Voices of the Storm

A WebQuest for High Honors American Studies

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Introduction

Introduction

“T

he history of mankind,” I began, “is a record of the saddest mistakes, the wildest aberrations, the most melancholy inconsistencies, the bloodiest crimes. In this country, the worst inconsistency is the discrepancy between the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the practice of slaveholding. I regret that Americans, in submitting to the Slave Power, have degenerated in regard to reverence for the cause of liberty and the Higher Law of God.” I paused. The audience waited. Somebody coughed. “I must now do something as testimony of my own soul to what I feel about the proslavery laws of this country.” I lit a candle, picked up a document from a table beside me, and said: “This is a copy of the fugitive slave law. Behold!” I touched the candle flame to the paper and held it overhead, intoning, “And let all the people say, Amen!”

William Lloyd Garrison went on to burn a copy of a judge’s ruling that sent an escaped slave back into slavery, and a copy of the Federal Constitution!

“I burnt a PRO-Slavery Constitution,” I said in the Liberator, “and therefore was faithful to the slave in so doing. My only regret was that I did not burn a copy of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and an effigy of Stephen A. Douglas while I was at it” (155-156).

What a moment! Garrison, standing on a podium next to a lake in nearby Framingham, Mass., torched a copy of the Constitution! The way Oates describes it, through a mix of Garrison’s actual words and additions true to his character, you can almost see Garrison standing defiantly in front of the 4^th of July crowd—all members of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society—and you can almost hear the gasps of disbelief. Oates most certainly lets you get into his head as Garrison performed one of his most dramatic and controversial denunciations of slavery and the American government that permitted its existence.

What are three things you learn about Garrison from this portion of dramatic monologue? How does Oates establish Garrison’s voice, to set him apart from the other “players” in the saga leading up to the Civil War?

Garrison was one of 13 key “players” in the events leading up to the Civil War, who Oates develops in his book. As a member of the High Honors American Studies class, you were expected to purchase and read The Approaching Fury by historian Stephen B. Oates, as well as complete a summer reading and writing project. This lengthy, non-fiction work examines the events leading up to the American Civil War through the eyes and narratives of 13 key participants in those events. Rather than presenting the history through the lens of an omniscient narrator, Oates chooses to “get into character” and tell the stories through his characters’ own words in a series of interconnected, dramatic monologues. “This alternative allows us to walk in the footsteps the people of history, to think their thoughts and feel their feelings, to experience them in all their flawed and glorious humanity,” Oates writes.

Click here for a full copy of the summer project.

Click here for a copy of 112 vocabulary words from the book.

Click here for a reading guide for The Approaching Fury.

This course opens with non-fiction, including several seminal works in early American literature such as the Declaration of Independence, a document at the heart of Oates’ book, the conflicts leading up to the Civil War, and your paper.

Click here for a copy of the essay rubric.

Click here for a copy of the essay mechanics rubric.

Click here for a copy of the terms that move towards analysis.

Click here for a copy of the introductory tags.

Click here for a copy of introduction strategies.

Task

By the end of this assignment, you should have a clearer understanding of “voice” through the use of dramatic monologue.

First find a definition of dramatic monologue. Click here to find a definition of dramatic monologue from an online dictionary of literary terms.

A central part of Oates’ book from a literary standpoint is how he creates a distinct voice for his speakers so that they all sound different. Now it’s time to play Civil War “Who Am I?” Voices of the Storm. Below are 13 quotes from each of the individuals included in Oates’ book. You were administered a test already with these quotations.

Check how you did. Read the quote, then click on “Who am I?” to reveal the speaker’s identity.

Then, on a separate sheet of paper, list three important facts or details the quote reveals about the speaker, and clues about his or her personality and concerns related to issues around the Civil War.

Civil War “Who Am I?” Voices of the Storm

Click here to begin the game.

Click here for a printout version of the quotations for classroom use.

Click here for a rubric.

Once you finish the Civil War “Who Am I?” activity, it’s time to turn your attention to a figure not developed in Oates’ book, Mary Todd Lincoln. You’ll follow a process similar to the one used by Oates, examining actual letters, quotations, and other documents written by and about Mary Lincoln to “get into her head” and create a dramatic monologue of your own as her.

