Sally Hemings’ Legacy of Freedom and Motherhood

Sally Hemings’ Legacy of Freedom and Motherhood

Mireicy Aquino

Ms. Aquino is an eighth grade student at Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, NJ

Sally Hemings led an extraordinarily complex life, yet her story inspires thousands of women, myself included. Despite the intricacies, she fought against the notion of becoming just another enslaved individual in her family’s generational cycle. Sally sought to change the trajectory of her children’s lives, offering them opportunities beyond enslavement. Instead of securing her own freedom, she made a selfless choice to promise freedom to her future children—a decision that stands out as a remarkable act of heroism. Sally Hemings’s life, sacrifices, and ability to persuade Thomas Jefferson into making her a  promise was an act of heroism towards her children. Her story is a testament to the profound strength of a mother’s love and the power of quiet rebellion against an oppressive system.

Born into slavery, Sally began her journey as one of Polly’s , Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, maid, and caretaker. Over time, she developed a close relationship with Polly, potentially even her aunt as well.[1] During their time in Paris, where Sally accompanied Polly in her studies, Thomas Jefferson expressed reservations about Sally’s  ability to care for his daughter because she was so young, fourteen at the time. However, although she was well-trained in caring for people, Thomas Jefferson expressed that she was “wholly incapable of looking after” his daughter and could not do it “without some superior to direct her.”[2]  Despite Jefferson’s doubts about her abilities, Sally gracefully navigated the unfamiliar Parisian landscape and spent twenty-six months in Paris, also reuniting with her brother James. She contracted smallpox but received proper care and was compensated for her work. Sally also learned French during her stay, though her literacy in both languages remains uncertain.[3]

In Paris, at the age of fourteen, Sally’s  involvement in a sexual relationship with Thomas Jefferson, whose wife died in 1782, resulted in her pregnancy, which shifted her trajectory dramatically. While accompanying Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Polly, to Paris, Hemings was caught in a complex web of power dynamics and his unspoken desires. Yet, a fateful encounter with Jefferson forever altered her life. Madison Hemings, Sally Hemings’s son, stated that his mother became Mr. Jefferson’s concubine in France. Though in France, slavery was not legal, so Sally was considered a free person. Torn between the possibility of freedom in Paris and the promise of a better future for her children, Sally made a heart-wrenching choice. She negotiated an extraordinary deal: freedom for her future children at 21, sacrificing her own chance at escape. In the face of unimaginable hardship, this selflessness began her quiet rebellion. She did not try to negotiate for freedom for herself.[4] Additionally, Thomas Jefferson wrote about Sally as they continued their “relationship” after returning to Monticello. He wrote, “It is well known that the man whom it delighted the people to honor, keeps, and for many years past has kept, as his concubine, her name is Sally.”[5] Jefferson clearly stated that Sally was his concubine, his mistress. In his eyes, Sally was just another woman.

After returning to Monticello with Jefferson and his daughters in 1789, she became a household servant and lady’s maid.[6] In addition, Madison Hemings stated, “It was her duty, all her life which I can remember, up to the time of father’s death, to take care of his chamber and wardrobe, look after us children and do such light work as sewing.” As well as being a maid, Sally’s job was cleaning Jefferson’s closet and sewing. Also, upon returning to Monticello, Sally’s relationship with Jefferson, though shrouded in secrecy, was an undeniable reality. Sally Hemings’s relationship with Thomas Jefferson was well-known throughout Monticello. Some of Jefferson’s friends and even political colleagues knew about them. However, this new sexual relationship did not come as a surprise to people. It was, unfortunately, widespread for white men to have sexual activity with enslaved women, let alone enslavers with enslaved women. However, society could ignore Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings if he kept them discreet, so he never acknowledged the rumors, and they continued their “relationship.”[7] Their relationship lasted until Jefferson died on July 4, 1826.

