DISCUSSION PREP QUESTIONS:

Slavery in the US and

the Life of Frederick Douglass.
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/frederick-douglass-statesman-abolitionist-
champion-of-the-people

1) Try to imagine what Douglass was going through during slavery and being told he
shouldn’t read, write, or do what he wants, do you think you would be able to do it?- Feel
empathy
2) Recall a time where you were forced to do something you did not want to do; how did it
make you feel? – Relate to the text and image
3) Compare and contrast the lives of white Americans and black Americans during the time
of Frederick Douglass’ life. – Analyze and compare.

https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/boutwell-douglass-nomination

1) Name the former U.S Secretary and Governor of Massachusetts that spoke highly of
Frederick Douglass? -Analyze
2) What is the main idea (the point) of him writing this letter? - Analyze
3) What is most compelling to you in this letter? Why? – Relate to the image

https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/douglass-petition-woman-suffrage
 1) Do you remember talking about women gaining their right to vote in the 19th amendment?
– Prior knowledge
2) Would you have done the same thing that Frederick Douglass did in signing a petition to
allow women the right to vote? – Empathy
3) What do you think would have happened if nobody petitioned for women’s rights to
vote? Would the outcome be any different? – Analyze

https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/sumner-civil-rights-bill

1) What information is being given on this printed bill? – Analyze

2) How do you think people who were not against slavery felt when they saw this bill
passed? – Analyze/relate
3) Describe the bill in your own words. – Analyze

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-now/spotlight-primary-source/i-love-you-hate-slavery-
frederick-douglass-his-former-owner

1) Would you have done the same thing as Frederick Douglass in this situation? – Empathy
2) Have you ever written something that was hard for you but it felt like the right thing to
do? – Empathy/prior knowledge
3) Pretend you are Frederick Douglass, what would your letter say? – Empathy

https://www.readex.com/blog/celebrating-remarkable-life-and-work-frederick-douglass-through-
america%E2%80%99s-historical-imprints

1) Do you remember ever reading or talking about someone who wrote an autobiography?
Can you describe what it is? – Prior knowledge
2) Compare the relationship of him and his mother to someone in your life who is like a
mother/father figure to you. Would you be okay if you never saw them again? – Empathy
3) Do you feel not allowing a child to go to his mother’s funeral is morally okay? –
Empathy

https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/aera-memorial

1) Have you ever been in charge of something important? How did it make you feel to
accomplish that goal? – Prior knowledge
2) Compare and contrast how vastly different the world would be if people did not have
equal rights. – Analyze and compare
3) What is most compelling to you in the fight for equality? – Empathy/ relate

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html
 1) Have you ever been never for a speech or presentation, but when you did it you felt good
about how it went? – Prior knowledge
2) Try to put yourself in Frederick Douglass’ shoes, do you think you would be able to give
such an important speech to a room full of people? Why or why not? – Empathy
3) Do you believe Douglass was passionate about what he spoke of? Give an example from
the text to prove your stance. – Analyze

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-douglass-family.html

1) In the timeline, it says that although Douglass tried learning to read, his slaveowner did
not allow it. Why do you think that is? – Analyze
2) Would you have tried to read and educate yourself as much as you could, just like
Douglass did? – Empathy
3) What would the world be like if the fight for equality did not happen? – Analyze/interpret

https://www.aaihs.org/frederick-douglasss-childhood-of-extremes/

1) What information is being given in this passage? – Analyze

2) The article talked a lot about memory, do you believe a situation like this would always
be remembered by the person it happened to or would they try to repress it? – Analyze
and empathy
3) If you could write a letter to Frederick Douglass, what would you say? – Analyze and
empathy