1863+Fort+Wagner+and+54th+Massachusetts

Home TIMELINE TOPICS ASSIGNMENT: Who Is A Person In America?

1863 Fort Wagner and the 54th Massachusetts Emma P. Place photos or graphics in the table below. Save to desktop, then upload by clicking on "file" on the menu bar (above).
 * [[image:fort-wagner.jpg width="391" height="329" caption="Fort Wagner: After the Attack"]] || [[image:assault-on-battery-wagner.jpg width="400" height="329" caption="An artist depiction on the Assault on Fort Wagner"]] ||

Write a journal/newspaper style article in which you take a neutral stance (as a reporter) and give the facts about the actual event. What led up to the event? What happened during the actual event? Did it have an “end” or is it unresolved? You are to write about this event __when it happened__, you are assuming the role of a reporter in 1850, 1920, etc., __not someone looking back from 2011__. You need to cite your sources, and they must include information only available during that time period. At least one source must be primary and/or an eyewitness account. **Important - This work will be submitted to TurnItIn.com. We will provide you information about using this helpful resource**!
 * TASK I: **

Attack on Fort Wagner

Published: July 31st, 1863

By: Emma Piotrowski

SOUTH CAROLINA A volunteer regiment of union soldiers attacked Confederate military base--Fort Wagner-- on the night of July the 18th.

The 54th Massachusetts -- an all black regiment -- attacked confederate base, Fort Wagner, on July 18th. The regiment was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw of Boston. Fort Wagner is a prominent military base in the south guarding Charleston, the capital of South Carolina. 144 are reported wounded and remain in Beaufort Hospitals. Colonel Shaw is said to have been taken prisoner. The death toll is unknown.

The attack began around 7:00pm on July 18. The regiment approached the base from the shore line. The sand was a challenging obstacle for them, making it harder to run. When they reached the base they were attacked with firing muskets from above. This was costly. Most of the soldiers died then.

Thomas Burgess was near Col. Shaw during the attack, “[Col. Shaw] waved his sword and cried out, ‘Onward! Boys,’ and as he did so, fell.” Burgess was only wounded and told sources that he had tried to help Shaw. For now, Fort Wagner remains in the confederacy.

Task 1: Mastery Rubric A quality news article will: •open with an attention-grabbing headline •identify the author's name and the date of the publication (in the past) •develop the 5 W's in three power paragraphs •paragraph 1: contain an interesting lead •paragraph 2: correctly cite a secondary source (an indirect quote) •paragraph 3: correctly cite a primary source (eyewitness account) •maintain appropriate journalistic voice •read like an article written in the same time period as the event occurred • be free of mechanics and Works Cited errors

TASK II What is the Argument?

Should African Americans participate in the military?

PROMPT 1: Why did the majority of Americans not recognize the rights of members of this group?

 Before 1863, African Americans couldn't even be in the army at all. Then, a law passed that allowed them to participate in the army as a solider. At first people thought this was wrong, just because they weren’t slaves didn’t necessarily mean they could fight for a country that technically wasn't even theirs, but for slaves, it was a chance to be a part of something that would help fight against slavery.

PROMPT 2: How did advocates for the minority group shed light on this injustice?

Advocates for the African Americans ensured the majority that they possessed the capability to participate in the military. They proved it to them by the events that happened leading up to the attack and during. Writers wrote truthfully how they acted and how they were treated, showing that if a white Colonel could treat his African American soldiers as if they were white, then why couldn't anyone else.


 * TASK III: **



__Paragraph 1:__ Analyze the impact of the literary or artistic work for the minority group and/or American society as a whole. This piece of artwork impacted the African Americans by showing that they had an influence on society. Though the attack on Fort Wagner was not successful, the reports on the African Americans that were written by reporters talked about the civil behavior that they displayed. This really helped the african americans by showing that they were just like their white counterparts. What is the name of this monument? Do you know anything more about it? More information about the monument would help you with your analysis. __Paragraph 2:__ CLOSING-- How did the event impact the debate on the argument? This impacted the arguement by showing that an African American man can do the same thing as a white man, and performance and loyalty doesn't have to do with the color of the person's skin, but what they believe. An outstanding product will. <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">•showcase a work that expresses a profound idea about your event and the argument surrounding it This is a great monument, but you need to expand on your analysis <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">•be the **best** example available, not simply the first one you find <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">•demonstrate your ability to interpret the meaning of the literary or artistic piece <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">You need to expand on this <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">•use the extended power paragraph format as a means to express your understanding of the event, argument, and how art literature and art <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">can reveal emotions and ideas <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">•reference sources accurately <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">•mechanics are clean and effective
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px;">TASK III: Artistic Expression Element Rubric **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">An outstanding time line entry includes the following: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">• Opens by identifying you, the author, and your event with a banner headline (see an example of a banner on the top of this page). <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">• Under the banner, in the table place two graphics or photos that illustrates an important aspect of the event. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">• Thoughtful responses to each prompt are supported by credible sources representing diverse perspectives on the event. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">• Each response should be posted in order (follow template instructions), contain few mechanic errors and follow the power paragraph format. <span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;">• The credibility of each cited source is established and internal citations accurately match the Works Cited.• TASK I and TASK II each introduce and cite two new sources; TASK III cites one new source.• The Works Cited lists 5 credible sources from the LC databases.
 * Rubric for the Time Line Page **