Process

You just finished playing Civil War “Who am I?” How did you do? If you got all 13 correct, bravo! Nine to 12 correct means you were able to distinguish most of the characters. Fewer than 9 correct means you need to take another look at how Oates used the dramatic monologues to get in the characters’ heads and voice their distinct thoughts in their distinct styles.
Now let’s look at someone not developed in the book. They say that behind every man is a good woman. Behind Abraham Lincoln was his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, pictured at the right. Examine some biographical sketches, newspaper and magazine articles, and personal letters from Mary Lincoln to her husband and others to mimic the process Oates used to “get into his characters’ heads.” Up next are several sources.

Click here for an explanation of primary versus secondary sources.

Primary sources

Creative Quotations from Mary Lincoln http://creativequotations.com/one/1176.htm

More letters by Mary Todd Lincoln http://www.firstladies.org/bibliography/manuscripts.aspx?bioid=17

Mary Lincoln letter http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/docs_archive/docs_archive_maryTodd.html

Collection of Mary Todd Lincoln’s letters, 1867-1868 http://www.familytales.org/results.php?tla=mtl

Harper’s Weekly article http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1862/november/mary-todd-lincoln.htm

Secondary Sources

Mary Todd Lincoln’s biography on the White House web site. http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ml16.html

Overview of her life http://home.att.net/~rjnorton/Lincoln76.html

American Heritage article http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/3/2006_3_56.shtml

Courier-Journal article http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/FEATURES/804010311

Mary Lincoln in letters, New York Times http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E6DD173DF93AA3575AC0A96F958260

American Memory http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mcc:@field(DOCID+@lit(mcc/032))

Abraham Lincoln’s classroom http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/Library/newsletter.asp?ID=130&CRLI=178

Evaluation

You’ve been assessed on your ability to identify characters from quotations and discuss their significance. Now, you’ll create a dramatic monologue in the voice of Mary Todd Lincoln. Your monologue must focus on one important issue in her life—something with which she would have been concerned either as a mother, wife, widow, or First Lady. Like Oates, you must work at least two real quotes, drawn from something that Mary Todd Lincoln actually said or wrote, into your dramatic monologue. The piece must be between 350 to 500 words, typed, and double-spaced. Please review the rubric provided with this assignment for a more detailed explanation of the assignment criteria; follow it closely.

Click here for a copy of the rubric.

Click here for a link to the OWL workshop for information on creating a properly formatted Works Cited Page.

Conclusion

Hopefully, your completion of this WebQuest has highlighted the importance of the element of voice in achieving a purpose in communication. Stephen B. Oates brings history alive by capturing the voices of the personalities behind the clashing viewpoints in pre-Civil War America. He chose the dramatic monologue as his primary vehicle to show America’s inevitable approach to the fury of the Civil War. In literature, many great poets have employed the dramatic monologue to convey their themes. Check out these links to masters of this genre:

Click on the link below for a copy of the poem “Ulysses”

http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/2191.html

Click on the link below for a copy of “My Last Duchess.”

http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/288.html

As you put the finishing touches on your summer assignment, give your essay a closer look, especially in the element of voice as stated on the rubric. Have you developed a tone that is assertive, original, sophisticated, and appropriate for your audience?

Credits

Oates, Stephen B. The Approaching Fury: Voices of the Storm, 1820-1861. New York: Harper Perennial, 1998.

Image credits

Image of 2 Civil War Soldiers: Found at www.soldierstudies.org

Image of John C. Calhoun: Found at www.wnpt.net

Image of Jefferson Davis: Found at http://johnhuntmorgan.scv.org/scv.htm

Image of Frederick Douglass: Found at www.pbs.org

Image of George Fitzhugh: Found at www.scv674.org

Image of William Lloyd Garrison: Found at http://student.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=10958&articleTypeId=0

Image of Thomas Jefferson: Found at www.harvardsquarelibrary.org

Image of Abraham Lincoln: Found at www.alcwrt.org

Image of Harriet Beecher Stowe: Found at http://www.wpclipart.com/American_History/Womans_Rights/

Image of Nat Turner: Found at www.virginiavignettes.org

Image of Henry Clay: Found at www.senate.gov

Image of Stephen A. Douglas: Found at www.sonofthesouth.net

Image of John Brown: Found at www.historyplace.com

Image of Mary Boykin Chesnut: Found at www.notablebiographies.com

Image of Mary Todd Lincoln: Found at http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312172/fllincoln.html

Suggested readings:

v Turner, Justin G. Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life and Letters. New York: International Publishing Corp., 1987.

v DuPont, M. Kay. Loving Mr. Lincoln: The Personal Diaries of Mary Todd Lincoln. New York: Jedco Press, 2003.

