On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls impersonated a Confederate captain, stole a gunboat, and sailed his family away from enslavement. His great-great-grandson, Michael Boulware Moore, told the story on the Criminal podcast this week – it’s a nail-biter everyone should hear.
Click here to access the 30-minute podcast:
https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-142-robert-smalls-6-19-20
Struck by the story, I built a set of questions to guide students through the episode. I plan to pair this with Frederick Douglass’ “The Battle with Mr. Covey” the next time I take juniors through American Realism, though it could also work as a standalone lesson or supplement any unit focused on heroism, freedom, or justice. Click here or on the image below to download a free copy of my question/answer sheets:
I’m always looking for podcasts that’ll fit into one class period and hold students’ attention, so definitely let me know if you find a program that’s high-interest and appropriate for classroom use. I’m listening.
Teach on, everyone!
Image credits
Robert Smalls: National Park Service, Flickr, CC BY 2.0
South Carolina map: United States Coast Survey, Library of Congress, WikiMedia Commons, Public domain
Thank you, Laura! This sounds really interesting!
Thanks, Carolyn! I think you and your students will really enjoy the storytelling elements in this one. Enjoy! 🙂
The questions sound like a great resource.
I’ve come across this podcast before, researching the graphic novel I’m creating about Smalls.
He’s such an inspiration!
Glad we’re both spreading the word about Robert Smalls! 🙂
I’m working on it… slowly but surely!