TEACHINGTEACHING HARDHARD HISTORYHISTORY AA FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK FORFOR TEACHINGTEACHING AMERICANAMERICAN SLAVERYSLAVERY Teaching Hard History A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AMERICAN SLAVERY TEACHING TOLERANCE © 2018 SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history. —james baldwin, “black english: a dishonest argument” 2 TEACHING TOLERANCE // TEACHING HARD HISTORY // A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AMERICAN SLAVERY CONTENTS Teaching Hard History 4 Key Concepts and Summary Objectives 6 Pre-Colonial and Colonial Era | to 1763 8 The Revolutionary Period and the Constitution | 1763–1787 12 Slavery in the Early Republic | 1787-1807 16 The Expansion of Slavery | 1807–1848 18 The Sectional Crisis and Civil War | 1848–1877 24 Framework | Appendix 32 Acknowledgments 40 Teaching Hard History A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AMERICAN SLAVERY Welcome to A Framework for Teaching for integrating American slavery across the American Slavery.* The team of historians entire span of pre-1877 American history. Each and social studies experts who worked on this era is designated with a section title and with project are passionate about its importance dates so teachers can skip to a particular time and pleased to share this document outlining period or consult the framework continuously the components of the framework and advice as they move through their courses. for how to use them. Our goal is to inspire a widespread com- 3 Each era also contains “Summary mitment to robust and effective teaching Objectives,” broad student learning outcomes about American slavery in K–12 classrooms. related to the era. There are 21 Summary This history is fundamental to understand- Objectives in this document; all are mapped ing our nation’s past and its present. Based to the Key Concepts. (See page 6.) on our research and a review of the materi- als currently available to educators, however, 4 Beneath each Summary Objective, the we’ve come to the conclusion that the topic framework includes two sections providing is being taught without adequate breadth or additional support for teaching that objective. depth. As a result, students are unable to draw Because the literature on American slavery is connections between historical events and the vast and we don’t expect all teachers to be con- concurrent struggles for racial equality or to tent experts, we’ve included a section titled contextualize how the world they inhabit was “What else should my students know?” This shaped by the institution of slavery and its section provides key content at a more granu- ideological progeny, white supremacy. lar level. (See page 32 for a list of all Summary A Framework for Teaching American Slavery Objectives and key content.) was created to fill this void. We have designed this resource for teachers with the hope that 5 The last section of each Summary Objective it can be used at every level of instruction to is called “How can I teach this?” This section influence the development of lessons, curric- provides information about critical resources ula and even textbooks. that can help educators plan lessons for each objective. Many of these resources, and scores 1 The framework begins with 10 “Key of other primary and secondary sources, are Concepts,” important ideas that students need available for download in the Teaching Hard to truly understand if they are to grasp the his- History Text Library. torical significance of slavery. The Key Concepts “American” is *used instead of also serve as tools educators can use to structure Available through the Teaching Tolerance “United States” because we will their teaching. website, tolerance.org, the Teaching Hard address colonial History Text Library provides educators with North American 2 experience in These ideas are expanded in the chrono- free access to a large collection of primary and those lands that will become the logical scope and sequence, which breaks the secondary sources they can use as they imple- United States. framework into five eras to provide a blueprint ment the framework in their curriculum and 4 TEACHING TOLERANCE // TEACHING HARD HISTORY // A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AMERICAN SLAVERY 1 KEY CONCEPTS 1. Slavery, which was practiced by Europeans prior to their arrival Pre-Colonial and inthe Americas, was important to all of 2 the colonial powers and existed in all of the European North American colonies. Colonial Era | to 1763 2. Slavery and the slave 3 trade were central to the development and growth of the economy SUMMARY OBJECTIVE 1 to enslave; some colonists fi nanced or other- across British North America and, later, the Students will recognize that slavery existed wise encouraged Native American allies to United States. around the world prior to the European settle- engage in wars with other Native Americans 3. Protections for slavery were embedded in the ment of North America. for the purpose of acquiring Native Americans founding documents; MAPS TO KEY CONCEPT 1 to enslave. In South Carolina, English enslave- enslavers dominated 4 the federal government, ment of Native Americans was so pervasive and Supreme Court and Senate from 1787 What else should my students know? lucrative that it fi nanced the rise of American through 1860. 