Topical Tuesday 1 You will need a sheet

Topical Tuesday! 1. You will need a sheet of paper numbered 1 -8. 2. You will be given a reading passage spread over several slides. 3. Each reading slide will change in just over 1 minute 4. The time indicator is shown at the bottom. 5. There are 8 multiple choice questions to answer at the end of the reading. 6. You have 45 seconds to answer each before it changes. 7. This activity will be collected by your SOCIAL STUDIES teacher.

A War Hero Remembered ALBANY, New York (Achieve 3000, July 28, 2011). The Union's first African-American hero of the Civil War was not a soldier. Who was it? A ship's cook. His name was William Tillman's ship was captured during a Confederate attack. Tillman fought to keep himself from being sold into slavery. Joe Zarzynski is a history teacher. He made a movie about Tillman. Search for the Jefferson Davis: Trader, Slaver, Raider came out in March 2011. The movie tells the story of a ship renamed after the president of the Confederacy. The Jefferson Davis captured nine Union ships in the summer of 1861.

One of those ships was the S. J. Waring, on which 27 year-old William Tillman worked. The crew of the Jefferson Davis captured the Waring about 150 miles off Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Five members of Davis' crew went aboard the Waring. They were supposed to sail the captured ship to a Southern port. The men told Tillman they planned to sell him into slavery. On July 8, 1861, Tillman staged a one-man fight. He killed three of the men. He told the remaining men if they didn't help sail the ship to a Northern port he would kill them, too. The two men agreed to help. Tillman guided the ship back to the North. He arrived in New York Harbor five days later.

At about the same time, the Union lost the First Battle of Bull Run. One New York newspaper wrote about how news of Tillman's adventure made up for this gloomy news. Not much is known about Tillman's life. He was born to free parents in Delaware. He moved with his mother to Rhode Island as a teenager. He later settled in New York City. Sometime after the event on the Waring, Tillman received a $6, 000 reward for saving the ship. Losing the ship would have cost an insurance company nearly $60, 000. Tillman got married in 1863. He is listed in 1870 as living and working as a seaman in Warwick, Rhode Island.

After that, the trail of public records goes cold, said Gerald Henig was putting together a Civil War book a decade ago and came across information about Tillman. In the 1860 s, $6, 000 was worth a lot more than it is now. A rich African American would have been rare in those days, when black people in the U. S. had few rights. Tillman never received any thanks from President Lincoln or the government. Henig says this was because of the attitude at the time towards African Americans. Tillman was long forgotten. However, the new movie about his experiences might change that. At least that's what Henig is hoping for.

1. Based on the article, which fits best in the empty box above? A. Tillman was the cook on the S. J. Waring. B. Tillman moved with his mother to Rhode Island. C. Tillman saved the S. J. Waring. D. Tillman got married and worked as a seaman.

2. The article talks mainly about _____. A. A forgotten hero of the Civil War B. An insurance company C. An important Civil War battle D. A history teacher

3. The article states: In the 1860 s, $6, 000 was worth a lot more than it is now. A rich African American would have been rare in those days, when black people in the U. S. had few rights. Which would be the closest antonym for the word rare? A. Uneasy B. Thrifty C. Common D. Unusual

4. Let's say Annie wants to find out about Search for the Jefferson Davis: Trader, Slaver, Raider. She would find the most information by _____. A. Reading a book about Sandy Hook, New Jersey B. Looking at Joe Zarzynski's Web site under "Films" C. Reading a book about the First Battle of Bull Run D. Looking at a Web site listing films about Abraham Lincoln

5. Which question is not answered by the article? A. How many Union soldiers were killed in the First Battle of Bull Run? B. When did Joe Zarzynski's film about William Tillman come out? C. When did the Jefferson Davis capture nine Union ships? D. How much money was William Tillman given as a reward?

6. The article states: At about the same time, the Union lost the First Battle of Bull Run. One New York newspaper wrote about how news of Tillman's adventure made up for this gloomy news. Look at the sentences above and think about the article. Which would be the closest antonym for the word gloomy? A. Strange B. Enormous C. Public D. Joyful

7. Suppose you were writing a summary of the article. Which of these would be most important to put in the summary? A. Tillman lived and worked in Warwick, Rhode Island. B. Tillman fought to keep himself from being sold into slavery. C. Tillman was not thanked by the government at the time. D. Tillman moved with his mother to Rhode Island as a teenager.

8. Which statement from the article best supports the opinion that William Tillman was brave? A. One of those ships was the S. J. Waring, on which 27 -year-old William Tillman worked. B. Tillman fought to keep himself from being sold into slavery. C. Not much is known about Tillman's life. D. Tillman got married in 1863.