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Master's Thesis: Finding Freedom Centering Black Feminist Narratives in the Civil War
Glenn, Olivia
Glenn, Olivia
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African American women—History—19th century, Feminism and literature—United States, United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Social aspects, Multicultural education—United States, Historical fiction—Study and teaching (Elementary)
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Abstract
This thesis presents the rationale for a social studies and English-language arts bridge unit plan using Connie Porter’s Finding Freedom: An Addy Story that invites students to imagine new perspectives on democracy and freedom. Traditional ways of knowing in the United States, and in Social Studies and Language Arts courses by extension, focuses on the knowledge constructed by wealthy, white men. These lessons are created in response to this and call students to use diverse perspectives, specifically those from black women and girls, to re-examine American history during slavery and into the Civil War. Moreover, they invite students to examine the role of race and gender in American life and argue for new possibilities for democracy and freedom. This framework for the unit is supported by Black feminist epistemologies, focusing on the role of personal experience, dialogue, empathy, and history in knowledge construction. Through the process of gaining academic competencies and learning how to embrace diverse perspectives on the world, students gain skills that will prepare them to make changes in their community and the world.