Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What does “nadir” mean? Why is the end of the 19th century through the beginning of the 20th century called the “nadir” of Black history in the US? What was life like for Black people living in Southern states like South Carolina during this time?

Teaching Suggestion: The novel takes place predominantly in modern times, but much of its action results from events that took place during the early part of the 20th century. Depending on their backgrounds, students’ knowledge of this time and place will vary considerably. The resources listed below offer students high-quality, accurate information to use when responding to this prompt. After they respond, you might ask why they think this period is not usually focused on in much detail in discussions of American history and what knowing more about it brings to their understanding of the later—and the much-better known—civil rights era.

• This article from Black Past, by Phylisha Agbor-Taylor, gives an overview of Black history in South Carolina up until 1920.
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