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State Standards

U.S. History I, Topic 4

  • Describe important religious and social trends that shaped America in the 18th and 19th centuries

  • Using primary sources, research the reform movements in the United States in the mid-19th century, concentrating on one of the following and considering its connections to other aspects of reform:

    • The Abolitionist movement, the reasons individual men and women (e.g. Frederick Douglass, Abbey Kelley Foster, William Lloyd Garrison, Angeline and Sarah Grimké, Charles Lennox Remond, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, David Walker, Theodore Weld) fought for their cause, and the responses of southern and northern white men and women to abolitionism.

Acts of Resistance 

Brief History

In 1857, Frederick Douglass declared that “the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.”¹ Enslaved people endured and challenged the seemingly infinite allowances of whites through acts of resistance both large and small. From larger rebellions to acts of “day-to-day” resistance, enslaved blacks found ways to resist and fight back against the institution of slavery. These may be grouped into two categories: overt resistant and covert resistance. Beyond the large, overt rebellions like those of Nat Turner in Virginia, 1831, and Stono in South Carolina, 1739, acts of resistance could be found in less violent but equally impactful ways across plantations and spaces of enslavement. Solomon Northup’s story is an individual story of survival, yet it reflects some of the ways in which covert resistance propagated throughout spaces of enslavement. Through creative, daily acts of covert resistance, enslaved blacks retained some of the autonomy and identity that had been stripped from them and their families. These included faking illnesses, sabotage, appearing un-intelligent, marriages, hiding skills, and retaining identity. Suicide, song, and the creation of dolls and other toys were covert acts of resistance as well.

 

In this topic, we explore the various ways enslaved Africans and African Americans used cunning and resources to actively defy their enslavers and the institution of slavery. The clips in 12 Years a Slave depict some of these moments of resistance and highlight how gender roles also affected the types of resistance used.

 

 

1.Frederick Douglass, West India Emancipation Speech, Delivered at Canandaigua, New York (Aug. 4, 1857), in 2 The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass 437 (Philip S. Foner ed., 1950).

Framing Questions

  1. What does it mean to “resist?”

  2. How could enslaved blacks resist the institution of slavery through various mediums?

  3. How would songs be used as covert forms of resistance? What topics would they cover?

  4. How did men and women differ in their approaches to resistance? What role does sexuality play?

Film Clips

Clip 1: 2:30 - 3:45

Solomon attempts to use blackberry juice as ink to pen a letter. As he tries to write, he's realizing that the ink isn't thick enough, and he destroys the letter in frustration. 

Clip 2: 19:50 - 23:15

(*Language Warning: the 'n-word')

 

In this scene, Solomon has been captured and is being transported via boat to New Orleans. He is confronted by two men who represent two forms of resistance: active aggression and passive survival. Solomon must decide which path to take. 

Clip 3: 1:18:40 - 1:21:05

(*Violence Warning: Discussion of Suicide)

​

In this emotional scene, Patsey begs Solomon to kill her by forcibly drowning her in the river. She places his hands around her neck and begs him to squeeze, looking for release from her situation. 

​

Clip 4: 1:54:00 - 1:54:45

In this clip, Solomon destroys the violin he was given. Through this act of resistance, Solomon decides that he will never play for his enslavers if he cannot first play for himself. His violin is a connection to his past and a painful reminder of the freedom he once had. 

Questions

  1. Why does Solomon destroy his violin, despite being a violinist before being captured and enslaved?

  2. What were your reactions to Patsey begging Solomon to kill her? Why did Solomon resist? Potential Trigger Question: Why would Patsey prefer Solomon kill her, rather than commit suicide?

Primary Source Analysis

Primary Source Analysis

Twelve Years a Slave 

Excerpt

"Follow the drinking

gourd"

Activities & Assignments

Incidents in the life of a slave girl

Read through and explore Harriet Jacobs' memoir about her life as a slave girl, and the various ways in which she and others resisted the institution of slavery.

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