She  bore him six children, each carrying the weight of their father’s legacy and the burden of slavery. Although, only four survived to adulthood, Harried, Beverly, Madison and Eston. Despite her duties as a servant and Jefferson’s “concubine,” Sally nurtured her children with unwavering love and a fierce determination to see them free. Madison Hemings said, “She gave birth to four others, and Jefferson was the father of all. They were Beverly, Harriet, Madison (myself), and Eston – three sons and one daughter.”[8] The oldest, Beverly Hemings, worked as a carpenter for the duration of his enslaving. He was also into music, more specifically, the violin.[9] Harriet Hemings was born a few years after Beverly in 1801. She grew up enslaved, spinning wood. After Harriet, Madison is the child that had the most to say about his mother’s life and what he thinks about their relationship. Lastly, there is Eston Hemings, the youngest son out of them all. He obtained knowledge in woodworking and was granted freedom in 1829. After Jefferson’s death, Martha, his daughter, allowed Sally to leave the plantation to live with her younger sons, Madison and Eston, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Madison and Eston gladly took their mother in with open arms and loving hearts. They initially passed as white for the U.S. Census, but later Sally identified as “free mulatto.” Sally lived freely with her sons until she died in 1835.[10] 

             Throughout her life, Sally Hemings made decisions that transformed her children’s lives and impacted women at large. Her selfless act in Paris, negotiating freedom for her unborn children, inspires women and their own children. In the course of her life, just like many other enslaved women, Sally Hemings’s children were fathered by her owner. In  the context of the era where enslaved women lacked legal rights,[11] Sally’s story reflects the harsh reality of exploitation. The dynamic between her and Jefferson can vary, though, taking into consideration age and consent. Sally was fourteen, and  Jefferson was about forty years old.[12] Additionally, enslaved women often were raped and sexually harassed without being able to speak up or say no. Despite  these challenges, she rose above and stands as a stark motivation for women across the globe.  

            Sally Hemings’s story is a personal triumph and a beacon of hope for all who fight against injustice. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed also said, “Though enslaved, Sally Hemings helped shape her life and the lives of her children, who got an almost 50-year head start on emancipation, escaping the system that had engulfed their ancestors and millions of others. Whatever we may feel about it today, this was important to her.” The measures Sally took to ensure emancipation for her children were significant and display the unconditional love she had for them. For a mother to surrender her own freedom, her only chance to escape, for her children was selfless. Her quiet defiance, her unwavering love for her children, and her ability to negotiate freedom within the confines of slavery inspire generations of women and mothers. Her life, sacrifices, and ability to persuade Thomas Jefferson into making her a promise was an act of heroism towards her kids. While inspiring many women worldwide, the most significant impact was on her children. Ones who exclaimed the great things she did for them. On the other hand, her children were not the only ones who spoke highly of her.  Her story carries a historical significance and profound lessons about the human spirit’s capacity for resilience and love. A woman who defied the odds and shaped the destiny of her children, leaving behind a legacy that continues to resonate  with many women and children today.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Hemings, Madison. “Sally Hemings” [Sally Hemings]. https://monticello.org. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/.

“The Memoirs of Madison Hemings” [The Memoirs of Madison Hemings]. https://www.pbs.org. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/cron/1873march.html.

Secondary Sources

Adams, William Howard. The Paris Years of Thomas Jefferson.

Gordon-Reed, Annette. The Hemingses of Monticello.

“Life Story: Sally Hemings” [Life Story: Sally Hemings]. https://nyhistory.org. Accessed December 14, 2023. https://wams.nyhistory.org/building-a-new-nation/american-woman/sally-hemings/#:~:text=Sally%20lived%20in%20Paris%20long,together%20when%20they%20reached%20adulthood .

Thorson, David. “Beverly Hemings” [Beverly Hemings]. https://www.monticello.org/. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/beverly-hemings-2/.

The University of Virginia. “The Hemings Family” [The Hemings Family]. https://monticello.org. Accessed November 6, 2023. https://www.monticello.org/slavery/paradox-of-liberty/enslaved-families-of-monticello/the-hemings-family/ .

[1] William Howard Adams, The Paris Years of Thomas Jefferson, Page 220

[2] William Howard Adams, The Paris Years of Thomas Jefferson, Page 220

[3] Madison Hemings, “Sally Hemings” [Sally Hemings], Monticello.org, accessed November 9, 2023, https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/.

[4] Hemings, “Sally Hemings,” Monticello.org.

[5] Hemings, “Sally Hemings,” Monticello.org.

