Student Activity: Resisting Slavery
Introduction:
Resisting Slavery
History is not just about learning big events and important dates. The stories of individual people can also tell us a great deal about the past. Consider Venture Smith—an African man who was enslaved in the American colonies, purchased his own freedom, became a successful businessman, and later helped write a book about his experiences.
The purpose of this activity is to learn about the experiences of enslaved and free African Americans in the New England colonies by examining the life of Venture Smith.
1 Who Was Venture Smith?
In about 1736, slavers in Guinea, West Africa captured Broteer, the seven-year-old son of a king. Broteer was brought to the American colonies. There, a slaveholder bought him and renamed him Venture because his purchase was considered a business venture.
How do you think Broteer's life may have changed after he arrived in the colonies? What words come to mind when you think about slavery? Write your words or phrases in the box below, then click "save notes" before moving on to the next page.
2 The Life of Venture Smith: Watch This!
The Life of Venture Smith
QuickTime Video
Length: 2m 33s
Watch this video to learn about Venture's early experiences in America as a slave, and how his life changed as he got older.
Note: The following words will appear in the video segment. Click on each word to see its definition.
In the box below, write down two things that you learned about Venture Smith and his life. How is this similar to or different from what you already knew about slavery in America? Then click "save notes" before moving on to the next page.
3 What Do You Think About That?
The event in the video was not the only time Venture did something that could be considered brave or unexpected:
- About 1754, a white indentured servant named Heddy convinced Venture and two other slaves to try to escape. But when Heddy ran off with their things, Venture and the other slaves went after him. They brought him back to their master and explained he was to blame for the escape. As a result, Venture and the other two men were able to return without being punished.
- In addition to working without pay for his master, Venture worked other odd jobs for which he did get paid. He saved enough money to purchase his freedom when he was 36 years old.
- He then worked several jobs and ran his own businesses. Over time, he saved enough money to purchase the freedom of his wife and children.
- In 1798, Venture dictated his life story to a schoolteacher. This published slave narrative is the only one from the 18th century that describes life in Africa.
4 Read About It!
The Life of Venture Smith
Flash Interactive
Think about what you have learned about Venture Smith. In this activity, you will learn more about his amazing life and consider what his story tells us about his experience and that of other slaves in colonial America.
Before you begin, you may want to print out and review the Timeline of Venture Smith's Life (PDF). You can refer to this timeline as you go through the activity.
The following words will appear in the reading. Click on each word to see its definition.
Click "View" on the left to begin the activity. Be sure to print your notes before you exit the activity. Your notes will not be saved.
If you want, you can also watch the video again.
The Life of Venture Smith
QuickTime Video
Length: 2m 33s
5 Write About It!
You have now explored the life of Venture Smith, an enslaved and later free man in the New England colonies. Next you will have the chance to share your ideas about Venture Smith with others.
- Print out your notes. (After you print, your notes will be erased. Make sure you are done before printing.)
- Print out and read The Life of Venture Smith (Version A) (PDF) or The Life of Venture Smith (Version B) (PDF). Check with your teacher if you are not sure which version to use.
- Then, select and complete a writing assignment from page 3 of the printout.
Note: The following words will appear in the readings. Click on each word to see its definition.
Version A
Version B
Introduction screen image: Slave Sale Poster
© The American Antiquarian Society
Source: Africans in America: Revolution
Adapted from Africans in America: Revolution
Source: Africans in America: Revolution
Screen 4 image: Slave Medallion. © The Wedgewood Museum
Source: Africans in America: Revolution
Loading reviews...- For Students
- For Teachers
- Connections
- Standards
Print For StudentsAs you work through this activity, you will watch videos and work out your ideas in a Flash Interactive. You will also answer questions. When you see the following icon, type your notes in the box on that page.
At the end of the activity, you will have a chance to print out your notes. You can also print out your ideas from the Flash Interactive. Use them to help complete your final writing assignment. Your teacher will let you know whether you should also hand in these printouts.
We assign reference terms to each statement within a standards document and to each media resource, and correlations are based upon matches of these terms for a given grade band. If a particular standards document of interest to you is not displayed yet, it most likely has not yet been processed by ASN or by Teachers' Domain. We will be adding social studies and arts correlations over the coming year, and also will be increasing the specificity of alignment.
