Freedom's Choice

Name:

Date:

Family making difficult decision after emancipation

📖 The Scenario

Imagine: The year is 1865. Your family has just been freed from slavery after the Civil War ended. You face a life-changing decision that will affect your family's future for generations.

Your Two Choices:

Option A: Stay in the South and become sharecroppers on the plantation where you were enslaved

Option B: Move North to find work in a factory in a city like Chicago or Detroit

1. What do you think would be the biggest concern for a newly freed family making this decision?

Finding enough food to eat

Staying safe from violence

Keeping the family together

Making enough money to survive

2. Which factors would be most important in your decision? (Check all that apply)

Economic stability and steady income

Safety from violence and discrimination

Keeping extended family and community together

Educational opportunities for children

Familiar surroundings and way of life

⚖️ Weighing Your Options

3. List two advantages of staying in the South as sharecroppers:

Advantage 1: _________________________________________________

Advantage 2: _________________________________________________

4. List two disadvantages of staying in the South as sharecroppers:

Disadvantage 1: _____________________________________________

Disadvantage 2: _____________________________________________

5. List two advantages of moving North to work in factories:

Advantage 1: _________________________________________________

Advantage 2: _________________________________________________

6. List two disadvantages of moving North to work in factories:

Disadvantage 1: _____________________________________________

Disadvantage 2: _____________________________________________

7. What would be the biggest risk of each choice?

Staying South: _______________________________________________

Moving North: ________________________________________________

✏️ Your Family's Decision

8. What choice would you make for your family? Circle one:

Stay in the South as sharecroppers

Move North to work in factories

9. Explain your decision. Write a paragraph (5-7 sentences) explaining why you chose this option and how you think it would benefit your family's future. Consider the economic, social, and safety factors in your response.

10. Extension Activity (Advanced): Research one real family or individual who made this choice after the Civil War. How did their decision turn out? What challenges did they face?