In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 7 short answer and essay questions about the causes and effects of Reconstruction following the American Civil War.

Students discuss Huck Finn's decision about whether or not to turn Jim in to the authorities. In this language arts instructional activity, students are reading Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. After reading chapter 31, students discuss...

In this Mississippi Civil Rights instructional activity, students read 9 paragraphs about the history of civil rights in Mississippi. Worksheet has no other associated activities.

A description of what life was like for slaves on plantations in the South. See the difference in treatment betwee field slaves and domestic slaves. and find examples of laws enacted under slave codes in several states.

This website describes contents of the Virginia Slave Codes of 1705 with excerpts from the orginal law.

Resistance and even rebellion of slaves resulted in colonies enacting laws regarding the actions of slaves. Read about some of the slave codes and what they prohibited.

This collection of historical primary documents tells the story of the trials, cases, and correspondence of slaves and the courts of the United States and Great Britain.

Slave masters felt that controlling slaves was a necessity. Read about three ways slaves were controlled in the slavery system, and read an account by Frederick Douglass about how his master, in particular, kept his slaves in line. [pdf]

Slaves resisted their bondage in many ways. Read about the revolts planned and executed by Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner, the southern reactions to those revolts, and the ways slaves individually resisted their enslavement.

A brief retelling of the colonial slave uprising, known as Stono's, or the Stono, Rebellion.

Southern states enacted laws known as Black Codes to restrict the freedom of ex-slaves in the South during the Reconstruction Era.

This site provides the original text from colonial Virginia concerning council and court records on slave issues such as the laws concerning runaways, their punishments, deeds of ownership for specific slaves, etc.

A chapter from a history text that looks at the development of the Southern Colonies. It discusses the Southern agricultural economy that relied on slave labor, tobacco as a cash crop, Southern society, indentured servitude, Bacon's...

Here is a brief description of Black Codes, which were set in place in Texas in 1866 and "outlined a status for African Americans not too much removed from their earlier condition as slaves."

This lesson focuses on the spirituals sung by the African American slaves as a way to express feeling and relay information in coded messages. as well as, to pass the time. It includes a PDF of the lyrics to two spirituals, "Go Down,...

Kids learn about the history of slavery in the United States on this site. The site includes information about slave codes, abolitionism, free states, and slave states.

Description of revolt in New York City which led to stricter laws for the slaves.

This website gives a rough idea of how many slaves were present in the South and what happened to many who ran away.

Read some excerpts from original colonial laws concerning slaves.

Gabriel Prosser, a skilled slave, planned a revolt as a way to carry out the ideals of the American Revolution and give freedom to slaves. Read about what his vision was, what group of white men might be helpful to his cause, and what...

A brief retelling of the colonial slave uprising, known as Stono's, or the Stono, Rebellion.

Read about how the decrease in the availability of indentured servants led to a vast increase in the importation of African slaves into the southern colonies. Bacon's Rebellion even had an effect on the replacement of indentured servants...

At this site from PBS you can read about the life of David Walker. Born in the late 18th century as a free black, he was most known for his pamplet, entitled "Appeal," which advocated slave revolt.

Because of the terms of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, a election would be held to determine whether Kansas would be a slave or free state. Read about the fraudulent votes cast by the so-called border ruffians from Missouri, and see how Kansas...