Addy Learns a Lesson by Connie Porter, 1993.
After escaping from slavery, Addy and her mother finally arrive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they will start a new life. Philadelphia is a big city, and at first, Addy feels lost, not knowing where to go and what to do. They have no family or friends to turn to, and neither she or her mother can even read the street signs, never having been taught to read. They are dependent on help from other free black people, former slaves who have already established themselves in the community.
The first people they meet in Philadelphia are Mrs. Moore and her daughter, Sarah. They are part of the Freedom Society of Trinity A.M.E. Church, which helps new arrivals escaping from slavery, like Addy and her mother. The Moores take them to the church, where they attend a church supper, along with some other new arrivals. Mrs. Moore asks Addy’s mother what work skills she has, and when she says that she can sew, Mrs. Moore says that she might be able to get a job in a dress shop. Mrs. Ford, the white woman who owns the shop, is strict and fussy, but she hires Addy’s mother and gives them a room to live in.
Life in freedom isn’t as glamorous as Addy thought it would be at first. Her mother works hard for little pay, and the attic room where they live is small and uncomfortable. She misses the rest of their family and still doesn’t know where her father and brother are. There are also things that black people in Philadelphia can’t do, even though they aren’t slaves, like riding on the streetcar.
However, there is one thing that Addy is looking forward to: going to school for the first time. Sarah Moore is Addy’s age, and she tells Addy about her family escaped from slavery in Virginia. Like Addy, she couldn’t read when she first arrived, but now, Sarah attends school. Addy is excited about attending the same school as Sarah and happy that she has made a new friend. Addy’s new teacher, Miss Dunn, was also a former slave from North Carolina, and she reassures Addy that, although she hasn’t been to school before or learned to read yet, it won’t be long before she learns.
All of the other children at school are black, many of them former slaves. However, Addy can’t help but notice that some of their families are more prosperous than others. In particular, a girl named Harriet wears beautiful dresses, the kind that Addy has dreamed of having herself. Sarah and Harriet don’t get along because Harriet is snobbish, but Addy is fascinated by her, wishing that she could have things like Harriet has. Harriet says that her family were never slaves, and as bossy as Harriet is, Addy can’t help but admire her. Harriet is nice to Addy at first, bragging about how smart she is and how much she can help Addy, but she isn’t as patient or as helpful to Addy as Sarah is.
When there is a spelling match at school, Addy accepts Harriet’s invitation to go to her house to study. Harriet always seems to do well in class, and Addy is curious to see what her house is like. However, Harriet and her friends force Addy to be their “flunky,” carrying all of their books, and they say insulting things about Sarah. Then, Harriet retracts the invitation to study.
As Addy sees the way Harriet takes advantage of her, she comes to realize some important things about the way people act and about herself and the type of friends she really wants in her new life. Unlike Harriet, Sarah is Addy’s real friend. Addy realizes that she doesn’t need to admire people like Harriet because she is smart and works hard and can do just fine without Harriet’s false friendship.
In the back of the book, there is a section of historical information about education during the American Civil War, especially for black children. It was actually against the law to teach slaves to read during Addy’s time, although some were able to learn in secret. Even for free blacks in the North, there were few educational opportunities. Black children couldn’t go to school with white children, and the schools for black children were poor, unable to afford many supplies. Over time, more and more black people were able to get an education, in spite of the difficulties involved, and education helped to improve their lives. However, segregated schools remained the norm until the 20th century.
I liked the way they showed the medal that Addy wins in the spelling bee. Students who particularly excelled at a subject in class were sometimes given a small medal on a pin to wear as a badge of honor, something that people don’t do in modern times.
However, Auntie Lula does get to spend a little time with the family before her death, and she tells Addy not to be sad. People don’t always get everything they want in life, but they can take some pride in what they do accomplish. Lula and Solomon may not have gotten everything they wanted in life, not having had much time to enjoy being freed from slavery, but they did get to accomplish what was most important to them. Solomon died knowing that he was a free man, far from the plantation where he’d been a slave. Lula managed to reunite Esther with her family. From there, Lula says, she is depending on the young people, like Addy and her family, to make the most they can of their lives, hopes, and dreams.
Although Addy and her mother are frightened at the idea of running away, they decide that this is their only chance to escape together. Addy is upset when her mother tells her that they can’t bring her baby sister with them. She is too young for the journey, and if she cries, it might give them away. Instead, they will leave little Esther with their close friends, Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon Morgan. They plan to find a way to send for them when the war is over.
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