Introducing a History of Race in America
Students will be introduced to how and why ideas on racial difference emerged and grew in colonial United States starting with interactions with Native Americans and through the rise of the African Slave Trade and inherited slavery.
Cheryl R Ragar
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(82)
What's included
6 live meetings
5 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
Using historical background, images, and primary resources, students will be introduced to the ways the concept of race and racial division emerged and developed in the colonies that would become the United States. Learners will trace the rise of definitions of race focused on skin color as the colonies of America became increasingly dependent on slave labor first with Native American populations and then with the expansion of dark-skinned enslaved Africans. The move from indentured servitude with opportunity for eventual freedom toward inherited slavery occurred quickly, even as the concept of a nation built on freedom gained popularity. We will focus on the early colonial years and relationships with Indigenous nations up through the firm establishment of an agrarian economy based on the labor of enslaved persons in the pre-Civil War South. Students are encouraged to ask questions and interact with me as we study this difficult and sometimes confusing part of American history. I will provide a variety of resource links at the end of the class to allow students to continue their education on this topic and will be available for questions and discussion in our Google Classroom outside class meeting times. **Week 1: Early European colonization and attempts to gain cheap labor sources through Native American capture and indentured servitude **Week 2: Labor unrest and the rise of permanent servitude (slavery) based on skin color and ethnicity; the paradox of nation-building based on freedom and slavery **Week 3: The firm establishment of slavery in the agrarian South and changes in the market-based Northern economies
Learning Goals
1. The ways in which the concept of "race" changed over time in British, Dutch, and Spanish colonies in America.
2. An overview of the history of servitude and enslavement in the colonies--and eventually, the states
3. The causes of slavery and its increasing importance in the economic success some states
4. The solidification of the idea of race based on color, and the methods used to justify slavery
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Any discussion of slavery and race relations in the United States can be difficult. This class is meant to serve as a factual starting point for students to develop a framework of understanding. We will not be taking up directly the issues of current racial division and conflict, focusing instead on the events that shaped the concept of race in America. However, I expect--even encourage--students to begin to make connections between how the past shapes the present and presents options for our future society.
Supply List
Students may want to keep a written journal of topics and discussions as we go through this journey together.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
A number of good historical studies exist that cover this topic. Key books include: Robin D. G. Kelley and Earl Lewis (editors), To Make Our World Anew: A History of African Americans; Howard Zinn and Rebecca Stefoff, A Young People's History of the United States, and the website Facing History.org, Inventing Black and White (https://www.facinghistory.org/holocaust-and-human-behavior/chapter-2/inventing-black-and-white). Focus on the attempts to force Native American groups into slavery can be found in a number of sources.
NPR provides a brief introduction at https://www.npr.org/2017/11/20/565410514/an-american-secret-the-untold-story-of-native-american-enslavement. An historical overview is provided in Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States. The PBS 5-part series We Shall Romain offers an accessible look at key moments in the Indigenous-Colonizer relationship in the United States. Episode summaries and video clips can be found at https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/weshallremain/
Joined March, 2020
5.0
82reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have almost 20 years experience learning, teaching, and reflecting on issues of inequality, especially those based in race and ethnicity. I earned a Ph.D. in American Studies with a focus on the communities and cultures of marginalized groups and with their resistance to efforts to define and limit by dominant society. I am a white woman, who recognizes my own position of privilege, but who cares deeply in the attainment of a better, more just society for the generations to come. I have taught hundreds of undergraduate university students and mentored many into their own achievement on issues related to these topics. My teaching is based in methodology and practice gained in both academic and personal experience. I believe we all have so much to learn, and that voices rendered invisible in our nation need to be heard in order for the improvement of all.Reviews
Live Group Class
$27
weekly2x per week, 3 weeks
55 min
Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
4-8 learners per class
