The Kentucky Cycle | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Franklin Biggs - This character controls the African-American population in Howsen County and influences the black community to go along with whatever Blue Star Mining wants.

Sallie Biggs - This character is a slave whose descendants lead the civil rights struggle in the latter parts of the cycle.

Tommy Jackson - This character tries to help with the unionizing effort, but is killed by a group of angry strikers.

Morning Star - This character is a Cherokee who gets kidnapped from the tribe, is forced into marriage, and whose leg tendons get cut,...
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