Slavery is a serious topic that can be challenging for middle schoolers to study. Young scholars can see firsthand through primary sources what occurred during that time period in the United States. The third of five lessons provides...

Research characteristics of slavery during the 19th century by reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Also view several informational texts, pictures, story illustrations, and primary source documents. Pupils write an expository...

Teach high schoolers about the difficult legacy of slavery in the United States with a video that summarizes the institution that stemmed from a cotton-based agriculture and economy. It details the brutality of slave discipline, slave...

Students view and analyze various artists' representations of slavery. They create their own illustrations of slavery.

Students examine and discuss the letters and speeches of Abraham Lincoln to determine his position on slavery. They participate in a panel discussion, and plan one of Lincoln's major political campaigns, creating ads and writing a...

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...

The period of slavery and division in the United States is the topic of this lecture guide. Learners will answer each of the 32 questions as they view a slide show or lecture on the Free Soil Party, Fugitive Slave Act, Missouri...

Briefly introduce your class to Juan Francisco Manzano before jumping into his writings. There are excerpts provided here from both his early life as well as his later years. After reading, you have your choice of extension activities...

Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to or...

Pupils investigate American slavery from colonial times through the Civil War. They incorporate primary sources, video clips, and firsthand accounts to understand how the slavery issue gripped the nation. Essays, presentations, and...

Read Booker T. Washington's inspiring story about arriving at his name with a short reading passage from his autobiography, Up From Slavery. After class members read the excerpt, they answer two reading comprehension questions about the...

Secondary learners research the arguments that were used to oppose and support the institution of slavery in the United States. After being assigned either pro- or anti-slavery positions, they compose written arguments and participate in...

Put on those thinking caps! Read a brief description of the historical context and an excerpt written by Toussaint L'Ouveture on slavery. Then answer 3 multiple-choice questions focused on textual analysis and critical thinking.

Use the power of primary sources to help young historians understand the conditions Africans endured while being shipped during the slave trade. After reading an excerpt from Eyewitness Accounts of Slavery in the Danish West Indies,...

High schoolers discover details about abolition. In this slavery lesson, students watch Abolishing Slavery in America and then conduct further research about the events that took place on the Zong and Amistad. High schoolers write essays...

High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. For this slavery lesson, learners investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the intent of the...

Students read "Slavery's Past, Paved Over or Forgotten" from The New York Times and discuss as a class. This activity is the introduction for researching a topic on the history of slavery in the U.S. Student groups present their...

Students examine Abraham Lincoln's political views about slavery. In this American Civil War lesson, students determine how Lincoln's beliefs led to the restriction of slavery in American territories. Student also analyze the party...

Students reflect on Abraham Lincoln's views of slavery.  In this United States History lesson, students analyze how things have changed in the United States over the course of their lifetime, then use this information as a comparison to...

Learners examine a series of documents which discuss the contradiction in the Americans' rhetoric about slavery. They act as members of designated Committees of Correspondence in the five different colonies, communicating their...

High schoolers connect episodes in the history of slavery with larger demographic trends. They locate statistical information using census data from the United States Historical Census Data Browser.

The road to war is never easily understood and needs to be prefaced with a look at all the issues involved. Prepare your learners for a unit on the Civil War with an in-depth look at the policies, politics, and state vs. state arguments...

Harriet Tubman saved hundreds from slavery through what was called the Underground Railroad. Teach learners about her amazing accomplishments through the article that uses effective direct instruction. After reading, scholars break into...

Students examine attitudes of children from the North growing up during the time of slavery. Using documents, they discover how abolitionists tried to change people's ideas of using slaves. They explore how women used antislavery fairs...