Kentucky Center for African American Heritage

 

 

  
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8.8
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Middle School – Grade 8
    

 

 

 

 

 

Life among the lowly
Cover Uncle Tom's Cabin

Drawing of Josiah Henson
Josiah Henson

Core Content Guide

1.2.2
Federal (national) and state governments have both separate and shared powers.

2.2.1
All cultures develop institutions, customs, beliefs, and holidays reflecting their unique histories, situations, and perspectives.

2.4.1
Conflict and competition (e.g., political, economic, religious, ethnic) may occur as cultures emerge and develop.

5.1.2
Primary sources, secondary sources, artifacts, and time lines are essential tools in the study and interpretation of history.

5.1.3
History is a series of connected events shaped by multiple causeand- effect relationships, tying the past to the present.

5.2.4
Political, social, economic, and cultural differences (e.g., slavery, tariffs, industrialism vs. agrarianism, federal vs. states' rights) among sections of the U.S. resulted in the American Civil War.

 

    

 

8.8 Uncle Tom's Cabin: 8.8 That Little Book That Started This War

Pre-Visit
Students read excerpts from Harriet Beecher Stowe's seminal work, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and from Josiah Henson's slave narrative. Using the Internet, the students research the connection between the two written works.

Students also research the widespread circulation of Uncle Tom's Cabin. How many copies were sold? Into how many languages was the book translated? Was it a success in other countries?

Students perform a scene from the movie, The King and I. Students research the book Anna and the King of Siam on which the film was based. When did these events take place? Why did Anna have the students perform an interpretation of Uncle Tom's Cabin?

In the Museum
Students tour the "Kentucky in the Balance: Influencing the People" Exhibit where they learn more about Uncle Tom's Cabin. Students discuss Lincoln's quote, upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe, "So you're the little lady that started this war." What did Lincoln mean?

Students also see a display about Josiah Henson.

Post-Visit
Students develop a project or report accomplishing one of the following:

. Identify another book in American or world history that has raised social consciousness or had another important consequence. Describe the book and its impact. Did its author set out to accomplish this impact?

. Investigate some other mid-19th-century form of human expression that raised awareness/concerns or influenced public opinion regarding the institution of slavery.

. Write your opinion to the statement, "Today, books do/do not have the same power to influence American thinking as they did in the nineteenth century." Support your opinion.