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DocsTeachThe online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives National Archives Foundation National Archives

From Slave to Soldier: The Story of Hubbard Pryor

Focusing on Details: Compare and Contrast

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From Slave to Soldier: The Story of Hubbard Pryor

About this Activity

  • Created by:National Archives Education Team
  • Historical Era:Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
  • Thinking Skill:Historical Analysis & Interpretation
  • Bloom's Taxonomy:Analyzing
  • Grade Level:High School
Start Activity
Please use a tablet or desktop computer to use this activity.
In this short analysis activity, students will compare and contrast two images of Private Hubbard Pryor: one prior to enlisting with the 44th U.S. Colored Troop Regiment, and one after enlisting. They will consider the similarities and differences between the two images and speculate the reason why the photographs were taken.
https://www.docsteach.org/activities/student/from-slave-to-soldier-the-story-of-hubbard-pryor

Suggested Teaching Instructions

This activity is intended as a warm-up or introduction to a discussion of the vital role African Americans played in the Union’s victory in the Civil War. For grades 9-10. Approximate time needed is 10-15 minutes.

Ask students to analyze each photograph, paying close attention to the similarities and differences in Private Pryor’s appearance (including dress, pose, facial expressions, etc). Ask students to respond to the questions on the screen in writing or with a partner. Then ask them to contribute their answers in a full-class discussion.

Ask students to speculate the reasons a photograph would have been taken of Hubbard Pryor both before and after his enlistment.

Tell students that Captain Reuben D. Mussey, working for the Colored Bureau of the Adjutant General's Office, included the photographs of Pryor in an October 1864 report on the success of recruiting black solders for the Federal Army. Mussey would write of the enlistment efforts "For raiders in the enemies country, these Colored Troops will prove superior, they are good riders – have quick eyes at night...and know all the byways." Share the fact that contemporaries and historians alike have pointed to the influx of African American soldiers as a turning point in the Civil War.

(You can also share with students that records of the National Archives show that Pryor was 5' 7", with black eyes, black hair and a dark brown complexion.)

Documents in this activity

  • Private Hubbard Pryor After Enlistment in 44th U.S. Colored Troops
  • Private Hubbard Pryor Before Enlistment in 44th U.S. Colored Troops

CC0
To the extent possible under law, National Archives Education Team has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to "From Slave to Soldier: The Story of Hubbard Pryor".

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