Can a Book Change History?

Read the following excerpt from the passage.

Then click on the ONE sentence that best provides evidence to support the claim that Harriet Beecher Stowe's book changed how people thought about slavery.

• Her black characters -- among them, Uncle Tom, Little Eva, and the fleeing Eliza -- jumped off the page and into readers' hearts.

• Suddenly, white readers were able to feel what it was like to be enslaved.

• This was not a book of cold ideas; it was a book of emotions.

• Stowe's book changed all that.

Which choice below is the BEST summary of the passage?

• Harriet Beecher Stowe was the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, one of the most influential novels ever published in America. This book showed people how hard life was for slaves and because of it, a great number of people were persuaded that slavery needed to be abolished. Stowe's novel was even credited as one of the causes of the Civil War.

• Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel that was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. It was originally written as a weekly series of newspaper articles and later published as a complete novel. The novel includes many characters, such as Uncle Tom and Simon Legree. The novel was eventually turned in to a play.

• In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe and President Abraham Lincoln wrote a novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, about the harsh realities of life for slaves. Other authors that helped write the book were Simon Legree, Uncle Tom, Little Eva, and Eliza. People from Europe wanted to read the book as well.

• Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States during the Civil War. This war was a bloody struggle between the North and South. He met Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1862.

Imagine you came across an excerpt from Harriet Beecher Stowe's diary. How would the diary excerpt compare or contrast to the passage Can A Book Change History? Select TWO answer choices below.

• Unlike the passage, the diary excerpt is based on the author's personal experience.

• Just like the passage, the diary excerpt would only include facts about the book Uncle Tom's Cabin.

• Unlike the passage, the diary excerpt is fictional.

• Unlike the passage, the diary excerpt might include Harriet Beecher Stowe's feelings and thoughts about slavery.

• Just like the passage, the diary excerpt is a good source for a research report about the Fugitive Slave Act.

What device (Text Structure)does the author use in this passage to help present information about Harriet Beecher Stowe?

• The author discusses the similarities and differences between the lives of Northerners and slaves. 

• The author includes dates to let the readers know what events took place and in what order.

• The author describes what Harriet Beecher's life was like after she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin.

• The author presents a conflict and lets the readers know how it was resolved.

Imagine that the author of Can a Book Change History? presented this passage as an oral report to the class.

Which TWO questions should students ask to show that they were listening carefully to the report but would like more information?

• Was Harriet Beecher Stowe a slave?

• How many copies of Uncle Tom's Cabin were sold in America in the first year it was published?

• What did President Lincoln say to Harriet Beecher Stowe when they met?

• Did Harriet Beecher Stowe write any other books about slavery?

• In what year was Uncle Tom's Cabin first published?

Imagine you are writing an essay about the topic of this passage. Which TWO choices below would make the best-concluding sentences for your essay?

• Harriet Beecher Stowe used her gift of writing to bring about change for slaves across America.

• President Lincoln was a fan of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe became a published author in 1852.

• Uncle Tom's Cabin had a lasting effect on the way our nation viewed slavery.

• Stowe's novel was originally published as a weekly series of stories but was later published as a novel.

Imagine you are writing a research report about Harriet Beecher Stowe and you want to use this passage as a source. Which would be the BEST way to include information from this passage so you are paraphrasing and not plagiarizing?

• Harriet Beecher Stowe was the author of one of the most influential novels ever published in America. Her book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, helped persuade many Northerners that slavery was a horrible practice and needed to be abolished.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln. During their meeting, he said to her, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war."

• Stowe's novel was originally written as a weekly serial for a small abolitionist newspaper called The National Era, in which a portion of the novel was published each week. In 1852, a Boston publisher decided to reissue it as a complete book.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe, an abolitionist and author, was angry and upset after Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act. She wanted to help people understand what life was like as a slave, so she wrote a story which was eventually published as a book called Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Imagine you want to write an informational report about the Civil War. Which question below would NOT help you plan your first draft?

• When did the Civil War take place?

• Why was the Civil War fought?

• What was life like during the Civil War?

• Would slavery have ended if the Civil War did not happen?

If you wanted to learn more about other books that might have changed U.S. history, which would be the BEST place to look?

• a website about Lincoln and the Civil War

• a book of short stories titled The World's Best Science Fiction Stories

• a nonfiction book titled The Collected Works of Harriet Beecher Stowe

• a newspaper article titled America's 100 Most Important Books

Read the following sentence from the passage.

Her book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, helped persuade many Northerners that slavery was a horrible practice and needed to be abolished.

What is the meaning of the word "abolished" as it is used in this sentence?

• continued

• ended

• expanded

• convinced