Learning Resources

2.10 Black Pride, Identity, and the Question of Naming

New American History, American Visions

Gathering at the Colored Convention in New York in 1840, Black delegates delivered spirited speeches about seizing the franchise (i.e. the right to vote)—words that were printed, published, and shared with urgency. View this video interpretation, Black Voting Rights. (Use the closed captioning feature to read along as you view the video.)

Use the Claim, Support, Question thinking routine for reasoning with evidence, using this quote from the video/text:

You are aware, that while other citizens have a free and unrestricted use of the elective franchise, a property qualification is required on our part, in order for us to exercise this right, so important to a free people, and without which, a man cannot be considered, in a democratic sense, a freeman.”

Excerpt from 'A Call for a Convention of the Colored Inhabitants of the State of New York', The Colored American, June 6, 1840. Reprinted in Minutes of the State Convention of Colored Citizens, August 1840.

Claim, Support, Question: A question that asks you to identify evidence or reasons that support a given claim.

  • Make a claim about the topic.  (Claim: An explanation or interpretation of some aspect of the topic.) 
  • Identify support for your claim. (Support: Things you see, feel, and know that support your claim.) 
  • Ask a question related to your claim. (Question: What’s left hanging? What isn’t explained? What new reasons does your claim raise?)

Field Studio. “Black Voting Rights.” American Visions, December 2023. https://visions.newamericanhistory.org/#frances-ellen-watkins.

This work by New American History is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at newamericanhistory.org.

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