Slavery

Presidents and Slaves: Helping Students Find the Truth

Teaching Activity PDF. By Bob Peterson. 7 pages.
How a 5th grade teacher and his students conducted research to answer the question: “Which presidents owned people?”

African American, Education, Individuals in US History, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery

Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom

Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 7 pages.
A lesson to introduce students to the numerous and varied ways African Americans resisted their enslavement, using the autobiographical Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, published in 1845.

African American, Individuals in US History, Slavery

Reading Between the Lines: An Art Contest Helps Students Imagine the Lives of Runaway Slaves

Teaching Activity PDF. By Thom Thacker and Michael A. Lord. 4 pages.
An art contest is used as the basis from which students can examine primary historical documents (advertisements for runaway slaves) to gain a deeper understanding of the institution of slavery in the North.

African American, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery

Reclaiming Hidden History: Students Create a Slavery Walking Tour in Manhattan

Teaching Activity PDF. By Alan Singer. 7 pages.
How a teacher and his students organized a tour of the hidden history of slavery in New York.

African American, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery

A War to Free the Slaves?

Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 7 pages.
Students examine excerpts from Lincoln’s first inaugural address, the rarely mentioned original Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that Lincoln promised to sign, and the Emancipation Proclamation to explore some of the myths about the Civil War.

African American, Democracy & Citizenship, Individuals in US History, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery

Who Freed the Slaves?

Student Handout in PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 2 pages.
This timeline can be used as a resource for lessons on the Civil War, President Lincoln, the 54th Regiment, and the end of slavery.

African American, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements

Reconstructing Race: A Teacher Introduces His Students to the Slippery Concept of Race

Teaching Activity PDF. By Nathanial W. Smith. 6 pages.
A teacher describes a series of lessons he teaches to help his students understand race as a social construct.

Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery

The Election of 1860 Role Play

Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 12 pages.
Role play based on the election of 1860 allows students to explore the political debates of the time and the real reasons for the Civil War.

African American, Individuals in US History, Slavery, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements

The Draft Riot Mystery

Teaching Activity PDF. By Bill Bigelow. 9 pages.
Students are invited to solve a mystery, using historical clues, about the real story of the Draft Riots.

Democracy & Citizenship, Immigration, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery, Social Class, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements