How do you think community and speech can create social change or influence movements? Objective Students will read primary source accounts about anti-slavery meetings and celebrations of independence in Hopedale, MA, before the Civil War. Students will consider how people use speeches and the power of print to create persuasive arguments. Background In 1842, a group of like-minded individuals created a commune called Hopedale in a rural area of the Blackstone River Valley. Under the leadership of minister Adin Ballou, people came to Hopedale to live out their values, which included Christian Duration: 90 Minutes.