55 pages • 1 hour read
Julius LesterTo Be a Slave
Nonfiction | Biography | Middle Grade | Published in 1968A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
AUTHOR’S NOTE-PROLOGUE
Reading Check
1. According to Lester, what is “[o]ne of the greatest overlooked sources for information concerning slavery?”
2. What was the Desire?
3. What item did Granny Judith say that traders of enslaved people used to lure Africans to ships?
4. How many Africans were estimated to be taken from their continent and sold into slavery?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What was the purpose of the Federal Writer’s Project? How was this project important to Lester’s text?
2. Compare the narratives recorded by the Federal Writer’s Project with those recorded by abolitionists in the 19th century.
3. Briefly summarize the introduction of slavery to the American colonies. How did white colonists utilize existing forms of enslaved labor in Africa to their benefit?
4. How was slavery different in the US compared to other countries that used slavery in the North and South American continents?
Paired Resources
“Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936 to 1938”
- This Library of Congress collection features first-hand accounts from enslaved communities.
