LAP 1: Origins of American Identity
In this text, the author appeals to the Spanish monarchs by describing his suffering at sea and the injustices he faced from political enemies.
Who is Christopher Columbus? OR “Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella Regarding the Fourth Voyage”
This farmer’s guilt over his affair with Abigail Williams becomes a driving force in the Salem witch hysteria.
Who is John Proctor?
This document, written in 1776, explains why the American colonies wanted to separate from Great Britain.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
In this story, Tom makes a deal with this figure, who offers him wealth in exchange for his soul.
“The Devil and Tom Walker”
This character’s storyline shows how enslavement in America creates generational trauma beginning with her separation from her sister Effia.
Who is Esi?
This poem compares the speaker to a spinning wheel as a metaphor for spiritual transformation and God’s grace.
What is “Huswifery”?
This piece of evidence—found in Elizabeth Proctor’s home—convinces the court that she practiced witchcraft.
What is the poppet with the needle?
In this work, a fictional advisor named Father Abraham reminds listeners that industry, frugality, and humility are essential for success, echoing this author’s Poor Richard maxims.
Who is Benjamin Franklin? or "The Way to Wealth"
In this tale, Prince Prospero tries to hide from a deadly plague by locking himself in an abbey, only to be confronted by this mysterious guest at the masquerade.
What is the Red Death?
(Or: Who is the Red Death?)
This recurring physical mark symbolizes both inherited pain and ancestral connection, appearing across multiple generations of Effia’s descendants.
What is the fire scar?
This poem declares that “if ever two were one,” emphasizing the author’s deep marital devotion and belief that love continues into eternity.
What is “To My Dear and Loving Husband”?
This theme is highlighted when characters accuse others to save themselves, demonstrating the destructive impact of mass fear.
What is hysteria?
In this speech, the speaker rejects the idea of peaceful compromise with Britain and delivers the iconic ultimatum that ends with these seven words.
What is “give me liberty or give me death”?
(Or: Who is Patrick Henry?) “Speech to the Virginia Convention”
The narrator of this poem is tormented by a bird that repeats this single, haunting word.
What is “Nevermore”? or "The Raven"
This character, raised in the “Castle” by British soldiers, ultimately discovers the truth about his mother, Effia, and his connection to the Asante people.
Who is Quey?
In this creation narrative, the world forms on the back of this giant creature after the woman falls from the Sky World.
What is the turtle? OR “The Iroquois Creation Story”
She is the first to confess to witchcraft, doing so to save herself from punishment and to redirect suspicion onto others.
Who is Tituba?
Written during the Revolutionary War, this essay begins with the famous line “These are the times that try men’s souls,” urging colonists to support the fight for freedom.
What is Thomas Paine’s Crisis, No. 1?
(Or: Who is Thomas Paine?)
In this poem, the speaker celebrates the unique “songs” of working Americans, written by this famous poet.
Who is Walt Whitman? “I Hear America Singing”
These two descendants meet at the end of the novel, symbolically reuniting the split bloodlines of Effia and Esi.
Who are Marcus and Marjorie?
This accused woman refuses to confess despite intense pressure, leading Cotton Mather to label her the “queen of Hell” in a trial that exposes the extremism of Puritan witchcraft accusations.
Who is Martha Carrier? “The Trial of Martha Carrier”
It is ironic that this woman is considered morally upright and incapable of lying, yet she tells a lie in court that ultimately harms her husband.
Who is Elizabeth Proctor?
In the section describing his project of moral perfection, Franklin creates this list of thirteen goals—such as temperance, sincerity, and justice—to track his daily self-improvement.
What is the list of thirteen virtues? OR "Virtue Upon that Day”
This poem mourns the death of a leader after a long and difficult voyage, serving as an extended metaphor for Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
What is “O Captain! My Captain!”?
This character’s career as a history teacher is ironic because he cannot face the history of his own lineage, leading him on a journey to the Cape Coast Castle.
Who is Yaw?