Using Media to Inform Public Opinion

Explain to students that there was no more passionately debated subject in the United States during the nineteenth century than slavery and its expansion into new U.S. territories. Without mass-media outlets like television, radio, and the Internet, the public’s understanding of critical issues like slavery was shaped through the media of the time—most often speeches and newspapers. Speeches were given in public settings and were often reprinted verbatim in newspapers or released as pamphlets to reach an even larger audience. Newspapers, perhaps the most popular way to distribute information, were established and used to influence public opinion. The abolitionist movement used these methods to captivate and persuade the American people to demand an end to the system of slavery and, in some cases, equal rights for black people.

Use slide 8 to share prominent abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison's background with the class. Move to slide 9 to show students the masthead of Garrison's newspaper, "The Liberator," if you so choose. Move to slide 10 to share more information about Frederick Douglass, another prominent abolitionist and escaped slave. Share the masthead of Douglass' newspaper, the North Star, on slide 11 if you choose.

Pass out one copy of the attached Abolitionist Speeches and Newspaper Editorials packet to each group. Invite students to explore these 19th-century speeches and newspaper editorials that were contemporary to the abolitionist movement. They were produced by leading abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass to persuade the public to support the abolition of slavery in the United States. Divide the class into groups of four and move to slide 12. The packet includes four documents. Assign one student in each group to a document. Ask students to review their document—either a newspaper editorial or a transcribed speech by one of the abolitionists listed above—and analyze it using the Sentence-Phrase-Word strategy as detailed on slide 12.

Once all students have completed analyzing their documents, designate four spaces in the room for students to discuss the source they read—a space for source one, a separate space for source two, and so on. Once students who read the same source have formed groups, ask each group to discuss the sentence, phrase, and word they chose. Students may choose to revise their answers based on these group conversations. Allow about 5–10 minutes for discussion. Then, ask for volunteers from each group to share their source's main ideas, the sentence, phrase, and word they chose, and why. The purpose of this discussion is to reinforce major points made by Garrison and Douglass regarding the abolition of slavery. Students can make changes or additions to their notes based on class discussion. Ask students to keep their source and notes as reference for the next activity.