Unit 2 DBQs

• DBQ 1: The Experience of Slavery in North AmericaPrompt:
  Analyze the experiences of enslaved Africans in North America, focusing on how these experiences shaped the development of African American culture and identity in the early period of slavery.
  Documents to Include:
  
• A slave narrative (e.g., from Frederick Douglass or Harriet Jacobs)
• Excerpts from slave codes or legal documents that defined the lives of enslaved people
• An excerpt from a plantation owner’s diary or letters describing the life of enslaved people
• A religious sermon or hymn from enslaved Africans
• 
  DBQ 2: Resistance to SlaveryPrompt:
  Evaluate the forms of resistance to slavery by African Americans in the early period, considering both overt and covert methods. How did these forms of resistance influence the broader abolitionist movement?
  Documents to Include:
  
• Excerpts from slave narratives describing personal acts of resistance
• A letter or speech by an abolitionist (e.g., William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Tubman)
• Excerpts from the Fugitive Slave Act or Slave Trade Act legislation
• A newspaper article or pamphlet about the Underground Railroad
• 
  DBQ 3: The Development of African American Culture During SlaveryPrompt:
  Examine how enslaved Africans in North America created and maintained a distinct African American culture during the period of slavery. Consider cultural, religious, and social practices in your response.
  Documents to Include:
  
• Excerpts from slave spirituals or songs
• Description of African cultural traditions preserved among enslaved people
• Accounts of African American religious practices
• An excerpt from a plantation diary or letter describing interactions among enslaved people
• 
  DBQ 4: The Abolition Movement and African American ActivismPrompt:
  Assess the role of African Americans in the abolition movement. How did African American activists influence the movement and its goals during the early years of the 19th century?
  Documents to Include:
  
• An abolitionist speech or pamphlet by an African American leader (e.g., Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth)
• A letter or petition from African American abolitionists to Congress or the President
• Excerpts from speeches or writings of white abolitionists supporting African American involvement
• Newspaper articles or editorials discussing the role of African Americans in the abolition movement
• 
  DBQ 5: The Role of African American Women in the Abolitionist MovementPrompt:
  Analyze the contributions of African American women to the abolitionist movement. How did their experiences as both African Americans and women shape their activism and leadership within the movement?
  Documents to Include:
  
• A speech or writing by an African American woman (e.g., Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?”)
• Excerpts from letters or diaries of African American women involved in abolition
• Articles or essays discussing the intersection of race and gender in abolitionist activism
• A letter or public address by a male abolitionist about the role of women in the movement
• 
  DBQ 6: The Impact of Slavery on African American FamiliesPrompt:
  Examine how the institution of slavery impacted the structure and dynamics of African American families. Consider the effects of family separation, kinship bonds, and resistance efforts in your response.
  Documents to Include:
  
• A slave narrative detailing the experience of family separation
• A legal document or government record on slave sales or auctions
• A letter or diary entry from an enslaved person discussing family bonds and efforts to maintain them
• An abolitionist speech or article discussing the emotional and social toll of slavery on African American families
• 
  Each DBQ includes primary documents that encourage analysis of the development of African American culture, resistance, and activism during slavery. They also allow students to assess the broader societal and political impact of these experiences.