, and his book of poems, Leaves
of Grass, is considered one of the masterpieces of American
literature.
SETTING A PURPOSE As you read, look for evidence of
Whitman’s feelings about Lincoln. Do others seem to share his
feelings? Write down any questions you have as you read.
O Captain! My Captain!
199
O Captain! My Captain!
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack,1 the prize we sought2
is won,
5
10
15
20
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, 3 the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung4—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores
a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed
and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread, 5
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION What conflicting thoughts and
feelings does this poem express about the end of the Civil War?
With a partner, discuss whether you think many Americans shared
Walt Whitman’s feelings. Cite specific evidence from the text to
support your ideas.
1
2
3
4
5
rack: a mass of wind-driven clouds.
sought (sôt): searched for; tried to gain.
keel: the main part of a ship’s structure.
flung: suddenly put out.
tread (tr≈d): footsteps.
200 Collection 3
EL A RL.8.4, RL.8.5
ELD PI.8.8
Determine Meaning of Words
and Phrases
One way poets can help readers understand things in new ways is by using
figurative language, or imaginative descriptions that are not literally true.
A metaphor is a type of figurative language in which an author compares
two things that are generally different but have some quality or qualities in
common. In an extended metaphor, this comparison between two things is
developed at some length and in different ways.
An extended metaphor in a poem may continue, or extend, through
several lines or stanzas or throughout the entire poem. In “O Captain! My
Captain!” Whitman uses an extended metaphor to express his feelings about
Lincoln and the Civil War. Reread the poem and determine what is being
compared.
EL A RL.8.5
ELD PI.8.6, PII.8.1
Analyze Structure
Certain forms of poetry are associated with particular topics. For example,
sonnets are often associated with love, and limericks are often associated
with humor. “O Captain! My Captain!” is an elegy. An elegy is a poem in which
the speaker reflects on death. In contrast to other forms of poetry, elegies
often pay tribute to someone who has recently died.
Most elegies use formal, dignified language and are serious in tone,
which is the writer’s attitude toward the subject. Elegies may also express
t sorrow and grief
t praise for the person who has died
t comforting thoughts or ideas
In these lines from “O Captain! My Captain!,” Whitman expresses his own
sorrow.
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Review “O Captain! My Captain!” and identify words and phrases that pay
tribute to Lincoln’s greatness.
O Captain! My Captain!
201
eBook
Analyzing the Text
Cite Text Evidence
1.
EL A RL.8.1, RL.8.4, RL.8.5, SL.8.1,
SL.8.6 ELD PI.8.1, PI.8.6, PI.8.7,
PI.8.8
Support your responses with evidence from the text.
Interpret Reread lines 1–3. In Whitman’s metaphor, what is the “fearful
trip,” the “ship,” and the “prize” that was won? What is the “port”? Express
your answer in a chart like the one shown.
Element
What It Represents
fearful
trip
ship
prize
port
2.
Interpret Examine lines 3–13. Describe the grand celebration that
Whitman tells about in these lines. Why are the crowds rejoicing?
3.
Evaluate When there is a contrast between appearance and reality, irony
results. Why is it ironic that the crowds are celebrating in this poem?
4.
Cite Evidence How does Whitman express his own grief about Lincoln’s
death? Cite three specific examples.
5.
Evaluate Reread lines 20–21. What is the meaning of these lines in terms
of Whitman’s extended metaphor?
PERFORMANCE TASK
Speaking Activity: Respond by
Speaking Work with a small group to
present a choral reading of “O Captain!
My Captain!”
t Begin by rereading the poem
carefully. As a group, decide how
each line should be read based
on its message. Are the words
expressing sorrow? praise? comfort?
202 Collection 3
t Next, decide who will read each line
or part of a line. Should some words
be read by one speaker? by two
speakers? by your entire group?
t The choices you make about how
the lines will be spoken should
reflect your analysis of the poem. Be
prepared to explain your choices.
Interactive Lessons
COLLEC TION 3
To complete this task, use
Participating in a Collaborative
Discussion.
PERFORMANCE TASK A
EL A W.8.1, W.8.7, W.8.9,
SL.8.1a–d, SL.8.4
ELD PI.8.1, PI.8.3, PI.8.5,
PI.8.9
Participate in a Collaborative
Discussion
This collection focuses on slavery and the Civil War. Look back at
the excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and at
the other texts you read. Prepare a response to the literature by
making a generalization about the ways in which people respond
to the Civil War or to the struggle for freedom. Then make your
case in a collaborative discussion, citing evidence from the texts to
support the points in your response.
