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WebQuest: Frederick Douglass and the Transcendental Abolitionists Overview: In this WebQuest, you will explore
and understand the connections between Transcendentalism and the abolitionist
movement. You will explore the key players in the abolitionist movement, with
particular attention to the work of Frederick Douglass. To
understand this crucial chapter in American history, skim all of the
following links. Your goal is to get a good sense of the history of slavery
and abolitionism. If you already have a very strong understanding of this
period in American history, you can spend just a few minutes on this step.
Otherwise, visit enough of these pages to give yourself a solid grounding in
this period. Additional resources on anti-slavery
literature can be found at eserver.org. Step 2: Learn about the connections
between the Transcendentalists and the abolitionist movement. Many of the leaders of the abolitionist movement were also
Transcendentalists. Emerson himself was not much of a political activist,
though he seems to have been sympathetic to the abolitionist movement. Other
Transcendentalists who were involved with abolitionism were Theodore Parker, William Ellery Channing, and Elizabeth Palmer Peabody. William
Lloyd Garrison was the leading
white abolitionist – and was also involved with the Transcendentalist
movement. Consider, in particular, Henry
David Thoreau’s involvement in the abolitionist movement. Read Thoreau’s
essay “Resistance to
Civil Government” (also known as “Civil Disobedience”). You may
have read this essay in the past but perhaps didn’t know that it was written
as an abolitionist text. As you read the essay now, think about the ways it
calls for an immediate end to slavery. You’ll also want to learn about Thoreau’s defense of John Brown (and if you want to read
the defense yourself, see “A Plea for Captain John Brown”). If you want to explore
Thoreau’s interest in reform movements more fully, read Michael J.
Frederick’s “Transcendental
Ethos: A Study of Thoreau’s Social
Philosophy and Its Consistency in Relation to Antebellum Reform.” You might also look at Lawrence Rosenwald’s “The Theory, Practice, & Influence of Thoreau's Civil Disobedience.” Numerous
other sources exist on this famous essay. If you really want to dig more deeply into Thoreau’s anti-slavery
activism, check out his speech “Slavery
in Massachusetts” and his essay “Life Without
Principle.” Step 3: Learn about the genre of the slave narrative. “An Introduction to the Slave Narrative” (William Andrews) For a look at other slave narratives, see these sites (this might help you to see how Douglass’s narratives differs from most): First-Person Narratives of the American South North American Slave Narratives Get a sense of Douglass and his connection to Transcendentalism. Then peruse these links
about Douglass: Literature and Life: From Slavery
to Freedom After you’ve learned a bit about
Douglass, read any unabridged edition of Frederick Douglass’s 1845 Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Additional
works by and resources about Douglass are also
available. For those of you who are future teachers, check
out these lesson plans from the National Endowment for the Humanities: “From Courage to Freedom: Frederick
Douglass's 1845 Autobiography,” “Perspective
on the Slave Narrative,” and “Introducing
the Essay: Twain, Douglass, and American Non-Fiction.” Essay Topic: Based on your
understanding of Transcendentalism, as well as what you have learned about
the abolitionist movement in the United States, write an essay arguing that Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass can or cannot be seen as a slave
narrative written from a Transcendentalist perspective. Be sure to provide
clear reasons for making your argument. You must cite passages and
examples from Narrative as well as at least three of the web sites
listed above
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