History contains many people with different circumstances and perspectives. To understand actions in the past, a historian mustunderstand their perspective and concerns and how they interacted.

Imagine you are one of the following people from the decades before the US Civil War:

• An abolitionist (white or black, male or female)
• A women’s rights activist (white or black, male or female)
• A free black person
• An inslaved black person
• A white person in the US south (male or female, poor, middle-class, or rich.)
• A white person in the US north (male or female, poor, middle-class, or rich.)

Tell your (imaginary) life story? How do you make your living? How do you feel about the major issues of the day? What are your primary concerns (economic, social, or political)? Why? Write about 200 words.