This vest pocket sized, string bound book, was found in the basement of a new home a friend recently bought in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.  The book was published in 1834 in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and can be classified as a child’s book on the issue of slavery, its evils, and the Christianizing effect of abolitionists on recaptured slaves.  This work has been copied by me letter for letter, and, although the grammar and punctuation of Mrs. Sherwood does not “agree” with my word processing program, the story is readable and brief (70 very small, printed pages).  In my mind’s eye, I imagine the author as an elderly Quaker schoolteacher, perhaps, writing to ease her heart and educate her students, to the greatest crime of their age.  In its electronic form (since the actual text is slowly turning to dust) it will last centuries.

Assignment: Read the story and write a literary review of it that historiographically analyzes the issues and events depicted within.  Research the context in which the story was written and examine its possible effects on its readers.  Use MLA format to document your sources.  Be sure to provide evidence for your conclusions.  You are also encouraged to discuss the story in the forum and examine its modern context.