Gus,

It would be a rare fourth grader who would be able to read and get sense out 
of that document.

I was thinking more that the teacher would point out that Nat Turner sought 
to free his people from slavery, even if the attempt was unsuccessful. The 
bloody details would not be appropriate for 4th graders any more than the 
bloody details of other wars are generally provided to this age group. It is 
the ideas, intents, and the sincerety with which the ideals are pursued that 
would be of interest at this age. Freedom is a powerful idea that is 
understood at this age, and the knowledge that slaves did not quietly accept 
their condition without any attempt at rebellion can be quite comforting to 
those children who see the folley of one human owning another. In the same 
grade, the children also learn about Martin Luther King who achieved gave 
his life for his ideals which were met after his death.

Anne


Anne Pemberton
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http://www.erols.com/apembert
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