The year is 1873. Picture yourself as a Freedmen (New freed former slave) living in the southern U.S. during Reconstruction. Pretend you are writing a letter to a family member who had escaped to the North before the Civil War. Since this person was a runaway slave, you would not have had any contact with this person for many years. In writing your letter you’ll be describing the events of the past 12 or more years.
Letter Heading. Includes your name and address, the family member’s name and address, and date. Names should be made up from your imagination (don't use your real name or address)!!!! (5pts.)
Letter Body (descriptions of events that took place and how it personally effected your character). Include at least two paragraphs minimum Your paragraphs should be 4-5 sentences in length or longer. (40 pts.) For ideas, you can include any of the following:
What the war was like personally and the effects
What it was like to be freed
How did you learn to read and write?
What was it like hearing about the assassination of President Lincoln
How too search for other lost relatives
The enforcement of the “black codes”
The 14th and 15th amendments
KKK activity
Sharecropping or tenant farming
Getting help from the Freedmen’s Bureau
Children going to school for the first time
Why did it take so long to write?