1.ABefore the 15th century, most enslaved rice plantations. 4. “Slavery was an people were not Africans. Even the plantation institution of power,” 5 designed to create system itself did not begin with African labor: How can I teach this? profit for the enslavers and break the will of Until the 1450s, European ugar planters in The BBC program Story of Africa and its accom- the enslaved and was the Mediterranean imported enslaved laborers panying website allow users to search for a relentless quest for profit abetted by from parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. information about slavery and the slave trade racism.* in Africa. t-t.site/story-africa 5. Enslaved people resisted the e orts of 1.BSlavery was widespread in larger African their enslavers to reduce them to commodities in kingdoms (the Kongo and Asante, for exam- “Indian Slavery in the Americas” by Alan Gallay both revolutionary and ple). It was quite limited in smaller societies is a short essay on the Gilder Lehrman Institute and fundamentally changed the existing slave based on data including (but not limited to) ori- everyday ways. in regions like the Upper Guinea Coast. of American History website, available to K-12 trade in Africa. The demand for enslaved peo- gin, destination or date. t-t.site/slave-voyages 6. The experience of slavery varied depending teachers with a free account. It is accessible as ple in the European colonies of the Western on time, location, crop, labor performed, size of 1.CIn many African societies, people became a reading assignment for upper-level students Hemisphere greatly expanded the African slave “Stowage on the Slave Ship Brookes, 1788” slaveholding and gender. enslaved when they were captured during war. or can be used as teacher preparation. trade beyond its traditional wartime context. represents 18th-century guidelines for trans- 7. Slavery was the The status of enslaved people changed as they t-t.site/indian-slavery porting enslaved people during the Middle central cause of the Civil War. 2.D learned the customs and integrated into their Europeans believed that dark skin color Passage. Abolitionists used this image to con- 8. Slavery shaped the captors’ community. Slavery was not always (which they hyperbolically described as vey the horrifying conditions enslaved people fundamental beliefs of Americans about intergenerational; the children of enslaved SUMMARY OBJECTIVE 2 “black”), lack of Christianity and different su ered while being forcibly transported from race and whiteness, and white supremacy parents were not necessarily enslaved. Students will be able to describe the slave trade styles of dress were evidence that Africans were Africa to the Americas. was both a product and from Africa to the Americas. less civilized. legacy of slavery. 1.DSlavery was a part of some Native American MAPS TO KEY CONCEPTS 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 & 10 Portuguese chronicler Gomes Eannes de 9. Enslaved and free people of African societies before European settlement. In some 2.EThe Middle Passage was the voyage of Azurara compiled accounts of the slave trade descent had a profound impact on American Native American societies, slavery could be What else should my students know? enslaved people from the west coast of Africa circa 1450. His description of the division of culture, producing socially alienating. But others had a built-in 2.AIn the 1400s, Portugal was the earliest par- to the Americas. Enslaved people endured trau- captives demonstrates the prejudices of the leaders and literary, artistic and folk fl exibility about slavery, so enslaved people ticipant in the transaltantic slave trade. It was matic conditions on slavers' ships, including Europeans and the horrors of the slave trade. traditions that continue could integrate into their societies and even followed by other European nations. cramped quarters, meager rations and phys- to influence the nation. 10. By knowing how become people of power and influence. ical and sexual assault. Excerpts from slaver John Newton’s journal to read and interpret 2.BWestern Hemispheric destinations of describe the terrors of the Middle Passage, the sources that tell the story of American 1.EEuropean colonists in North America captive Africans included South America, the How can I teach this? including disease, suicide attempts and sex- slavery, we gain insight into some of what bought, sold and enslaved Native Americans. Caribbean and North America. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database maps ual assault. He also discusses the ways enslaved enslaving and enslaved Some white colonists engaged in wars for the the destinations of ships of the Middle Passage people resisted their captors, including plans Americans aspired to, created, thought explicit purpose of acquiring Native Americans 2.CEuropean slave traders participated in and allows users to search slave trade voyages for violent rebellion.