To Be a Slave | Topics for Discussion & Projects

To Be a Slave Suggested Essay Topics

Discuss how the lives of blacks have changed since the days of slavery to today.

What do you think of the Whig who was against slavery yet owned them, and who accepted his slave son and instructed him never to accept being less because he was black?

What do you think about the slaves given the last names of their owners and not having a last name of their own? How do you think this changed once they gained their freedom?

With powerful people like Thomas Jefferson stating his opinion that "blacks are inferior to the whites," how do you think viewpoints like this made the commoners feel?

Describe why Josiah Henson felt that his freedom had to be "purchased."

How does the word "nigger" make you feel when you read it in this book?

Define "coffle" as used in the story and explain why it is no longer a...
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