KS2:3 What should we put in an online biography of Thomas Clarkson?
Enquiry question
1. How did Thomas
Clarkson get written
out of history?
In this Scheme of Work
pupils repair the damage
done to Thomas
Clarkson’s reputation by
the publication of a
biography of William
Wilberforce, which was
written by Wilberforce’s
sons.
The Scheme uses drama
and research to reinforce
the importance of
gathering and sorting
historical evidence to
help distinguish between
opinion and fact.
Combined History and
Literacy Learning
Objective
To understand how the destruction of original evidence can distort the way later generations interpret an historic figure.
Links with renewed
Framework for Literacy,
Year 6 Non Fiction, Unit
1 Phase 1
Children explore the biography of a particular person as presented in a range of different texts, on paper and on screen. They build up a picture of the life from the various perspectives offered, as well as discussing and evaluating the differences between the texts.
Activities
Withhold the overarching title of the Scheme of Work and enquiry question for the sake of keeping the element of surprise for the first activity. The text below sets up this activity as a drama exercise.
For the following activities you and your pupils will need to access images from Resource A: (www.e2bn.org Quicklinks, E2BN Gallery, search for “Thomas Clarkson”) to show to the whole class. If you would like pupils to do their research on line, they will need access to computers.
Starter
Prepare a space in the corner of the room, arranging a chair and
desk (wooden if possible). Load the desk up with as many old books
(wrap old covers around modern books) and rolls of paper
(yellowing/hand-written) as you can. Ask a male colleague to dress
up as an early Victorian upper class gentleman (a hat, turned up shirt
collar and long coat will suffice). This character should be sitting at
the desk.
As pupils enter the room the man must be frantically crossing out parts of documents or destroying them, throwing documents in the bin or even setting fire to them (Health and Safety permitting). The more extreme the better the effect. Initially the character should be so absorbed in what he is doing that he ignores the pupils until he is asked direct questions by them, which he will answer in role.
Encourage pupils to ask questions of the person (e.g. Who are you? What are you doing? Why? Where are we? When is this happening?). Through these questions pupils should determine the date, who he is, what he is doing and why.
The year is 1838 and the character is Samuel Wilberforce, son of the great abolitionist and reformer, William Wilberforce, who is writing a biography of his father. Samuel is deliberately destroying/ignoring documents sent to him by his father’s former colleague, Thomas Clarkson. Samuel thinks Clarkson has taken too much credit for the successful campaign to abolish the slave trade (which succeeded in 1807) and wants to ensure that his own father’s reputation goes down in history as the most important campaigner.
Summarise what has been learnt by the interrogation. Explain that most subsequent accounts of the movement to abolish the British Transatlantic Slave Trade relied heavily on this biography written by Samuel Wilberforce – who literally wrote the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson out of history. This led to Clarkson’s role becoming downplayed since his death. Remind pupils how important and influential biographies can be by referring to “The Interesting Narrative”.
Activity
Display a range of source material on Thomas Clarkson that you
have collected from Resource A: (www.e2bn.org Quicklinks, E2BN Gallery search for “Thomas Clarkson”). Explain how you found the
material and share what it might tell you. Explain that the task is for
pupils to do their own research, learning as much as they can about
Thomas Clarkson. Divide the class into pairs.
Ask pairs of pupils to skim and scan a variety of texts available. They could be as diverse as extracts from his diary to photographs unveiling a late nineteenth century monument to him. Ask pairs to note what each image is, when it was produced and what it can tell us about Thomas Clarkson. Hold a class discussion about what new things they know about Thomas Clarkson as a result. Pupils could create a pin board of annotated material.
Outcomes
- To have participated in
questioning a person in
role as Samuel
Wilberforce.
- To have understood some
simple details about
Thomas Clarkson and the
campaign to abolish the
British slave trade.
- To have understood how
the actions of Samuel
Wilberforce and his
brother damaged Thomas
Clarkson’s reputation.
- To have skimmed,
scanned and taken notes
on a range of historic
evidence about Thomas
Clarkson.
- To have participated in
discussion as to how this
research adds to their
knowledge of Clarkson.
Resources
Early Victorian
costume/props.
Samuel Wilberforce c. 1860
Resource A
Images from www.e2bn.org
Quicklinks: E2BN Gallery, search for “Thomas Clarkson”