An effective participant in a collaborative discussion
t makes a clear, logical generalization about the ways people
respond to slavery or the Civil War in one of the selections
t
t
t
t
uses quotations and specific examples to illustrate ideas
responds politely to the moderator and other panel members
evaluates other panel members’ contributions
summarizes the discussion by synthesizing ideas
PLAN
Get Organized
Work with your classmates to prepare for a
panel discussion.
t Join a group of four classmates and select one student to be
the moderator for your discussion.
t As a group, choose three texts from the collection for your
group to discuss. Each student who is not the moderator will
be the expert on one of these texts. Decide which student will
focus on each text.
t Create a format for your discussion—a schedule that shows
the order in which members of the panel will speak and for
how long. It will be the moderator’s job to keep the discussion
on schedule.
t Set rules regarding the times for the moderator, other group
members, or the audience (your classmates) to ask questions.
Interactive Lessons
To help you plan your
discussion, complete
the following lesson:
tEstablishing and
Following Procedure
ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY
As you share what you
learned about your
assigned text, be sure
to use the academic
vocabulary words.
access
civil
demonstrate
document
symbolize
Collection Performance Task A
203
Gather Evidence
Analyze your assigned text and gather
evidence for the discussion. Note details, examples, and
quotations. Ask yourself these questions as you take notes:
t How does the struggle over slavery affect people in the text?
How do they respond to it?
t How does a person’s character or situation affect their actions?
t What generalization, or broad conclusion, can I make about
people’s responses to the struggle over slavery?
Use the annotation tools in your eBook to find evidence from
the text to support your generalization. Save your evidence to
myNotebook, in a folder titled Collection 3 Performance Task.
“Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad”
“They stumbled along behind her, half-dead for sleep,
and she urged them on, though she was as tired and as
discouraged as they were.”
This sentence shows Harriet Tubman’s determination to fight
slavery with all of her strength.
During this time, the moderator should make a list of relevant
questions to be asked during the panel discussion.
PRODUCE
Write and Practice
Work individually to write an outline
of your response to your assigned text. Then practice with
your group.
t State a clear generalization about the ways people in your
assigned text respond to the struggle over slavery.
t Write several central ideas that support your generalization.
t Match each piece of evidence with the idea it best supports.
t Present your ideas to your group. The moderator will ask
questions about your ideas and examples, preparing you to
“think on your feet” during the real discussion.
t If you are the moderator, decide how to introduce and
conclude the discussion. Write a statement explaining the
topic and format. Write notes for a concluding statement. Be
ready to modify your remarks if new ideas emerge.
204 Collection 3
Write your outline
in myWriteSmart.
Focus on getting
your ideas down,
rather than on
perfecting your
choice of language.
Reinforce Your Ideas
Based on the practice session and
the rubric on the following page, make changes to your written
response to the texts. Consider the following questions:
t Were you able to defend your generalization? If not, revise
your response so that it better reflects your textual evidence
and your central ideas.
t Were you able to answer the moderator’s questions without
hesitation? If not, you may need to reorganize your response
so that you can find information more quickly and easily.
t Did the moderator’s questions help you see your text in a new
Have your partner
or a group of peers
review your outline
in myWriteSmart. Ask
your reviewers to note
any evidence that
does not support your
generalization about
how people respond
to the struggle over
slavery.
Interactive Lessons
To help you plan your
discussion, complete
the following lesson:
tListening and
Responding
light? If so, add new evidence to your response that you can
share during the real discussion.
PRESENT
Have the Discussion
Now it’s time to present your panel
discussion before the rest of the class. Have your outline at hand
for reference during the discussion.
t Begin by having the moderator introduce the topic, the
panelists, and the basic format for the discussion. The
moderator will then ask the first question and continue to
facilitate the discussion in the agreed-upon format.
t Use your writing to remind you of your main points, but try to
speak directly to the panel and the audience. Don’t just read
from your paper.
t Listen closely to what all speakers say so that you can respond
appropriately.
t Sustain a respectful tone toward your fellow panel members,
even when you disagree with their ideas.
t When all the panelists have made their statements and
discussed ideas amongst themselves, the moderator should
invite panelists and audience members to ask questions.
t Conclude by having the moderator summarize the discussion
and thank the panelists for their participation.
Summarize
Write a summary of the main points from the
discussion. Then explain whether the discussion made you rethink
your generalization, and why.
Collection Performance Task A
205
P E R F O R M A N C E TA S K A R U B R I C
C O L L A B O R AT I V E D I S C U S S I O N
4
3
2
1
Ideas and Evidence
Organization
Language
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206 Collection 3
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Interactive Lessons
COLLEC TION 3
To help you complete this
task, use:
t Writing Informative Texts
t Using Textual Evidence
PERFORMANCE TASK B
Write a Literary Analysis
Ray Bradbury’s “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” invites readers to
experience the night before a Civil War battle through the eyes
of a young boy. In this activity, you will conduct research to learn
how the historical details of the Battle of Shiloh are relevant to the
story. Following a small-group discussion about your fresh insights
into the story, you will write a literary analysis in which you offer an
interpretation of the story’s symbolism.
