Addy Studies Freedom

American Girl: Short Stories #22

by Connie Rose Porter, Renée Graef, Philip Hood

The war has ended, and Addy is working on an essay about freedom. When President Lincoln is shot, Addy fears freedom will never really come. But as she waits in line with Poppa to see Lincoln's body, Addy learns what freedom is really about.

After you read Addy's story, take a presidential quiz to learn more about Abraham Lincoln.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical, Fiction, Civil War

47 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Connie Rose Porter is an American author best known for her books for children and young adults. She was the third youngest of nine children of a family living in a housing project.
She has since taught English and creative writing at Milton Academy, Emerson College, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She was a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and was a regional winner in Granta's Best Young American Novelist contest.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My Poppa going south on a train to get Esther, Sam, Auntie Lula, and Uncle Solomon. It's the best dream in the world!"

The Civil War has ended and the North has won!

"Addy, Momma, and Poppa had celebrated at a citywide party that lasted all night. It was better than a dream, because when Addy woke the next morning, what happened was real."

Now that it safe, Poppa is ready to return to the plantation to search for her missing family members...but then tragedy strikes again and President Lincoln is assassinated.

"Addy stepped backward, shaking her head. She didn't want to believe what the butcher was telling her...[she] bolted out the door..."

From great joy, to sobering reality. Addy and her family process the president's passing and grieve as the funeral procession passes through their town.

This was a rather interesting companion book - focusing on the impact of the war ending along with the loss of President Lincoln.

The author does a great job of showing Addy as she processes these upheavals as well as various perspectives of citizens as they reacted to the death.

It does get very intense, as moments of high tension and heartbreak often are, but things end up working out for Addy.

I was also really interested in how the Lincoln funeral went - we don't typically have multi-day processions with viewings of the body included anymore - so I was fascinated as Addy and her Poppa attended the events.

I did feel rather bad for Addy - she was so hopeful for her family to be reunited and yet...that isn't going to happen for a few more books.

A Peek into the Past

Like all of the main and mini Addy books, this one has a mini historical section at the back called a Peek into the Past.

For this one, our Peek into the Past contains a section about the death of President Lincoln and how that had ripple effects across the country. We learn about the full funeral procession and how people reacted to the event.

From there we transfer to the activity section -- this book only had a quiz about Lincoln but some of the questions did have interesting answers. Like that Lincoln would store important papers in his tophat and that he was the president who officially made Thanksgiving a holiday.

More reviews in the Addy-verse

Main Series:
Meet Addy - ★★★★☆
Addy Learns a Lesson - ★★★★☆
Addy's Surprise - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday, Addy - ★★★★★
Addy Saves the Day - ★★★☆☆
Changes for Addy - ★★★★★
Addy's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆

Short Stories:
Addy Studies Freedom - ★★★★☆
Addy's Wedding Quilt - ★★★★★
Addy's Little Brother - ★★★☆☆
High Hopes for Addy - ★★★★☆
Addy's Summer Place - ★★★☆☆
Addy's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆

Mystery Book:
Shadows on Society Hill - ★★☆☆☆

Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in 2014):
Finding Freedom: An Addy Classic - ★★★☆☆
A Heart Full of Hope: An Addy Classic - ★★★☆☆

Abridged Version (Re-Release of Main Series in 2020):
Addy: Finding Freedom - ★★★★☆
Addy: A Heart Full of Hope - ★★★★☆

Addy's Historical and Activity Books:
Addy's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Addy's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Addy's Theater Kit - ★★★★★
Real Stories from My Time: The Underground Railroad - ★★★☆☆
Welcome to Addy's World · 1864 - ★★★★★

Additional Historical and Activity Books Featuring Addy:
American Girl Cross-stitch - ★★☆☆☆
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook - ★☆☆☆☆
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From American Girl - ★★★☆☆
The Making of American Girl - ★★★★★
Minute Mysteries - ★★★★☆
Minute Mysteries 2 - ★★★★☆
The Official American Girl Cookbook - ★★★★☆

Beginner Reader & Picture Books:
Freedom for Addy (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
My First American Girl Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly wasn't expecting much... I just found this on our bookshelf while looking for something to read aloud about this period of history...

Y'all... I CRIED. (Several times.) My kids were somewhat amused by my reaction, but something about speaking the words aloud about slaves' journey to freedom and President Lincoln's conviction and death was truly moving. The story was a good conversation starter once I was able to pull myself together!

[Chinprai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Sierra Reyelts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to read and think about- I wish the story was longer!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is set just days after Happy Birthday, Addy, and yet I'd never thought very deeply about how Addy's family and the people around them would have processed the news of Lincoln's assassination. Porter invites us to join Addy for those dark days. And we do more than just hear the news: Addy sees the funeral procession wind through the streets of Philadelphia, and waits in a long line to pay her respects in person. It's intense, but also includes a moment that gives Addy and her Poppa (and maybe this reader) hope for the future.


