escaped to freedom
narrative writing by larre phillips
1 on may 13, 1862, just outside charleston harbor, south carolina, the union naval commander of the uss onward was about to give the order to fire on an unarmed confederate schooner heading to sea. then he noticed a white flag of surrender on the schooner’s mast. the idea of the boat was an enslaved african american named robert smalls, who was attempting to escape by stealing the confederate ship!
2 smalls was born into slavery on april 5, 1839, in beaufort, south carolina. by the time he was 12 years old, his master began to send him out to do various jobs in charleston. smalls eventually worked at the docks, learning from its boats’ sails and pilot ships. he also learned how to read shipping maps. over time, he became an accomplished sailor and navigator. he could name any ship through another seaman’s called “reading the rigs.”
3 in 1861, smalls was working on a 120 - foot schooner called the planter. the powerful steamer had been turned into a confederate army ferry and supply transport. it was the fastest vessel in the harbor and, as such, was the most important ship in the local business fleet.
4 on april 13th, 1862, the southern army had just left fort sumter, a major confederate naval fort at the mouth of charleston harbor. beyond the harbor, there was a blockade of northern ships. smalls and his wife, hannah, dreamed of escaping from slavery and raising their two children in freedom. smalls believed that he and his family might be free if they could make it to the blockade.
5 at the early morning hours of may 13, the planter’s three white officers left the ship to spend the night ashore. seeing the opportunity, smalls and his crewmates (the other enslaved seamen) set an escape plan in motion. they decided to steal the ship, but they agreed that if anything went wrong, they would blow it up to avoid capture.
6 the time finally for the escape had arrived. smalls first picked up his family and the families of the other crewmen from a nearby wharf. with nine men, five women, and three children aboard, the planter headed toward the mouth of the harbor.

what is the theme of the excerpt from “the warnings”?
a in a time of war, kind behaviors are sure to save the world.
b good can conquer evil, but only when good people work together.
c doing the right thing can help provide the courage to overcome fear.
d honest and teamwork are sometimes the best revenge on people who enslave.

Question

escaped to freedom
narrative writing by larre phillips
1 on may 13, 1862, just outside charleston harbor, south carolina, the union naval commander of the uss onward was about to give the order to fire on an unarmed confederate schooner heading to sea. then he noticed a white flag of surrender on the schooner’s mast. the idea of the boat was an enslaved african american named robert smalls, who was attempting to escape by stealing the confederate ship!
2 smalls was born into slavery on april 5, 1839, in beaufort, south carolina. by the time he was 12 years old, his master began to send him out to do various jobs in charleston. smalls eventually worked at the docks, learning from its boats’ sails and pilot ships. he also learned how to read shipping maps. over time, he became an accomplished sailor and navigator. he could name any ship through another seaman’s called “reading the rigs.”
3 in 1861, smalls was working on a 120 - foot schooner called the planter. the powerful steamer had been turned into a confederate army ferry and supply transport. it was the fastest vessel in the harbor and, as such, was the most important ship in the local business fleet.
4 on april 13th, 1862, the southern army had just left fort sumter, a major confederate naval fort at the mouth of charleston harbor. beyond the harbor, there was a blockade of northern ships. smalls and his wife, hannah, dreamed of escaping from slavery and raising their two children in freedom. smalls believed that he and his family might be free if they could make it to the blockade.
5 at the early morning hours of may 13, the planter’s three white officers left the ship to spend the night ashore. seeing the opportunity, smalls and his crewmates (the other enslaved seamen) set an escape plan in motion. they decided to steal the ship, but they agreed that if anything went wrong, they would blow it up to avoid capture.
6 the time finally for the escape had arrived. smalls first picked up his family and the families of the other crewmen from a nearby wharf. with nine men, five women, and three children aboard, the planter headed toward the mouth of the harbor.

what is the theme of the excerpt from “the warnings”?
a in a time of war, kind behaviors are sure to save the world.
b good can conquer evil, but only when good people work together.
c doing the right thing can help provide the courage to overcome fear.
d honest and teamwork are sometimes the best revenge on people who enslave.

Accepted Answer

# Brief Explanations:
To determine the theme, analyze each option:
- Option A: The excerpt focuses on Robert Smalls’ actions, not general “kind behaviors saving the world.” Eliminate.
- Option B: The story is about Smalls’ individual courage/right action, not “good people working together.” Eliminate.
- Option C: Smalls took the right action (escaping slavery, helping others) and this required courage to overcome fear (e.g., facing the blockade, acting against the Confederacy). This matches.
- Option D: The excerpt emphasizes courage and doing right, not “honor and sarcasm” as a “bad message.” Eliminate.

# Answer:
C. Doing the right thing can help provide the courage to overcome fear.

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