Curated OER
Massachusetts Blacks in the American Revolution
Eighth graders examine the experiences blacks were having in Massachusetts before and after the American Revolution. They also discover that many blacks migrated to Canada in search of a better life.
Curated OER
Black Americans in Delaware from 1639 to the Present: An Overview
Students complete matching activities and write an essay about Black Americans in Delaware from 1639.
Curated OER
The Fugitive Slave Law and Migration
Students examine the Fugitive Slave Law as a motivating factor for slaves to emigrate outside the United States. After discussing the relationships between fugitive slaves and North American and Caribbean countries, they write essays...
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Families in Bondage
Students examine actual letters writen by slaves and write essays based on these letters describing what it might have been like for an African American family living in the South during that time period.
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Graphing and Demography: The Domestic Slave Trade
Learners create graphs or charts based on the data a narrative imbedded in this plan. They make them either by hand or by using Excel or a similar database program. This lesson utilizes technology in a meaningful way.
Curated OER
Mapping the Many Underground Railroads
Students determine the beginning and the end points of the enslaved person's journey to freedom, noting landmarks mentioned along the way such as cities, towns, rivers, mountains, and other geographic features.
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Interactive Periodic Table of the Elements
Students discuss the Atlantic slave trade and the facts about the St. John revolt. For this investigative lesson students write a personal account of a person involved in the revolt.
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Gender, Sex, and Slavery
While examining slavery's impact on women, historians compare and contrast the perspectives of a plantation mistress and an enslaved woman, both reflecting on the system of forced prostitution. Text analysis and written responses create...
Crafting Freedom
F.E.W. Harper: Uplifted from the Shadows
Young historians discover the life of an incredible African American woman who, as an anti-slavery lecturer prior to the Civil War, defied stereotypes of what women could accomplish. Pupils explore the concept of stereotyping, read...
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Time of Slavery
Young historians learn about abolitionists, The Civil War, Frederick Douglas, and so many more details about slavery in this highly engaging presentation. Teachers could use this as a whole class review and discussion tool.
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Denmark Vesey's Rebellion
Students research the slave, Denmark Vesey, and create a dramatic play depicting his life.
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Fredrick Douglass...A Digital History
Seventh graders research the life of Fredrick Douglass. In this Fredrick Douglass lesson, 7th graders read about his life and discuss it. They write poetry describing his experience as a slave and create their own monument for Fredrick...
Curated OER
Differences in Location Lesson Plan: Treatment of Early African Americans
Students reach The Domestic Slave Trade, then examine the differences between the people enslaved in North America as opposed to those in Brazil.
K12 Reader
Reading Comprehension: Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Introduce your high schoolers to one of the most important pieces of American literature with a reading comprehension lesson. As class members read a short passage from Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, they learn about the...
K12 Reader
African American Inventors: Elijah McCoy
What do a folding iron board, lawn sprinklers, and a device for oiling engines on trains all have in common? They were all invented by Elijah McCoy, an African American inventor with 57 patents to his credit. McCoy is the subject of a...
Curated OER
West Indies and The Caribbean: Sugar & Slavery
Students study the state of the world before the slave trade. They explain the geography and economics of the slave trade. They explore primary sources and how historians use these sources to create historical interpretations.
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The Underground Railroad
First graders read a book about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. In this underground railroad instructional activity, 1st graders learn songs and code words that the slaves used to communicate with one another. Students...
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Looking at Human Struggle Through The Language Arts Curriculum: The Faces of Slavery
Sixth graders examine the use of slavery in the United States. Using a map, they draw the route of the Tecora and Amistad voyages. Individually, they write an essay describing their opinions on whether the Africans on the ships should be...
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A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction
Fourth graders examine slavery and Reconstruction in Virginia. In this Virginians during Reconstruction lesson, 4th graders research primary sources for the story of William Jasper and other slaves. Students hypothesize how rights became...
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Reading Comprehension: Frederick Douglass
In this history worksheet, learners read a one page biography about Frederick Douglass. Students then answer 15 short essay questions about the text.
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Land is the Basis of All Independence
Students develop debating and analytical thinking skills. They take a position in the Back-to-Africa discussion, based upon any readings and the two opposing essays they read. In groups, they discuss an issue from two different points...
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Antislavery Sentiments
Students review the basic facts of the Amistad slave ship case. They are challenged to test their powers of close reading by being asked to summarize the decision handed down by the Supreeme Court of the United States in 1841. Students...
K12 Reader
Guess Who? Heroes of Civil Rights
Can your pupils identify these five important civil rights figures? Given five short descriptions, learners must match each person to his or her civil rights achievements.
Curated OER
Three Coffles Lesson Plan
Middle schoolers read about the slave trade in primary source documents. They discuss differences and commonalities in experiences. They write prose or poetry from the point of view of one of the figures from the reading and create a...