[6] Hemings, “Sally Hemings,” Monticello.org.

[7] “Life Story: Sally Hemings” [Life Story: Sally Hemings], nyhistory.org, accessed December 14, 2023, https://wams.nyhistory.org/building-a-new-nation/american-woman/sally-hemings/#:~:text=Sally%20lived%20in%20Paris%20long,together%20when%20they%20reached%20adulthood.

[8] Hemings, “Sally Hemings,” https://monticello.org.

[9] David Thorson, “Beverly Hemings” [Beverly Hemings], https://www.monticello.org/, accessed December 17, 2023, https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/beverly-hemings-2/.

[10] Life Story,” https://nyhistory.org

[11] Hemings, “Sally Hemings,” https://monticello.org.

[12] Hemings, “Sally Hemings,” https://monticello.org.

Seven Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child

Seven Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child

By Naomi Steiner, with Susan Hayes

Reviewed by Thomas Hansen, Ph.D.

The author presents here a very clear guide for parents who wish to raise their children to become bilingual speakers.  The author uses a variety of language examples, plus stories of real parents whose children have become proficient in more than one language because of the help and planning of their parents.  There are seven clear steps here, the most important of which is planning to start at a certain point and then maintain one’s interest and devotion to raising the child to be bilingual.

With background in developmental-behavioral pediatrics, this physician is an expert in how children learn languages.  She is raising her own children to be multilingual, and she understands the perspective of the parent.  This is perhaps why she is able to relate to parents and put the technical information into terms parents will appreciate.  

The author presents seven myths of bilingual learning—such as the notion that not all kids can learn another language.  The myths are the typical ones we as language teachers often hear, whether we teach world languages, language arts, English as a second language programs (ESL), or bilingual education.  Little kids are resilient, and their brains are wired for communication.  The author does a good job of reminding parents of these facts.

The author explains to parents the importance of letting students develop all four skills areas, meaning listening, then speaking, then reading, and finally writing.  This is the natural order in which children learn languages—at least predominantly—but some of us in second language teaching are great advocates for teaching the skills in a more integrated fashion, even from the early stages.  However, we still realize first-graders should not be expected to write term papers in the target language!

Steiner provides other notes for the parents to help them tailor the language teaching and language learning experiences at home to their unique children.  Each child is different, and one important point is that some children will learn the second language at slower rates than others.  The author provides ideas on how to deal with these kinds of issues in the quest for language proficiency.

Overall, I will recommend the book, but there are a few comments I will make on it.  One weakness is that the explanation of bilingual education and ESL programs (pp. 155-158) is a bit vague.  The author tries to summarize in just a few short paragraphs rather diverse programs.  As most language teachers can tell you, each district—sometimes each building—has a very different model in use. 

Note that teachers and administrators of many types of programs may take issue with what the author says on various pages about school programs (e.g., pp. 80, 155) because the explanation simply cannot be done in such a short space.  If you recommend this book to parents or to parent groups, please warn them about some of those passages.  

The information about dual language is pretty much accurate, and the point is made that most programs in the nation are for French/English and Spanish/English experiences.  However, the parent will need to seek out the programs in their own or nearby schools and districts. 

Note that it is often very hard to locate dual language programs in the state since there is rarely a statewide directory in place (in Illinois for example) and because of the way the teachers’ workload is reported to the state education agency.  In many cases, a dual language teacher is simply registered by the district as an “elementary grade teacher.”  The same is true of teachers who teach foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES) programs.

The good news, though, is that there are very effective and well-established programs out there that are flourishing.  For example, Chicago Public Schools (District 299) lead the way in innovative language programs and dual language initiatives.  Staff members there can help you with questions and can help direct parents to certain schools with new and interesting language programs in place. 

Illinois also is one of the leaders nationwide in the number of FLES programs available to students in K-8 buildings.  This is not even counting Saturday, after-school, and immersion language programs—all of which exist in Chicago and many of the suburban schools.

One benefit of the book is the way the author relates to parents and knows what challenges they may face.  For example, the author explains how to approach the foreign language teacher if you have a child who has been speaking another language at home and who should be in more advanced levels than the school is planning. 

