California entered the
Union in 1850 - as a free state. African-Americans soon found, however,
that justice or even freedom were not to be found in the Golden State.
What would freed slaves need to know in order to survive life in the
gold fields and cities of California?
Task
Think about the African
folktales you have read and discussed in this unit. Which tale could
you adapt to make it relevant to the challenges freed slaves would
face during the California Gold Rush?
Use the following list
of questions to guide you in developing a storyline that illuminates
the historical time period:
- Setting - Where and
when does your tale take place?
- Conflict - What would
be a typical problem experienced by African-Americans during the
Gold Rush?
- Protagonist - What
type of character or animal could best experience the discrimination
and challenges African-Americans in the 1850's?
- Antagonist(s) - What
type of character(s) or animal(s) would benefit from thwarting or
bullying your antagonist?
- Solution - How would
your protagonist use cunning and humor to overcome his/her problems?
Evaluation
- Step One: Complete
a written script of your folktale.
- Step Two: Prepare for
your oral presentation. Your presentation will be evaluated with
the Storytelling Scoring Guide.
