The Swindler's Treasure (28 page)

    • What is freedom of the press? In an encyclopedia see
Constitution of the United States, Amendment 1
.

    • Why is it important to understand freedom of the press? To respect the laws of the country and also hold yourself responsible for how you use that freedom? What is Rebecca's answer?

    •
Elijah Lovejoy
is known as the first American martyr for freedom of the press. A 100-foot monument to his memory has been placed in the Alton, Illinois, cemetery. (See
acknowledgments
.) What did Mr. Lovejoy live for? What did he die for? Go to
www.state.il.us/hpa/lovejoy/monument.htm
.

    •
Reverend John Livingston
asked Caleb, “What do you plan to do about Elijah Lovejoy being your hero?” (ch. 11) What is Caleb's answer?

    • What does it mean to be a man or woman of honor?

    •
Thomas Dimmock
, newspaperman and editor. When he asks Caleb why Elijah Lovejoy is his hero, what does Caleb answer?

    •
Benjamin Godfrey
, managing contractor and builder for the St. Louis, Alton, and Chicago Railroad. Why did he start a school for girls? (ch. 13)

    •
Mr. Gilson
, the magistrate who said, “This is the Lord's day. I make no arrests on Sunday.” Why?

    •
Dr. Thomas Brown
, Brighton, Illinois. Libby asked, “When you know what might happen, how can you keep on helping fugitives?” (ch. 14) Dr. Brown answers, “How can I
not
help them? God's law is higher than that of men.” Why was Deuteronomy 23:15 an important Bible verse for people working in the Underground Railroad?

    • Dr. Brown asks, “Should I obey someone who sees a fellow human being as a piece of property? Or should I obey God?” What reason does Dr. Brown give for obeying God?

    • “When two laws are in conflict with each other, God's law is more important—more to be followed.” How do Elijah Lovejoy and Dr. Brown agree?

    • Can you give other examples where a law made by man goes against the ways of God?

    • Give examples of ways in which national, state, and local governments of the United States have
supported and cherished
laws made by God.

    •
Dr. Brown's daughter, Frances
. Why do you think she read Bible stories to the children of slaves she and her father were protecting?

    • Ask yourself, In what ways does God want me to be a Freedom Seeker? How can I honor him and contribute to the well-being of others?

Can the ten toes of your feet steer clear of trouble? And why does Libby want to be safe?

Thanks for being my friends through books. I'll meet you in the next Freedom Seekers novel …
The Mysterious Signal!

Dear Parents and Educators
,

T
he six novels in The Freedom Seekers series offer an excellent way to gain a national view of the political climate in 1857. In that critical period in American history, steamboats carried immigrants to newly opened land. Rivers were the highways of the time and the mighty Mississippi a well-traveled route. In spite of danger, injustice, and the possible loss of all they had, people of many faiths, rich and poor, slave or free, worked together for what they believed about the rights and freedoms of individuals. In life-or-death situations children, teens, and adults built the Underground Railroad.

As I returned to this series to write study guides, I was struck by the similarities between then and now
. Though we live in an age of countless breakthroughs, some things have not changed—the need to value and uphold our American freedoms, the need to cherish human life, the need to stand for what we believe.
Even as we had overcomers then, we have The Freedom Seekers now
.

The Freedom Seekers series also offers tools for teaching topics that help our growth as individuals. Libby, Captain Norstad, Caleb, Jordan, Peter, and their friends face questions that are still crucial today:

The Freedom Seekers series weaves together fictional characters with carefully researched people who lived or were known in 1857. Each novel stands alone but is best read in sequence to see the growth of characters and relationships. A new character, Peter—who is deaf—joins the
Christina
family in this book.

Prepare students for reading a novel by talking about the cover. Who are the characters? What do you think they're doing? Where are they? How do they feel about what's happening? Then encourage your students to just enjoy reading the story. If needed, they can take random notes to help them find details for later use, but ask them to wait with answering questions or doing activities. After reading a book through, students can return to it and glean added information to answer study questions or do other activities.

Each study guide gives you the ability to move through the questions and activities at a pace that is right for your students. Topics are organized in sections such as talking about the story, making choices, being a never-give-up family, following God's leading, discussing ideas about freedom, ideas for written or oral responses, and a digging-deeper section for students who want to study further.

Your own love of reading may be one of your strongest motivators for encouraging others to read. That love and the discernment that follows will become an important gift you offer the children and young people you influence.

Whether you read these novels aloud, as a group, or your students read them individually, I hope that all of you enjoy them. May each of you also be blessed by growing deeper in your walk as a Freedom Seeker.

With warm regards,
Lois Walfrid Johnson

FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

L
IBBY NORSTAD:
Only a short time ago she was just one inch shorter than Caleb, who was not short. But now Caleb has grown a few inches, while Libby has not. Pa says Libby's brown eyes are like her mother's. He also says Libby's hair is the same auburn—deep red with gold highlights. But the boys who tease Libby call it red, red, red. How does Libby's heart of compassion help her reach out to a young boy nearly run over by horses? Can you imagine a dawn-to-dusk 14th birthday celebration in Hannibal, Missouri, like the one Libby enjoys with her never-give-up family? How is Caleb's gift a big encouragement to her faith?

CAPTAIN NATHANIEL NORSTAD:
Captain and owner of the
Christina
, the steamboat named after his wife, who died when Libby was nine. Tall and slender, Captain Norstad also stands tall in other ways by setting a standard for what is allowed on his steamboat. Along the Mississippi River, folks know that he looks out for his passengers and does his best to keep his steamboat safe for families. But what will happen when Libby's pa stands between a swindler and the farmer he wants to rob? Will Captain Norstad lose the
Christina
and all he's worked for? And why does Libby's pa sense that Peter needs to grow up in sunlight?

CALEB WHITNEY:
What do you think? Has Caleb really learned to trust Libby for working in the Underground Railroad? Caleb keeps growing, not only in height, but also in the difficult assignments he takes on. An Underground Railroad conductor since the age of 9, he knows a lot of secret places. But will he need new ways to hide when he takes on the dangerous search for Jordan's father? Can Micah Parker possibly find his way to freedom? And what does it mean for Caleb to learn more about his hero, the newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy?

RACHEL (GRAN) WHITNEY:
Caleb's grandmother and the chief pastry cook on the
Christina
. Goooood food! Gran often acts in the heartwarming way of grandmas everywhere. She is spunky, small, and has gray-white hair with rosy, flushed cheeks when the galley is hot from cooking. Though fifteen years older than Pa, Gran still makes it up the steep trail on Hannibal's bluff, a difficult climb for persons at any age.

JORDAN PARKER:
When the
Christina
returns to Galena, Caleb and Libby seek out Jordan and his family. But how has their friend Jordan changed? What does Caleb think about the big responsibility given to his friend? Is it possible to do God's work without God's help? Then at her birthday celebration, Libby asks Jordan about
his
birthday. When does Jordan want his birthday to be?

MICAH PARKER:
As a father who taught his son, Jordan, how to take excellent care of horses, Micah's reputation goes before him. But is Micah really a good swimmer, capable of crossing the wide Mississippi River, when Jordan doesn't know how to swim? And what will happen to Micah when he's caught by the dreaded slave trader Riggs?

HATTIE PARKER:
Micah's wife, Jordan's mother, and a strong pray-er for her family.