Isabella's+Story

Olivia Love ECI 435 Sep. 20, 2010 Isabella’s Story

To all those who do not know me, my name is Isabella. I am 12 years old; however, many people say I am wise beyond my years. I live in Edenton, NC. The year is 1870, and the living is good. I think I am fairly typical of a twelve year old girl. I enjoy my schoolwork and my friends. I play outside, and love to run and skip through the fields beyond my family’s house. I have always been care free that is until lately. My uncle is William Holden. I am sure you have heard of him. He is a wonderful man. He has always been the intelligent one in the family, or so they say. He has been around since I was a young girl, and he always plays with my brother and I; however, lately things have been different. There is something going on lately that I cannot seem to understand. My mother and father whisper about it late at night, yet no one will tell me what is going on when I ask. My brother says I’m stupid, and I could not possibly understand. I know he’s wrong. Today, I have decided to figure things out. When I woke up this morning, it was like any other day. Our maid, Camille, came in my room to wake me. It was a beautiful day outside, perfect for making discoveries. I decided to start with her. I asked, “Camille, what is going on with Uncle William?” She looked shocked at my question. That’s is how mother and father reacted lately when his name was brought up. She thought for a second, and answered half heartedly, “Ask your mother child. That’s none of my business.” I noticed as she looked away, she smiled. I was more confused and frustrated now than ever. I proceeded to march down the stairs, and into my father’s office. He had a concerned look on his face, and it caused me to pause for a second before continuing in his office. “Father,” I began, “where is Uncle William? Why doesn’t he come see us anymore?” My father gave me the same shocked look that Camille had, then he replied. “Isabella, don’t concern yourself with your Uncle Willam anymore. He is now a disgrace to us all, and we should hope he never comes here again.” I gasped. I could not believe what my father had said. He had always refused to answer my questions before, and after hearing this response, I wish he had. I thought for a second, then decided to continue with my questions. “But father, why do you dislike Uncle William so?” My father looked up from his work with an angry expression and replied “He’s a traider, Isabella.” With that response, I left the room. I wasn’t sure if I was more confused now, or before. I went outside and with much hesitation decided to continue investigating. It was a beautiful day, and many of the families slaves were working in our tobacco fields. I walked across the street to my friend Eliza’s house and found her playing outside. She ran up to me with an inquisitive look on her face and blurted out a question. “Are you going to the trial?” “What trial?” I said, now more confused than before. “For your Uncle, silly! My mother and father were talking about it all morning! They seem very angry at him!” Eliza replied. “I have no idea what you are talking about Eliza! My parents will not speak of Uncle William anymore. What else have you heard?” I asked. “Well I heard he’s a bad man. He doesn’t believe in the confederacy, and that makes my daddy really angry.” Eliza stated. Maybe that’s why my daddy’s angry I thought. Eliza continued, “My daddy says he is going to ruin things around here if he isn’t careful.” I thought about this for a while, and decided to go home. The way Eliza spoke about Uncle William made me feel angry. I had always loved my Uncle, and I could not understand why everyone was angry at him now. When I returned home my mother said there had been a change of plans. She explained that we would be going to the courthouse to see my Uncle’s trial. “Trial, what trial?” I asked. “Your uncle has violated the law, Isabella. We aren’t going to support him, but we are going to see what happens.” My mom said. “What has he done?” I inquired. “He arrested people he shouldn’t have. He has changed dear. He is now on the unions side, and that is not our side.” She said in a serious tone. That night we went to the court house. Father had an angry expression on his face, and it seemed contagious. As we walked into the courthouse, everyone stared. People seemed to watch to see which side of the courthouse we would sit on. As we sat down I noticed by Uncle William sitting in the front, on the opposite side as my family. I wanted to run up and hug him since it had been so long since I had seen him; however, I knew better. Everyone was staring at him. Some people even seemed angry at him, and a few people even yelled at him as he sat there quietly. It seemed so strange to me now that he was so disconnected from the family he had once been so close to. The judge walked in and began to read out what he called “articles of impeachment” against my uncle. It seemed he had arrested people that he shouldn’t have, and disobeyed the writ of habeas corpus. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it seemed t make everyone very angry. I watched the trial unfold, and although the voices ran together, the look on my uncle’s face is imbedded into my mind. He looked sad and beat down. I wondered how my father could see his expression, and still turn his back to him. In the next few days I overheard my mother and father saying that my Uncle William was being removed from office. I forgot to mention that he wasn’t just my uncle; he was the Governor of the state of NC. It wasn’t until years later that I understood what all my uncle had done. Although my family failed to support him, my opinion was my own. I knew my Uncle William Holden to be an inspirational figure in NC; he was just a little before his time.

__**Teaching Application:**__ I really enjoyed this exercise! I've always heard the best way to ensure you understand a topic is to teach it. This activity definitely proved that! I thought that I had a grasp on NC history after taking the class; however, once I began writing this narrative, I realized that many of the details were fuzzy in my mind. After completeing this activity, I would definitely use narratives in my classroom.

At the beggining of class I would stand at the door and hand students index cards as they enter. There would be a question on the board asking students this question. "Did all North Carolinians want to join the Confederacy, or did they want to join the Union?" I believe it's important for students to develop their own thoughts and consider what their prior knowledge tells them. This makes the lesson more relevant, because they have invested some thought into it. They are curious to know if they are correct. I would collect the answers as a form of attendance. From there I would read the narrative about Isabella. This is a relatable story for middle school students, because Isabella is a young girl. They can relate to the fact that the adults around her refuse to tell her what's going on, even though she thinks she is mature enough to understand it. I would **read the story** to my class. After the fact, I would have **students research the historical significance of William Holden**, and what he meant to NC history. I want students know know what William Holden's political relavence is, and why it is important. I want students to understand that although NC is in "the south," not all southerners wanted to join the Confederacy. I want students to realize that Holden actually attempted to convince other southern states not to succeed from the Union. He also attempted to bring justice upon those members of the KKK, that were especially brutal at the time. To ensure that students focused on the most relevant areas of Holden's life, I would give them a **handout** instructing them to focus on Holden's life between the years 1840-1872. That brings students from the debates about NC leaving the Union and Holden removing himself from office. Given the knowledge they had developed in class I would have each table (4-5 students) **create their own narrative about William Holden** or someone who was affected by the actions of William Holden. I would allow students to share their narratives with the class. As an **exit pass** students would write, one thing they learned from class that day and one thing they still want to know. I beleive that good lessons bring further curiousity; therefore, I hope for this lesson to do just that.