Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s Never Caught (adult version) narrates the life story of George and Martha Washington’s slave Ona Judge. In the book she juxtaposes Ona Judge, other enslaved people, and even free black people’s experiences, assumptions, and expectations with those of the Washingtons, other elites, and ordinary whites. Through Judge’s story, Dunbar highlights the intersection of slavery and freedom in the young republic.
In a 5-6 page essay that draws directly on the book narrative, outline and analyze the contradiction that characterized the new nation: it was a nation that prized freedom yet protected the institution of slavery.
Think about the following questions: What did the institution of slavery mean to slaveholders and the enslaved? What did fredom mean to black people (enslaved and free) and white people? How did slavery differ in the North and South, and why?
IMPORTANT DETAILS: Provide a title for your essay Be sure to include a thesis statement in your introduction that makes clear what you are addressing in your essay. Your essay must draw directly from the book and include specific examples to illustrate the points you’re highlighting. Only use direct quotes if there is a reason to retain the language in the text (in which case, make sure it’s clear why it is there. In other words, don’t just plop it in without discussing it.) It is usually better to rephrase in your own words. If you use direct quotes, make sure they are brief. But do be sure to cite page numbers in parentheses at the end of the sentence whenever you draw on a particular event or thought expressed in the text, even if you don’t use direct quotation.