Noble House Blog

One group of people came to this country from England against their will; they were called indentured servants. By the time the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, 50,000 English prisoners had been shipped to the colonies.

Another vast group of people from Africa was brought to the colonies by force; they were enslaved. We will look at the lives of three people and how they chose to resist the unjust institution of slavery, including: Benjamin Banneker, whose grandmother was brought to the colonies as an indentured servant; Joseph Cinque, who led the revolt onboard L’Amistad; and our main focus will be on Olaudah Equiano, who wrote his autobiography entitled, The Kidnapped Prince.  Later, we will read the story of L’Amistad as seen through the eyes of another one of the captives, Sarah Margru Kinson, written by Monica Edinger.

In addition, we will take a close look at the life of one individual who challenged the laws and social mores of America by the way in which he or she lived.   Students will have the opportunity to choose to read a biography of their choice including: Phillis Wheatley, Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman, Muhammad Ali, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige and others.  Afterward, they will choose a creative way in which to present the information to the class, including: the creation of a crossword puzzle, a puppet show, a cartoon, diorama, poster, poem, short play or another creative expression.

And finally, we will look at the immigration policies and events that took place in and around Angel Island in the 1800’s.  While this chapter of Chinese and Japanese American history isn’t technically “forced” immigration, it is wothy of note.  We will look at the poetry inscribed on the walls of Angel Island as well as learn about the meaning of “paper sons.”