Unit 4 Not My Bones

the author of the poem, Marilyn Nelson

one of Dr. Porter’s descendants

Fortune or another formerly enslaved person

one of Fortune’s ancestors or descendants

a person’s most important qualities can’t be owned

a person’s remains should be treated with respect

Dr. Porter’s descendants were wrong to use Fortune’s skeleton

people should not own or control other people

Historians searched local records and found information about him.

Archaeologists and anthropologists studied his bones.

Marilyn Nelson was commissioned to write poems about him.

Sally Porter Law McGlannan asked the museum to research his bones.

From 1798 to 1970

From 1803 to 1970

From 1933 to 1970

From 1933 to the 1990s

Fortune and his family were freed after Dr. Porter died

Fortune managed to escape from slavery before he died

Fortune’s family reclaimed his bones from the museum

Fortune could no longer be owned after his death