Teacher Resources

Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks:

USI.36: Summarize the critical developments leading to the Civil War.

USI.39: Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe the important Civil War battles and events.

USI.40: Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War.

Historical Thinking Benchmarks Addressed:

Analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Analysis of how historians use evidence.

Essential Questions:

1. Although he is an historian, Stephen B. Oates chose a more literary approach in using the genre of dramatic monologue to shape The Approaching Fury. Rather than using third person, he presented historical figures in first person. How effective is this rare approach in conveying an understanding of history?

2. In their early exposure to historical figures, elementary students necessarily encounter some simplified portrayals. How do these portrayals reconcile with those Oates presents in richer detail and based on thorough research?

3. How does Oates’ arrangement of the monologues facilitate the presentation of critical developments leading to the Civil War?

Learning Objectives

Students will know:

¨ The definition of dramatic monologue.

¨ The difference between a primary and a secondary source.

¨ How a writer establishes a voice for himself or his characters.

¨ How to create a dramatic monologue.

¨ How to incorporate primary and secondary sources into an original piece of writing.

This WebQuest was created in May 2008 as part of a book club project sponsored by the Teaching American History grant. Darrin Berard and Paul Francoeur are English teachers at Lowell High School.

Civil War “Who Am I?” Voices of the Storm

Quote #1:

“I regret that I am now to die in the belief that the sacrifice of the generation of 1776, to establish self-government and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in this country, is to be thrown away by the unwise and unworthy passions of our sons. My only consolation is that I live not to weep over it. If our sons would only contemplate the blessings they are throwing away, they would pause before they would perpetrate this act of suicide against themselves, and of treason against the hopes of the world. Alas, I fear the worst: they are to take the fatal leap from the precipice, and the Union is to crash with them on the rocks below.”

Who Am I?

Quote #2:

“In 1822 Master Samuel died, and my wife and I were sold to different masters, which forced us to live and sleep apart. We still saw one another from time to time, and she bore my children, but not being able to live with them filled me with sorrow and fueled my rage. Why was it that white men could keep their families and black men could not? Why was it that white men could enslave black men, but not the other way around? Why was it that white men had the whips and the guns, and black men only the hoes? There was nothing in the Bible that ordained such relationships.”

Who Am I?

Quote #3:

“I do not speak of slavery as a friend of slavery. The searcher of all hearts knows that every pulse of mine beats high and strong in the cause of civil liberty. But I prefer the liberty of my own race to that of any other race. The liberty of descendants of Africa in the United States is incompatible with the safety and liberty of the European descendants.”

Who Am I?

Quote #4:

“In my speeches and writings, I mounted an ideological counterattack against the subversive doctrines of the Declaration of Independence, which sanctions revolution and chaos. It was this most dangerous of all political error, I pointed out, that had given birth to abolitionism, to deep and dangerous agitation which now threatened to engulf our political institutions. Therefore the sentiments in the Declaration of Independence had to be discredited and destroyed. They are nothing, I contended, but glittering generalities and self-evident lies. A good example is the assertion that all men are born free and created equal. This is an illogical absurdity.”

Who Am I?

Quote #5:

“You see how wrong Mrs. Stowe was? At the slaveholding South all was peace, quiet, plenty, and contentment. We had no Simon Legrees, no disillusioned St. Clares, no suffering Uncle Toms, no frightened Elizas. All were figments of a deranged imagination vomited up by Free Society. We had no mobs, no trade unions, no strikes for higher wages, no armed resistance to the law, but little jealousy of the rich by the poor. We had but few in our jails, and fewer in our poorhouses.”

Who Am I?

Quote #6:

“I told all true abolitionists: ‘Now, more than ever, we must make every northern man see and confess that our boasted Union is a snare, a curse, and a degrading vassalage to the Slave Power, that there is no Union for freedom to be dissolved, but one to be created. We must stand together, we of the North, and resolve: That the slave driver’s lash, and lynch law, over freedom of speech, of the press, of conscience, of locomotion, in more than one half of the nation; and that the debasement of the nation and of the entire North to the Slave Power, as evidenced by this new outrage, is to be resisted, denounced, and repudiated by every lover of liberty, until the utter overthrow of the proslavery Union shall be consummated.”

