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Southern Agriculture and the Slave Trade
Students examine the relationship between agriculture and the slave trade during the 1860s. In groups, they research how two factors led to the explosion of slavery in the Southern United States. Using maps, they answer comprehension...
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Backward Lesson
Students view a copy of the painting "Last Moment of John Brown (1884). They discuss the content and composition of the painting. Important questions to be answered during the discussion are included with the lesson. They write an...
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Escape From Slavery
Students make a timeline of Frederick Douglass' life. They role play your favorite scene from the story. Students write at least 5 journal entries from Frederick Douglass' point of view.
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Ex-Slave Narratives and WPA Interviews
Students analyze documents related to slave narratives and slave interviews. They complete a document analysis form to analyze the contnet and historiography of the documents. They write a paragraph detailing when and why the document...
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Daily Lives of Slaves - What Really Happened?
Students explore the varieties of slave life in antebellum America. They research various sources to examine the relationships between masters, overseers, and plantation hands. Students identify and describe the conflicts between...
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Debt Slavery and Children in Pakistan, A Case Study
Students describe extent of Pakistan child slavery problem as international community sees it, and determine whether national sovereignty is valid answer to not allowing international agencies to monitor or remedy the problems. Students...
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Historical Puppet Play
Fourth graders analyze the book Train to Midnight, based on the Underground Railroad. They compose and perform a puppet play based on the book. Students perform and videotape their puppet plays.
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Underground Travelers
Young scholars are introduced to new vocabulary associated with the Underground Railroad. Using primary sources, they evaluate the railroad's impact on society in the past and today. They also make a judgment about the morality of the...
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People power
Students explore about the British ban on slave trading and compare it to high profile campaigns today. They discuss what motivates people to behave in this way? What do students want to change, and how would they go about doing this?
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The Weeping Time
Students research the events described as: In March of 1857, the largest sale of human beings in the history in the United States took place at a racetrack in Savannah, Georgia. During the two days of the sale, raindrops fell unceasingly...
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Slavery and the Underground Railroad
Fourth graders examine the experiences of the slaves on the Underground Railroad. They analyze maps depicting slaves' routes, calculate the mileage travelled, and write an essay and create an illustration about the Underground Railroad.
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Tobacco: Field Laborers
Eighth graders examine a picture of a tobacco laborer. Using that information, they write a story describing a typical work day for them. They evaluate the impact of political and technological changes in the area as well as the role...
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Take a Ride on the Underground Railroad
High schoolers explore the issues of American slavery, the abolitionist movements, and the pursuit of freedom that is found in art, literature, and music from that period in American history. Students determine the major personalities...
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The Importance of Freedom
The students will become familiar with the Underground Railroad. They will gain an understanding of slaves and what it means to have little or no freedom and compare that with the rights that all Americans have now.
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The Early American Contradiction
Students use the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to investigate the apparent contradictions between slavery and freedom. The activity looks at the reasons for the incorporation of slavery into early colonial life even with...
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Freedom from Slavery
Students are introduced to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They discuss slavery in the past and vote to determine views on whether or not slavery continues to exist today. Through images and stories, they discover it does...
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Enslaved and Running
Learners use runaway slave advertisements to discover how the language varies from the 18th to 21st century. Using primary source documents, they research the brutality of slavery and the desire of those in slavery to be free. They...
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The Underground Railroad
Learners use vocabulary related to the Underground Railroad. They identify key facts related to the Underground Railroad, evaluate their personal responses to the Underground Railroad and make a judgment about the morality of the...
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Forest Joe Lesson Plan: Outlaw or Hero?
Students become familiar with an American legend that is unfamiliar to many. Presented with the legend of Forest Joe, a runaway slave who, much like Robin Hood, stole from the rich to give to the poor, students draw comparisons and...
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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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Point of View of Former Slaves
Students examine what life was like for slaves from the point of view of ex-slaves. They use resources from the Federal Writers' Project which took place in the mid- 1930's. They look at the importance of religion, the different status...
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Aiken-Rhett House
Third graders visit the Rhett-Aiken House and discuss the people who lived there. They compare and contrast the lives of slaves who lived there. They practice using new vocabulary and examine the Gullah language and culture.
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Let My People Go: An Instant Lesson on World Slavery
Students study historical facts about slavery and investigate slavery in the world today. They study the holiday of Passover and about organizations that help enslaved people in the world.
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From Slavery to Segregation
Students study the causes and effects of slavery and segregation. They write an essay (including either pictures, charts, graphs or copies of documents to support their essay) which addresses the African American's journey from slavery...