More Addy babble

Meet Addy | Addy Learns a Lesson | Addy’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Addy | Addy Saves the Day | Changes for Addy

High Hopes for Addy | Addy’s Little Brother | Addy’s Wedding Quilt | Addy Studies Freedom | Addy’s Summer Place | Addy’s Short Story Collection

Shadows on Society Hill

A New Beginning

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like the story didn't really conclude itself. While the Lincoln quiz was a cute idea, it doesn't lend itself to reuse like a craft would have.

[HadenXCharm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Addy Studies Freedom seems to take place between Happy Birthday Addy and Addy Saves the Day, as it takes place shortly after the war has ended and before Poppa has gone south on his initial search for Esther and Sam. This book is about the tension and internal struggle in the contradiction Addy sees between what she expected freedom would be like, and the racism she and her family are still experiencing from whites after being freed. Her teacher, Miss Dunn has asked the class to write a short essay about Why Their Hearts are Glad that Their Country is Free, but Addy starts pondering that there is a different freedom for blacks and whites, and yearns for President Lincoln to create what she terms 'one freedom' for everybody.

It's then that Addy hears about Lincoln's assassination, and we get a very detailed description of the celebrations of the end of the war abruptly ceasing and people weeping openly in the streets, and how Lincoln was viewed as a martyr akin to christ or moses, dying to bring salvation and freedom to his people. His funerary coach riding through Pennsylvania, and waiting in line to view his body and coffin. I remember learning at one point that his body's embalming was one of the early examples of the advancements in the undertaker industry when it comes to preserving bodies for viewings, as Lincoln's body needed to be preserved for weeks for viewings across the country.

A few different opinions about Lincoln are tossed out in this book from the adult characters, but Lincoln's actual political stances are kept simplistic for the young audience. Although it's known that he waffled a few times, he ultimately did complete the abolition of slavery and wrote about how feelings that despite his belief that the races were not equal, his conscience tormented him just the same, and is what ultimately drove him to sign the emancipation proclamation and see the war through. He deserves credit for having the guts to do that. There's a reason he's so widely beloved.

By the end of the short-story, her father tells her that freedom isn't a process that happens overnight, and Addy accepts that they've known some kind white people in their time in the North, and that progress towards true freedom and equality of the races is being made, step by step... and 160 years later, we're still taking step after slow weary step.

As for the 'Looking Back' section, I forgot that there were photographs of Lincoln's hearse. Like, we have black and white still photos of people from this time-period, but I haven't seen very many city-wide shots or views of crowds, as cameras still worked best on still scenes and had a long exposure time. It was cool to see such detailed drawings of the hurse and the carriage.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last of the collection of Addy short stories my daughters and I had left to read! This was surprisingly heavy and even more historically grounded than the other books. In this book, President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated and his body travels through Philadelphia. Addy goes with her father to wait in crowds of thousands to pay their respects to his remains.

In some ways I hated reading this book last because it ends Addy's story on a very somber note! This was a very heavy book but obviously extremely important, as it describes the country's deep sadness and despair over Lincoln's death. I loved how historically accurate this book is, as Addy is taking part in a huge historical moment in the country's history. As always, I greatly appreciated the historical notes after the conclusion of the story, that detailed the actual history behind Addy's story.

Like with all of the short stories, this is best read after the conclusion of the six full length novels to avoid spoilers.

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book a lot but I'm giving it three stars because they literally never mention the events of this book again. i was kinda hoping they would briefly be like "oh yeah remember that?" In changes for addy or SOMETHING idk. but nope. The events of this book have no significance in the rest of the series and that's a shame because i really enjoyed hearing about the Lincoln procession

[Ari Un-Fantôme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how this book really delved into what freedom truly means and what it takes to get it. Something I like about Connie Porter is that she is excellent at making you feel the characters emotions, and it was well shown in this book. Especially the the part where Addy finds out the president has died.

[Katie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Connie Porter made me cry again. I also love how catatrophic events feel when you're living through them and you don't know where they'll lead. Of course, Lincoln's death would raise the possibility of continued war. She is the best. Only one more of hers, which is both sad and exciting.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

For such a short book, this one really packed a punch!

[Little Seal]

This is honestly a beautiful story, and was not expecting something so emotionally moving for a short story. Probably my favorite of the short stories thus far.

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting short story about President Lincoln’s death, freedom, and the funeral procession.

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Addy comes to understand and describe what freedom means for, meanwhile the whole country is mourning Lincoln's passing

[Charlie - disableddaydreamer | itsbarbieparis (looking for mutuals) · Rating 4 out of 5]

the author of th addy books is so talented in storytelling

[Rachel B · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

#2 of Addy's short stories in my opinion. This book takes place between Happy Birthday, Addy! and Addy Saves the Day. It's a short book, only 34 pages plus the Looking Back section, but it packed a big punch for such a little book. It was also so lovely to get to spend more time with Addy and her family and to see a "deleted scene" (not really, but that's what it feels like) between her fourth and fifth book. In this book, unlike Addy's mystery book, she feels much more like herself, which is probably due to Connie Rose Porter also being the author of this book, unlike the mystery book.