Who Am I?

Quote #7:

“I consider Nat Turner a great American hero, greater than George Washington. As I studied these uprisings, a plan of action emerged spontaneously in my mind. I went to Kansas to gain a foothold for the furtherance of this matter, and from then on I’ve devoted my whole being, mental, moral, and physical, all that I have and am to the extinction of slavery. I’m convinced that southern slaves are ripe for rebellion. At the first sign of a leader, they’ll immediately rise all over the southern states. Gentlemen, I am that leader.”

Who Am I?

Quote #8:

“I stepped forward, exuding defiance. ‘Fellow Citizens and brethren of all the Confederate States of America, men of one flesh, one bone, one interest, one purpose, it may be that our career will be ushered in amidst storm and trouble. If war should come, we shall show that southern valor still shines as brightly as in the days of ‘seventy-six. Rest assured, that as the sun disperses the clouds, the progress of the southern Confederacy will carry us safely over the sea of troubles.”

Who Am I?

Quote #9:

“Then I turned to the Dred Scott decision, which, I admitted, initially troubled me. Yes, the court had guaranteed the right of masters to their slaves in the territories. But that right, I said, necessarily remained a barren and worthless right unless, sustained, protected, and enforced by appropriate police regulations and local protective legislation, prescribing adequate remedies for the violation of that right. These regulations and remedies must necessarily depend entirely upon the will and wishes of the people of the territory in question. If they wanted slavery, they would pass the requisite police measures and slave codes. If they didn’t want slavery, they would refuse to enact such laws. Hence, I said, the great principle of popular sovereignty and self-government was sustained and firmly established by the authority of the Dred Scott decision.”

Who Am I?

Quote #10:

“God forgive us, but ours is a monstrous system and a wrong and an iniquity. Perhaps the rest of the world is as bad. This only I see: like the patriarchs of our old men live in all one house with their wives and their concubines, and the mulattos one sees in every family exactly resemble the white children—and every lady tells you who is the father of all the mulatto children in everybody’s household, but those in their own; she seems to think they drop from the clouds. Good women we have—they are, I believe, in conduct the purest women God ever made. Thank God for them—alas for the men! They are no worse than men everywhere, but the lower their mistresses, the more degraded they must be. … You see, Mrs. Stowe did not hit the sorest spot. She made Simon Legree a bachelor.”

Who Am I?

Quote #11:

“I cried when Fort Sumter fell and Lincoln called for troops. The first flash of rebel gunpowder pouring shot and shell upon the starving handful of men at Sumter instantly changed the nation’s whole policy. Until then, the ever hopeful North was still dreaming of compromise. The Heavens were black, the thunder rattled, the air was heavy, and the vivid lightning flashed all around; but our sages were telling us there would be no rain. But all at once, down came the storm of hail and fire. Oh was I on fire. I was bursting with patriotism. I ran into the streets of Rochester shouting hosannas for the flag. I dashed off editorials in hot haste.”

Who Am I?

Quote #12:

“More was at stake, however, than the survival of the nation. The contest presented to the whole family of man the question whether a democracy—a government of the people, by the same people—can maintain its territorial integrity against its domestic foes. It presented the question whether discontented individuals can always break up their government, and thus put an end to free government upon the earth. To save popular government, we of the Union had to meet force with force. We had to teach southern traitors the folly of being the beginners of war. We had to show the world that those who could fairly carry an election could also suppress a giant insurrection. We had to show the world that popular government was a workable system, that people could rule themselves, and that the course of history was against the return of class, caste, and despotism.”

Who Am I?

Quote #13:

“But the passage of the fugitive slave law brought Maine itself within reach of the Slave Power. The National Era and other anti-slavery papers reported have slave snatchers would seize blacks in northern communities and drag them weeping and screaming back into slavery. … It filled me with grief—shame—mortification—an almost total inability to believe my eyes and senses—that half the professed Christians of America and most of her political and social leaders were down on their knees before this cruel enactment. … Would to God that I could do something to help the colored people. … I have begun a story, trying to set forth the sufferings and wrongs of the slaves.”

Who Am I?