Readers should remind parents that sometimes they will need to be assertive indeed in getting their kids into the right levels so they are not bored to death in a beginning level too easy for them.  The author mentions also that the kids could start a different language in higher grade levels, but parents should fight against this.  The ACTFL and state standards remind us students need long-term programs–complete with high-quality classroom instruction in all four skills areas.      

Another benefit is that the author reminds parents (pp. 39-40) that foreign language exploratory (FLEX) programs simply do not produce much proficiency and the parents should not expect much from them.  It is important for parents to get this fact! 

As an aside, I will also mention that these programs stand in the way of other language programs becoming planned and put into place because the FLEX programs appear to “offer something” in the realm of language teaching—even though they do not produce much. 

Another issue is that many people will say something like, “Well with the FLEX program at least we have something going on.”  With that, they do not commit funds to start a bona fide educational program with the goal of creating language proficiency.

Because the author has a very different perspective on language learning and parenting, I think she can explain things in ways parents understand.  The book is a good foundation for parents, and it could also work for school boards looking to increase their language program offerings.   

Mexican Women Factories: Free Trade and Exploitation on the Border

Mexican Women Factories: Free Trade and Exploitation on the Border

by Ella Howard

Reviewed by Thomas Hansen, Ph.D.

Ella Howard studies Mexican women working along the border in “maquilas” or factories, some of the more oppressive ones being referred to sometimes as “sweat shops.”  She conducts a quantitative component in the form of a survey to be completed by women, followed by a qualitative component in the form of one-on-one interviews following up on what is revealed in the surveys.  I focus here on how the book is organized, the kinds of questions Howard asks the women, and some of the topics for students to study.

Howard organizes the book by discussing the history of the border factories and the city of Nogales—which sits in two different countries.  She includes a history of the maquila industry and seeks to discover whether the industry has brought about liberation or exploitation of the women.  She also includes chapters on how she designed her study, what the study revealed, and ways we can think about what she discovered.  She also uses throughout the book the process of comparison-contrast, namely looking both at what is similar and what is different.

Howard poses questions related to both the working and living conditions of the women who are employed in the factories.  She also asks questions related to quality of life, purpose of the work, feelings women develop as a result of their work, demands, schedules, and earnings.  She includes in-depth discussion of the dwellings in which the women find themselves, the kinds of appliances they may have, the floor coverings, the furniture, and the utilities.  Howard reveals some very interesting details indeed about the “colonias” in which the women live.

There is a great deal revealed in this book about Mexican culture, American corporate greed, border communities, poverty, wealth, fairness, and other topics.  The reader will learn so much from looking at the situation, discovering what *NAFTA was supposed to achieve, and digesting the details of how things are for the people directly impacted by all of the new international factories found along the border.  This book is important reading for people who want to consider themselves informed voters, American citizens, and humane persons.

I recommend the book for many readers, but especially for educators dealing with these kinds of topics in their classes: border communities, American business practices, US bills and laws, international trade and business, Mexican culture, gender roles, cultural differences, wealth and poverty, trade agreements, and the both the history and impact of NAFTA.  The book is important as a history textbook, cultural book, and personal reading for teachers.  As educators, it is crucial we include fairness, advocacy, and empathy in our daily work.  It is also good to look at things from more than one perspective.  It is interesting to look at phenomena in their own context sometimes, and also revealing to look at things in a more universal way. 

Made in New York: 25 Innovators Who Shaped Our World

Made in New York: 25 Innovators Who Shaped Our World

By Frank Vizard

When singer Frank Sinatra famously crooned about New York, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” he could have been talking about New York’s great inventors whose works have travelled across the globe. New York has been a hotbed of innovation since its founding. Made in New York tells the stories behind the innovators and their inventions. Like many New Yorkers, some came from elsewhere to find success in their new home. Some became famous; others struggled for recognition. All were visionaries and risk-takers who were willing to put their lives on the line if necessary. From the first brassiere to the life-saving pacemaker, and from a solar lantern to the first mass-produced cameras, New York has been the seedbed of life-changing technologies that have altered how we live. Made in New York celebrates these compelling stories.