EL A W.8.2a–f, W.8.5,
W.8.7, W.8.9a, W.8.9b,
SL.8.1, SL8.1a, L.8.1, L.8.2
ELD PI.8.1, PI.8.10,
PI.8.11, PII.8.1, PII.8.4
A successful literary analysis
t cites evidence from the text that strongly supports ideas and
analysis
t is organized in a way that is appropriate to purpose and
audience
hmhfyi.com
hm
om
t conveys ideas through the selection, organization, and analysis
of relevant content
Visit hmhfyi.com to
explore your topic and
enhance your research.
PLAN
Conduct Research
Use both print and digital sources to
research the Battle of Shiloh.
t Find out why the battle was fought, and learn about the
geography of the area, including the Peach Orchard.
t Identify the significance of the battle and its aftermath.
t Use relevant sources. Find books by using keyword or subject
searches in the library. Use a search engine or Internet
directories to find credible online sources.
Reread the Story Develop fresh insights during a second
reading of “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.” Look for
t events or descriptions that gain significance as a result of your
research
t new or sharper understanding of symbols Ray Bradbury uses
in the story
Use the annotation
tools in your eBook
to find details,
descriptions, and
events that support
your impressions of the
story.
ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY
As you share your
insights into the
symbolism in the story,
be sure to use the
academic vocabulary
words.
access
civil
demonstrate
document
symbolize
Collection Performance Task B
207
Participate in a Group Discussion
Join two or three
classmates to discuss the story and its symbols. Focus on
t repeated events or images that may be symbols, such as
peach blossoms, the drum, or even Joby himself
t how research affected your understanding of symbolism
t symbolism that was not apparent during your first reading
Plan Your Analysis Compile ideas for your literary analysis
based on your research, reading, and discussion.
t Decide what your thesis statement, or controlling idea, will be.
All of the ideas you discuss should relate or connect to it.
t Use a graphic organizer like the one shown to jot down ideas.
Symbol
Connection to the Battle
Effect in the Story
PRODUCE
Write Your Literary Analysis
Use your research, ideas
from your group discussion, and your graphic organizer to draft a
literary analysis of the symbolism in “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.”
t Decide on a logical way to organize your ideas. You might
discuss symbols in the order they appear, or organize around
story events.
t Include a brief summary of the story and of the Battle
of Shiloh.
t Include details, quotations, or other examples from the story
and your research to support your thesis statement. Use
precise language.
t Consider using headers or other formatting to help readers
understand how you have organized your ideas.
t Conclude your analysis with a summary of your main points
and your own insights into the symbolism in the story.
208 Collection 3
Write your
rough draft in
myWriteSmart.
Concentrate on
supporting your
main points and
connecting ideas
rather than on
creating perfect
sentences.
Interactive Lessons
For help in writing
your essay, use
tWriting Informative
Texts: Elaboration
tUsing Textual
Evidence:
Summarizing,
Paraphrasing, and
Quoting
Language Conventions: Add Details
Look for places where you can include nouns and noun phrases to add details.
A noun phrase includes a noun and the words that modify it. Read this passage
from “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.”
was about to move on when the boy, startled, touched the
“drumAndatthehis voice
elbow. The man above, hearing this, stopped.
”
Note how the phrases “the drum at his elbow” and “the man above” add details,
making it easier for the reader to picture.
Review Your Draft
Have your partner or group of peers use
the following chart to review your draft.
Questions
Is the thesis
statement clear?
Tips
Underline the thesis
statement.
Revision Techniques
Add a thesis
statement. Revise the
introduction to make
the thesis clear.
Does the essay
include background
information?
Highlight details that
provide background
information.
Add details about the
battle to help explain
the analysis.
Is the analysis
supported by
details, quotations,
and examples?
Underline facts,
details, quotations,
and examples that
support main points.
Add examples from
the text or research to
support the analysis.
Are the ideas
organized clearly
and logically?
Highlight transitional
words and phrases
that connect ideas.
Rearrange sentences
to organize ideas. Add
transitions.
Does the conclusion
summarize the main
points and provide
insight?
Underline the
summary. Highlight
sentences that
provide insight.
Add a summary of
the main points.
Insert sentences that
provide insight.
Have your partner
or a group of peers
review your draft in
myWriteSmart and
note any parts of
your analysis that
are unclear or that
could be moved
to improve your
organization.
Interactive Lessons
To help you revise
your essay, complete
the following lessons
in Writing Informative
Texts:
tPrecise Language
and Vocabulary
tFormal Style
PRESENT
Create a Finished Copy
Finalize your literary analysis. Then
choose a way to share it. Consider sharing your analysis in an oral
report, or posting your analysis on a classroom or school website.
Collection Performance Task B
209
P E R F O R M A N C E TA S K B R U B R I C
L I T E R A R Y A N A LY S I S
Ideas and Evidence
Organization
Language
4
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1
210 Collection 3
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