Frederick Douglass
What skill did Douglass believe was a pathway toward freedom?
Reading and writing / literacy.
What does “dependent upon her own industry” mean?
She supported herself through her own work.
What is the central idea of Douglass’s account of Mrs. Auld?
Slavery changed a once-kind woman into a cruel slaveholder.
What does “four score and seven years” mean?
87 years.
What is a claim in an informative paragraph?
The main idea or point the writer will explain.
How did Mrs. Auld treat Douglass when he first arrived?
With kindness and compassion.
Mr. Auld feared that granting a little freedom would lead to demands for more.
Mr. Auld feared that granting a little freedom would lead to demands for more.
What important lesson did Douglass learn by overhearing Mr. Auld?
Keeping enslaved people uneducated helped slaveholders maintain control.
Who are the “fathers” in the opening of Lincoln’s speech?
The founders of the United States.
What makes a quotation useful as text evidence?
It directly supports the claim and is explained.
How did Mrs. Auld change after becoming a slaveholder?
She became harsh and cruel.
What tone does Douglass convey when he describes Mrs. Auld’s transformation?
Disappointment, sorrow, or disillusionment.
Why might city slaveholders care about what neighbors think?
Public scrutiny and reputation could discourage visible mistreatment.
Which founding ideal does Lincoln repeat?
That all people are created equal.
Give one piece of evidence that Mrs. Auld was harmed by slavery.
Her initial kindness changed into harshness after gaining power over enslaved people.
Why did Mr. Auld forbid his wife from teaching Douglass to read?
He feared education would make Douglass harder to control and challenge slavery.
What does “fatal poison of irresponsible power” represent?
A metaphor for the corrupting influence of unchecked power over enslaved people.
What do the injuries to Henrietta and Mary reveal?
Evidence of severe physical abuse and the cruelty of slavery.
What was the Civil War testing, according to Lincoln?
Whether a nation founded on liberty and equality could endure.
Give one piece of evidence that Douglass was harmed by slavery.
He was denied education and freedom; Mr. Auld ordered reading lessons stopped.
Describe TWO people harmed by slavery in Chapter 6.
Douglass was denied freedom and education; Mrs. Auld lost her kindness as slavery corrupted her.
How do Douglass’s descriptions of Mrs. Auld’s face and voice show change?
They contrast her earlier warmth with her later harshness.
What is an inference supported by Mrs. Hamilton keeping a whip nearby?
She used threats and violence to control enslaved people.
What does Lincoln ask the living to dedicate themselves to?
The unfinished work of preserving the nation and advancing freedom and equality.
Build a strong response: name TWO people and explain how slavery harmed each.
Example: Slavery denied Douglass education and freedom. It also corrupted Mrs. Auld, turning her early kindness into cruelty. These experiences show slavery harmed both enslaved people and slaveholders.