Students will increase their understanding of the oldest African American celebration to mark the end of enslavement in the United States.  Students will discuss historical events using the lenses of poetry, oratory, and musical analysis. Students will broaden their understanding of the many ways to honor and celebrate freedom.

I hold a Ph.D. in English Literature and Language with a specialization in Nineteenth-Century African American and American Literature, Epistolary Theory, and African American Epistolary Literature.  Additionally, my area of research and scholarship centered on letters written from African American soldiers who served in the USCT.  In 2017, I transcribed twenty-one letters written by Pvt. Alonzo Reed of the 102nd Michigan USCT and submitted those transcriptions to Duke University's David Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where the original letters are housed.  I have published articles on this topic in peer-reviewed journals and books, and have presented at conferences, workshops, museums, and educational institutions.  My personal connection to the topic and my cross-curricular approach makes this a unique course and learning experience.  My third great-grandfather escaped a Virginia plantation and joined the 29th Illinois USCT.  Using archival and genealogical resources, I was able to learn more about family, state, and national history.  Freedom Fighters, Freedom Writers offers this same opportunity for young learners.  For each soldier's letter analyzed, I try to create a more complete picture of the individual in an attempt to bridge the gaps of space and time by turning an abstract soldier into a named, real person. 

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Students will be asked to read a four page excerpt of Frederick Douglass' "What to the American Slave is Your 4th of July" prior to class.
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