Amistad

Amistad: A Nation at odds

Objectives: Students will discuss slavery in the United States and its role in the

expansion of the nation

Students will analyze the Amistad case to examine portrayal of the enslaved Mende

Africans

Materials: A History of Us: Liberty for All? 1820-1860

Movie Trailer (shared drive)

Education World: The Mende Language

John Quincy Adams Speech from Amistad the movie

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_amistad_language.shtml

Procedure:

Warm Up 1: Watch the Amistad trailer. In your Social Studies Notebook

respond to the following prompt: Freedom is not given; it is our right, at

birth. But there are moments in history when it must be taken. (Students

will share this response AFTER reading the story of Amistad)

Using guided reading strategies, the students will read Chapter 32: Amistad

means friendship (p. 171-176) and break for discuss throughout to check for

understanding.

Once groups have finished reading (allow 5-8min.) instruct learners to

review their responses to the warm up and reflect on their original response.

Allow a few minutes for student to change their responses if necessary.

Share responses if time allows


Warm Up 2: Take a Mind walk: Imagine you’re in a foreign country and are

taken into custody. You do not speak the language and there is no one there

who can understand you. What do you do? How would you try to explain

yourself to your captors?

Listen to the story of Josiah Gibbs and John Covey. Was Josiah Gibbs an

ordinary hero? Why did these men help “write” history?


Watch John Quincy Adams speech from the Amistad trial (this is approx. 10

minutes and will need discussion throughout in order to keep focus)

Discuss Adams motivation for defending the Mende Africans.

Respond to the quote on page 171 by Mamadou Kouyate. In your Social

Studies notebook, write a response and make connections between her

words and the story of Amistad (complete for homework)

Warm Up 3: Share, in a small group, your responses from last night’s

homework assignment (pg. 171 quote). Each small group will share one

response with the whole class.

Critical Thinking: The word “amistad” means friendship in Spanish. On a

piece of chart paper, write the following question: Do you think Amistad was

a good name for the ship that sailed with the Mende Africans? Divide the

paper into two columns. One column should be labeled NO and one labeled

YES. Have students respond to the question before writing their response on

the chart paper. Students will record their responses on the chart paper in

the appropriate column. Conduct discussion as responses are being given.


Encourage students to support their argument/idea and be accepting of all

responses that include those supports.

Technology

Amistad