Transcript ALBANY, New York

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 (Achieve3000, 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. 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 27year-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. Henig was putting together a Civil War
book a decade ago and came across information about
Tillman. In the 1860s, $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 1860s, $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.