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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is NOT a reason a slave owner might sell a slave?

2. How many lashes would a slave receive for something like a broken branch in the field or a dry leaf in the cotton?

3. Who said this in their account of slavery: "They never got nary a lick of labor and nary a red penny for any of them babies."?

4. What was the slave's "home" called?

5. In southern society, a man's status was based upon:

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Tom Robinson from Chapter 6 could not believe he was emancipated?

2. What was Julius Lester's purpose for writing "To Be a Slave" and did he accomplish it?

3. What kept the slaves working in the fields day in and day out?

4. How effective was the Emancipation Proclamation once it was issued in 1863?

5. What was the story of Blackshear and what was the significance?

6. In Chapter 2, Abraham Lincoln's election to presidency is mentioned. What was a result on the slave trading market?

7. What does Chapter 5 say about slave insurrections?

8. In the Epilogue, why does Thomas Hall state that he does not like Lincoln?

9. What story did Frank Cooper tell and what was its importance?

10. Did any slaves actually prefer to exist under slavery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Most slaves craved freedom. Many thought death was better than the life they lived. The book mentions many accounts in which slaves mention that they would rather die than be re-captured into slavery or that they would rather their babies die free than be born into slavery. Discuss the reasons why a slave would think this way and whether it is the right way to think. Is death really the only option if freedom is unavailable?

Essay Topic 2

The Civil War did not originally start to end slavery. What was the original purpose for the Civil War's start and how did it end up including the freedom of slaves? Why did Lincoln not make the freedom of slaves one of the original reasons? How did slaves react to the rumors of freedom and how was the role of blacks in the Civil War? Discuss the views of the North versus the South about the Civil War, especially in regards to slavery.

Essay Topic 3

Slavery was not always present in the United States nor were the blacks the first slaves. Why did slavery begin and how did colonists eventually move to using blacks as slaves? How were the slaves captured and how did the slave trading begin?

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