I love Addy being so inquisitive and curious and asking why there's one freedom for coloured people and another for white people, and wishing she could ask President Lincoln. I love how deeply Addy thinks about the world around her. And once President Lincoln is killed, Addy's fear about her freedom ending and the war starting over is so poignant and I just want to hug her. She is such a sweet little girl who just wants her family to be together in freedom.

I liked the portrayal of dissent between some Black people who think that President Lincoln is basically like Moses leading them out of slavery and others who say they took their own freedom and President Lincoln is basically "just a guy." It was also realistic to me that this conversation would make Addy anxious. I love the illustration of her on Momma's lap, but also I understand Momma telling her to go upstairs and not listen to more grown up talk since it's upsetting her so much. Poor sweet Addy.

The depiction of the aftermath of Lincoln's death made it clear to me that people weren't just mourning Lincoln himself, but also the world they imagined he might help create. Addy's family and community imagined Lincoln would continue to be a strong supporter of Black people and usher in a new era of equality and justice. Now their hopes have been dashed, and Addy is worried that the war might restart. I had never thought before about what a frightening and chaotic and uncertain time this would have been, and I appreciated the book portraying it.

The scene of Addy waiting in the line with Poppa and a white man calling Poppa "sir" and Poppa smiling is also lovely and poignant. I like Addy realizing some white people are headed in the right direction (although unfortunately true freedom will be a long time coming for her people). I also like that Addy is wearing the school dress Momma made her to view Lincoln's casket! It's so sweet that this dress continues to be meaningful to her. And I liked Poppa saying "freedom don't come all at once," which is certainly true.

Overall, a lovely little book! Addy continues to be a sweet, precious girl who deserves all the protection and care that the world has to offer.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The civil war had ended the previous Sunday and the schoolteacher had assigned her students an essay "Why My Heart Is Glad My Country Is Free." Addy's father is going south to get some of her relatives since slavery has ended, although she is also aware that there is discrimination against blacks in her city of Philadelphia.

She starts working on her essay and comes up with an extremely good line, true even today: "But I don't know why there one freedom for colored people and one for white people."

Addy goes to the butcher shop to get her mother some meat and while there learns that President Lincoln had been assassinated.

Many people of both races are afraid that the Civil War might start again now that President Lincoln is dead. Later she finds out that his funeral train is coming to her city and his body will be laid in state at the State House.

Addy and her father get to see the President's body. Addy says she's still worried about the fact that black people are not really treated equally, but her father tells her that President Lincoln laid the way and it's up to them to follow.

There is then a very short bio of the author of the series and then a factual section. There's also a quiz on Lincoln and a list of books about him.

This is a really good, albeit short, book. It manages to say a lot in a few pages. The death of Lincoln was a very major event in the history of the country; it definitely changed the way the South was treated after the end of the war and very probably made the struggle for black equality longer and more difficult.

I also like the way the story is written; the characters are quite real and woven into actual historical events in an excellent manner.

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had a bunch of these little books for year now, but have never really read most of them. But just for fun, I read this one a few days ago, because it looked interesting.

Which it was. It was, to me, a good story. I liked how it was simple, understandable, and that you could tell it was written for a 8 to 10 year old. I feel that's what these types of kids' books should be like: clear and detailed to teach history, but tell it in a way that is how a child of the same age in that time would have seen it. Because I think it's better to learn a little at a time, than to explain everything in one sitting.

(Okay, done with voicing opinions. Long story, just had to get it out somewhere.)

The only problem I had with this book was length. Part of me wishes it was longer, but then at the same time, I think it's just right, and wouldn't want anymore details. This could be of course, because I'm older than the target audience. :-P

[Bulk Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this story was Addy thinking about civil rights again, reiterating the exact same thoughts that she's had throughout most of her series, and I was a little annoyed with it. But somehow, I forgot this book is actually about Lincoln's assassination and its aftermath in Philadelphia. Which is good, because I felt it was odd that Lincoln was rarely mentioned in Addy's other books.

It is crazy to me that 500,000 people - apparently the whole population of the city - came to watch his casket process through Philadelphia. And also that thousands of people waited in line for miles and miles to catch a brief glimpse of the body. Since it's historically accurate I will give it a pass, but I was kind of like, really Addy? You're going to wait in line for hours and hours just to look at a body for two seconds? I suppose I can understand paying your respects, but as someone who cannot stand lines, I found it hard to relate.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came just at the right time for me. Last night I watched the movie "Lincoln" (highly highly recommended) and now this comes along and lets me get a glimpse of how peace AND the passing of the president affected the country. An excellent story and one that left me thoughtful at the end. Use this one as a conversation starter with your kids!

[Miri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Civil War is over, but then there is terrible news, President Lincoln has been assassinated. Everyone is scared the war will start up again and they will be enslaved again. Addy's father helps her learn about freedom.


This short story contains information about Lincoln's life and funeral.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Addy is so sweet.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not bad. But dull. And does she even finish her paper?

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think this story had all that much to do with the initial theme they discussed of "studying freedom". It kind of went of track from the school meaning of it to addy experiencing things in real life that made her ponder it. It was very interesting to learn of how the country reacted to lincoln's death. So sad. And the fear they felt after so recently celebrating. Something I never knew about our American history but now do thanks to American girl!