The Eight: The Lemmon Slave Case and the Fight for Freedom

The Eight: The Lemmon Slave Case and the Fight for Freedom

By Albert Rosenblatt

The Eight tells the story of Lemmon v. New York—or, as it’s more popularly known, the Lemmon Slave Case. All but forgotten today, it was one of the most momentous civil rights cases in American history. There had been cases in which the enslaved had won their freedom after having resided in free states, but the Lemmon case was unique, posing the question of whether an enslaved person can win freedom by merely setting foot on New York soil—when brought there in the keep of an “owner.” The case concerned the fates of eight enslaved people from Virginia, brought through New York in 1852 by their owners, Juliet and Jonathan Lemmon. The Eight were in court seeking, legally, to become people—to change their status under law from objects into human beings. The Eight encountered Louis Napoleon, the son of a slave, an abolitionist activist, and a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, who took enormous risks to help others. He was part of an anti-slavery movement in which African Americans played an integral role in the fight for freedom. The case was part of the broader judicial landscape at the time: If a law was morally repugnant but enshrined in the Constitution, what was the duty of the judge? Should there be, as some people advocated, a “higher law” that transcends the written law? These questions were at the heart of the Lemmon case. They were difficult and important ones in the 1850s—and, more than a century and a half later, we must still grapple with them today.

Land of the Oneidas

Land of the Oneidas

By Daniel Koch

The central part of New York State, the homeland of the Oneida Haudenosaunee people, helped shape American history. This book tells the story of the land and the people who made their homes there from its earliest habitation to the present day. It examines this region’s impact on the making of America, from its strategic importance in the Revolution and Early Republic to its symbolic significance now to a nation grappling with challenges rooted deep in its history. The book shows that in central New York—perhaps more than in any other region in the United States—the past has never remained neatly in the past. Land of the Oneidas is the first book in eighty years that tells the history of this region as it changed from century to century and into our own time.

Growing Up Roosevelt: A Granddaughter’s Memoir of Eleanor Roosevelt

Local History from SUNY Press

Growing Up Roosevelt: A Granddaughter’s Memoir of Eleanor Roosevelt

By Nina Roosevelt Gibson

When Nina Roosevelt was just seven years old, her family moved from California to live with her grandmother at the small cottage, Val-Kill, in Hyde Park, New York. It was at Val-Kill Farm that Nina shared her childhood years with her remarkable grandmother, the woman who would change her life. To Nina, she was Grandmère, but, to most everyone else, she was Eleanor Roosevelt. Few people realize how important Val-Kill was for Eleanor Roosevelt. Returning “home again” nourished her, allowed her time for reflection, planning, and rejuvenation so that she could continue pouring her heart and soul into the needs of so many people the world over. Growing Up Roosevelt gives an intimate picture of life at Val-Kill as well as Nina’s wide-ranging experiences traveling as a teenager with her grandmother. When Nina Roosevelt was just seven years old, her family moved from California to live with her grandmother at the small cottage, Val-Kill, in Hyde Park, New York. It was at Val-Kill Farm that Nina shared her childhood years with her remarkable grandmother, the woman who would change her life. To Nina, she was Grandmère, but, to most everyone else, she was Eleanor Roosevelt.

Few people realize how important Val-Kill was for Eleanor Roosevelt. Returning “home again” nourished her, allowed her time for reflection, planning, and rejuvenation so that she could continue pouring her heart and soul into the needs of so many people the world over. Growing Up Roosevelt gives an intimate picture of life at Val-Kill as well as Nina’s wide-ranging experiences traveling as a teenager with her grandmother. Included are portraits of the family, staff, famous friends, people in need, and world leaders as disparate as Nikita Khrushchev, Haile Selassie, and John F. Kennedy. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the life and times of Eleanor Roosevelt, her work as a trailblazing political and feminist leader, and the intimate behind-the-scenes details that only her granddaughter can tell. Biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook writes “the woman Nina Roosevelt Gibson called Grand-Mere was Eleanor Roosevelt, and in Growing Up Roosevelt she vividly captures what it was like to spend a dozen formative years within the orbit of that extraordinary woman. She evokes the sights and sounds and changing seasons at her grandmother’s tranquil haven at Val Kill and also reveals what it was like to tag along on one of her frenetic trips abroad. No one interested in the Roosevelts will want to miss these warm and loving memories.”

