School Board

Entry 8

Dear school board of Rockwall-Heath High School,

I believe the incorporation of slave narratives should be implemented into your schools curriculum due to the abundance of information there is to be gained. The history of America ties in very closely with slavery, and since they go hand-in-hand it would he beneficial for the students to understand its origin and history. These narratives entail the use for studetns to improve their critical thinking by interpreting the life stories of slaves that were published. This skill is often times lacked in the basic high school sudents learning career. The jump into college study demands this skill to be present in their journey towards success. In particular Jacob D. Green's narrative gives a summary of his life in slavery and his many attempts of trying to escape its everlasting grasp. He also documents the thoughts of the ministers after his lectures in which they all unanimously plead great satisfaction and deem him worthy of public sympathy and support. His story decribes his life as a child coming to the realizaiton rather quickly that black people were treated in a different manner than whites during that era. After losing his family he made a promise to himself to escape slavery and make a life for himself. Along the way he accounts for the many people whom he encountered along the way, critical events that happened, and his determination to become a free man.