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Read Chapter 9-“In the End”; Complete Student Packet Worksheets for Chapter 9-“In the End”

Ask students where they were when important historical events happened in their lives (e.g. "Where were you when Barack Obama was elected President? Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans? The Twin Towers came down?") Note: Be sure to pick contemporary events relevant to your students for this activity.  Come back together and have students share where they were when these historic events happened. Ask: "How did it affect you? Were you frightened, excited, etc.? How did other people react?"

will explain that, whether joyful or damaging, major events like the ones we discussed affect our lives in profound ways. Important historical events and details also impact the characters in works of Historical Fiction. If we reflect on our lesson about Historical Fiction, we remember that Historical Fiction is based on actual events or phenomena that happened in history. The reactions and that the characters go through because of these events may be fictional, but they are ultimately realistic. In Riding Freedom, historical events and details are important because they affect the characters and plot just as they would affect a real person living in the mid-1800s.

I am going to examine the impact of historical details on characters in the novel. First, I will select a historical detail or event in the plot. I will determine that slavery is an important historical event in the opening chapters of the book. I will look for explicit and implied details that suggest to me how characters in the book are impacted by slavery.

The first detail I will note is that Vern escaped from slavery. He remembers his journey from slavery to freedom by naming horses in commemoration of this event. For instance, he named a horse Hope for the hope he had to get out of slavery while he was on a plantation in Virginia, Charity for the good will of the people who helped him move North, and Freedom for something he had won by hiding in a root cellar with nothing but an old shirt. I will also note that since Vern lived on a plantation in slavery, he empathized with Charlotte’s plight. He knew how important it was to be free to follow your own passions and choose your own path in life. Vern was unable to do that until he escaped from the South, and he saw that Charlotte would be unable to escape servitude in the kitchen until she escaped the orphanage. Since there were people who helped slaves become free during this time, I think Vern thought this was his chance to help someone else escape to freedom. That is why he provided Charlotte with money for travel, shears to create a disguise, and advice for getting to the stage at Concord.

Ask: "How can I examine the effects of historical events or details on the characters?" I should record details from the text that show me how characters respond to historical events or phenomena. I will then list the effects, so I can consider the many ways a historical event will affect a character.

will examine how the California gold rush impacted the characters and plot of the novel. In Chapter 7, when James and Frank come back to Rhode Island from California, they present Charlotte with tales of opportunity and the prospect of owning inexpensive land. Charlotte was noticeably excited. She saw California as an opportunity to own her own land and start her own ranch. Charlotte wouldn’t have been able to do this on the East Coast. The gold rush impacted Charlotte because she saw it as her opportunity for a fresh start and a chance to own something, and it impelled her to move to the West Coast. We will also note that many people flock to California for the gold rush and need coach drivers, which is how Frank, James, and Charlotte make their money while they are there. They are able to build their own business, rather than work for someone else. Also, because the West at the time of the gold rush is still wild and undeveloped place, Charlotte must drive wild horses. The stallion she is set to ride is not tame and blinds her. Though the gold rush presents opportunities for wealth, it also presents the challenges of a wild, untamed place.

will examine how the effects of nineteenth century expectations for girls and women affected Charlotte by completing the History’s Effect Worksheet in your Student Packet. (See page 15 in the Student Packet.)

will come together to share the effects of gender expectations on Charlotte. Together, we will discuss how Charlotte came up against those expectations and how her actions may have impacted history (as history has impacted her).