I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Lesson Plan

Momma is the owner of the Store, a profitable business in Stamps. What is unique or special about this situation? How do you think Momma was able to be so successful?

In the decades after the Civil War many southern Blacks found themselves trapped in the vicious sharecropping cycle. They were financially dependent on their former masters and most of them lived in poverty. Because of her Store, Momma is financially independent in a time when southern Black Americans in general were not. That is why her situation is so unique and miraculous. In addition, not only is Momma financially solvent, she is also able to lend money to Black and white people in Stamps during the...