Teaching with Documents: Wallace’s Defense of Segregation

Teaching with Documents: Wallace’s Defense of Segregation

Alan Singer

Alabama Governor George Wallace delivers his first inaugural address.

In Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power (Basic Books, 2002), Jefferson Cowie focused on the history Barbour County, Alabama, to document the way a deeply self-serving concept of “freedom” was used by whites to justify racist policies. It was all about their “freedom.” White freedom meant freedom from government restraints; freedom from taxes to support public institutions and services; freedom to own and use guns; and freedom to mistreat African Americans without federal intervention. White freedom, dating to the era of Black enslavement and Jim Crow segregation, equated with racism. Source:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/12/books/review/freedoms-dominion-jefferson-cowie.html

Sadly, fear of federal imposition on white freedom remains alive and well today and was part of the justification for the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol building in Washington DC and is the ideological underpinning for the attack on Critical Race Theory by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other conservative Republicans. When DeSantis was reelected in November 2022, he declared that his election signified “Freedom is here to stay!” Polls repeatedly show that a large majority of white voters who identify as Republican believe that there is discrimination against white people in the United States and that little or nothing needs to be done to ensure equal rights for African Americans and other minority groups.

Sources: https://www.local10.com/vote-2022/2022/11/08/is-desantis-on-path-to-remain-governor-of-florida/;  https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/433270-poll-republicans-and-democrats-differ-strongly-on-whether-white/;  https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/08/12/deep-divisions-in-americans-views-of-nations-racial-history-and-how-to-address-it/

Barbour County’s best-known native son was George Wallace, Governor of Alabama from 1963 to 1967, 1971 to 1979, and 1983 to 1987. Wallace was also a candidate for President of the United States four times, both in Democratic Party primaries and as an independent candidate. In June 1963, while Governor of Alabama, Wallace staged standing in the entrance to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to block the enrollment of Black students. In defiance of a federal court order, he accused the federal government of usurping state authority in the field of education by calling for desegregation. Wallace finally backed down when the Kennedy Administration federalized Units of the 31st (Dixie) Division of the Alabama National Guard.

Source: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/national/race/061263race-ra.html

For Black History Month, students, Black, white, Asian, and Latinx, should read texts and listen to speeches by inspiring Black authors and orators. But to understand the depth of racism in the past and today, they also need to read and understand racist texts that defended slavery and racial segregation. In his January 1963 inaugural address, George Wallace, as the newly elected governor of Alabama, issued a defiant defense of racial segregation. At the time, only fourteen percent of eligible Black citizens were registered to vote in Alabama although at least 30% of the population was Black. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and hostile registrars effectively ensured white supremacy, white freedom, in the state. Sources: https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2016/10/25/voting-rights-in-the-early-1960s-registering-who-they-wanted-to/; http://www.bplonline.org/resources/government/AlabamaPopulation.aspx

“Segregation Now, Segregation Forever” (1963)

By Alabama Governor George Wallace

Click to access g.wallaceshort.pdf

A. “Before I begin my talk with you, I want to ask you for a few minutes patience while I say something that is on my heart: I want to thank those home folks of my county who first gave an anxious country boy his opportunity to serve in State politics. I shall always owe a lot to those who gave me that first opportunity to serve . . . This is the day of my Inauguration as Governor of the State of Alabama. And on this day I feel a deep obligation to renew my pledges, my covenants with you . . . the people of this great state.”

B. “General Robert E. Lee said that ‘duty’ is the sublimest word on the English language and I have come, increasingly, to realize what he meant. I SHALL do my duty to you, God helping . . . to every man, to every woman . . . yes, to every child in this state . . . I shall fulfill my duty in working hard to bring industry into our state, not only by maintaining an honest, sober and free­ enterprise climate of government in which industry can have confidence . . . but in going out and getting it . . . so that our people can have industrial jobs in Alabama and provide a better life for their children.”

