Lesson 3: Day 2 - Music as Resistance

Google Doc for this Lesson

Activity 1: Read Aloud

Overview: In this read-aloud activity, students engage with From Philadelphia to Nat Turner; Shadrack Bassett's African Hymn Inspires an Uprising (Quinones, 2024) to further examine how historians recover the lives of Black historical figures from limited and scattered archival sources. Through discussion, students explore how music and memory illuminate overlooked stories and expressions of resistance.

Time: 15 minutes

Format: Whole Group

Objective: SWBAT investigate a primary source hymn to uncover how language, structure, and tone express resistance and hope in 19th-century Black spiritual writing.

• Read From Philadelphia to Nat Turner; Shadrack Bassett's African Hymn Inspires an Uprising (Quinones, 2024) aloud. 

• • Invite student volunteers to read sections of the article aloud.

• Lead students in a discussion by asking the following questions: 

• • Why do you think a hymn like “Awake! Arise!” could be seen as both a spiritual message and a political message in the 1800s? 

  • • What emotions or ideas might it have stirred in its listeners?

  • What does the journey of Bassett’s hymn—from a church in Philadelphia to a rebellion in Virginia—tell us about how Black communities shared ideas, culture, and resistance across regions?

  • How does this article challenge traditional ways of learning about history? 

Activity 2: Musicians of the 1838 Black Metropolis

Overview: In this activity, students explore multiple secondary sources to investigate the role of music and musicians in the 1838 Black Metropolis. Through collaborative reading and synthesis, they uncover how Black Philadelphians used music as a powerful tool for expression and resistance.

Time: 20 minutes

Format: Partners 

Objective: SWBAT compare and evaluate insights from multiple secondary sources to develop a nuanced understanding of how musicians in the 1838 Black Metropolis used music as both cultural expression and a form of resistance in 19th-century Philadelphia. 

• Invite students to work in partners (selected or self-selected). 

• Assign each pair one of the following articles to read: 

• • A Fresh Look at Francis Johnson, Philadelphia's Musical Magnet (Diaz, 2024) 

  • Finding the 1826 Black Arts Renaissance: Activist Artists, Sacred Concerts, Music for Hayti, and Friday the 13th! (Diaz, 2024)

  • Exploring the Legacy of the Appo Family: A Century of Black Metropolis Excellence (Diaz, 2024)

• Share the Musicians of the 1838 Black Metropolis graphic organizer with students. 

• • Students can make their own copy here Musicians of the 1838 Black Metropolis- Make a copy

• Ask students to take notes while reading, exploring the main ideas and the primary and secondary resources used in the article.

Activity 3: Partner Switch

Overview: In this closing activity, students engage in peer exchange by partnering with someone who read a different article about 19th-century Black musicians. Through structured dialogue, they compare how music functioned as a form of identity, resistance, and community-building across sources, helping them synthesize broader themes from the lesson.

Time: 10 minutes

Format: Partners

Objective: SWBAT compare how different 19th-century Black musicians used music to resist oppression and shape community life by engaging in peer discussion grounded in multiple secondary sources.

• Invite students to find a new partner who read a different article. Or, pair students so that they can work with someone who read a different article. 

• Ask students to discuss the following with their new partner:

• • How did the musicians in your article use music to express themselves and build community?