C. “Today I have stood, where once Jefferson Davis stood, and took an oath to my people. It is very appropriate then that from this Cradle of the Confederacy, this very Heart of the Great Anglo­ Saxon Southland, that today we sound the drum for freedom as have our generations of forebears before us done, time and time again through history. Let us rise to the call of freedom­ loving blood that is in us and send our answer to the tyranny that clanks its chains upon the South. In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny . . . and I say . . . segregation today . . . segregation tomorrow . . . segregation forever.”

Questions

  1. Who did Wallace quote on the importance of “duty”? What signal was Wallace sending to his audience by quoting him?
  2. What other references does Wallace make in the speech to ensure his audience understands his political point of view?
  3. How does Wallace propose to battle “tyranny” and defend “freedom”?
  4. Wallace pledged to honor “covenants with you . . . the people of this great state.” In your opinion, to who was Wallace referring? What evidence in the text supports this interpretation?

Erie Canal Learning Hub

Erie Canal Learning Hub

The Erie Canal Learning Hub (https://eriecanalway.org/learn/teachers/resources) is a joint initiative of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the New York State Canal Corporation, with additional support from the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service. This page contains DBQs, lesson plans, and links to other useful resources and primary source materials. You’ll find useful content for students throughout the LEARN section, including Fast Facts, 3D Tours of Canal Structures, Social Reform & Innovation, and Native Americans.

Document Based Questions: Use these worksheets to help students read and interpret images and documents to learn about the Erie Canal.

Lesson Plans

Seneca Lake Survey (Grades 6-8)

Canal shipwrecks discovered in the deep waters of Seneca Lake provide a fascinating window into history, underwater archeology, bathymetry, invasive species, and water quality. Choose from a set of four lesson plans that combine teacher instructions, original source documents and images, and student worksheets.

Opening the Gates to Change: The Erie Canal and Woman’s Suffrage (Grades 6-12)

This 9-minute video and corresponding lesson plan explore the impacts of the Erie Canal on development of 19th century social reform movements, particularly women’s rights. While it examines the history of the struggle for equality, it also compares past movements to contemporary issues and shows ways that young people are finding their voices in today’s struggle for social justice.

The Erie Canal Adventure: Unlocking the Waterway Wonders (Grades 4-6)

This 40-minute film explores the Erie Canal’s impact on the development of New York and the significance of waterways in connecting communities across the state. Companion lesson plans give students the opportunity to learn about the types of fish that live in Western New York waters and test their design skills by building their own canal boat.

Building the Erie Canal (Grades 4-8)

Lesson plan with pre- and post-visit activities for classes visiting the Albany Institute of History & Art as part of Ticket to Ride. Students will examine the work that went into building the Erie Canal and consider the political and physical barriers that were overcome to accomplish its construction.

Other Resources

Historical Photographs and Documents

Two Hundred Years on the Erie Canal

This online exhibition illustrates the incredible story of the Erie Canal with historical images and primary-source documents. From early concepts and plans to canal construction to its impact and lasting legacy, the exhibition provides a comprehensive visual resource of information for teachers and students.

Consider the Source: New York

Free online community that connects educators across New York State to the valuable primary sources materials found in the churches, museums, historical organizations, libraries, and state and local governments with a series of highly-engaging learning activities designed to guide and encourage students at all grade levels to make discoveries using critical thinking skills. Includes Erie Canal source materials and lessons.

Itineraries

Erie Canal Way Itineraries 

Erie Canalway itineraries make it easy for students and their families to visit the Erie Canal today and learn about its impacts on New York and the Nation. Download and share copies of our itineraries with students or share the link to our itinerary’s web page with students and their families.

Websites

The Erie Canal
Devoted to the history of the Erie Canal through images, prints, and traces of past canal structures.

The Erie Canal Museum
Located in downtown Syracuse, NY, the museum engages the public in the story of the canal’s transformative impacts.

The Erie Canal Song
History, lyrics, audio, and notes for guitar and piano of Low Bridge, Everybody Down written by Thomas Allen in 1905.

New Jersey Women Who Belong in the Curriculum

New Jersey Women Who Belong in the Curriculum

Katharine E. White (1906-1985). White was Mayor of Red Bank from 1951 to 1956 and then was chairman of the New Jersey Highway Authority. From 1964 until 1968 she was United States Ambassador to Denmark. Source: https://dk.usembassy.gov/ambassador-katharine-elkus-white/