*The material in this class is VERY sensitive in nature, please read the parent guidance section* 

*PLEASE READ FIRST *

 I am an advocate in using words that are empathetic to those whose history has been marginalized in my teaching style. For example, I use phrases like "enslaved woman", rather than "slave". The noun slave implies that she was, at her core, a "slave". The adjective "enslaved" reveals that though in bondage, bondage was not her core existence. Furthermore, she was enslaved by the actions of another. Therefore, I use terms like "enslaver", rather than "master", to indicate one’s effort to exert power over another. There may be times when our supplemental videos may not follow this. However, we will discuss using empathetic terms during the first class so students are aware. 

FLEX VERSION AVAILABLE HERE: 

https://outschool.com/classes/flex-hard-history-the-practice-of-slavery-in-the-united-states-btes7ZMX?sectionUid=21979100-4ee1-4442-b870-84f316611023&showDetails=true

COURSE OVERVIEW

When history is taught honestly, students gain a better understanding of current systemic issues and feel empowered to take action to ensure equity, justice and liberation are a reality for all.  This history is fundamental to understanding our nation’s past and its present. In this semester long class we will learning about the practice of enslavement in America,  of both African and Indigenous peoples. Each week in this class will build on the other. However, please note this class will be student driven. Between content, class discussion, questions or concerns some points may go faster or slower than others.  Here are the key points that will be gone over in this class. 

Week 1- INTRO and Indigenous Slavery in the Americas and United States

-Students will participate in an ice breaker activity to get to know each other and build rapport as a class
-Students will be encouraged to think and talk about the meaning of freedom
-Students will know that slavery is when a person owns another person as property.
-Students will learn that enslaved Indigenous people and Africans came from nations with diverse cultures and traditions and that they continued many of these traditions while enslaved.
-Students will learn that enslaved people had families that could be split up at any time.
-Students will learn about the practice of slavery and the Native American communities in the United States 
-Watch a video where scholars and historians explore slavery’s impact on the lives of Indigenous peoples in what we now call the United States.

Week 2- ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

-Students will participate in an ice breaker activity 
- Students will learn how slavery and the slave trade were central to the development and growth of the economy across British North America and, later, the United States.
-Students will be able to describe the slave trade from Africa to the Americas.
-Students will learn the origins of the practice of slavery in Africa, Middle East, and Europe 
-Students will learn why the Atlantic slave trade was called the Triangular Trade
-Students will learn about the Atlantic Slave Trade and the journey those who were enslaved faced 
-Students will learn about the Trial of the Zong  
- Students will learn the story of La Amistad and Sengbe Pieh (supplemental video)
-Students will explore the Middle Passage and the autonomy of a ship journey for those captured
-Students will learn about the English Quaker efforts in regard to slavery 

Week 3- COLONIAL AMERICA 

-What were "slave codes"? 
-Protections for slavery were embedded in the founding documents; enslavers dominated the federal government, Supreme Court and Senate from 1787 through 1860 (supplemental video) 
-Students will learn about the practice of slavery in comparison with colonial British America's economic system 
-Students will learn about Indentured Servants, their role during this time period, and contrast their experience with someone who was enslaved of African descent 
-The story of John Punch, a black indentured servant who ran away from his boss along with two white indentured servants in 1640 
-Partus sequitur ventrem 
-The story of John Casor, an indentured servant who had fled from his boss, who had also been among those first African captives brought to the 13 colonies. 
-The story of Elizabeth Key (supplemental video)
-The story of Antonio/Anthony Jackson 

Week 4- THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 

- Students will learn about The American Revolution and its affect on the practice of slavery 
- Students will learn how people of African descent played an important role in the war effort and how they did so
-Students will learn how the end of the war changed America and what changes those who were enslaved were faced with
-Students will learn that enslavers exploited the many types of highly skilled labor of enslaved people for their own profit.
-Students will learn that many people worked individually and in groups to end slavery.

Week 5- DAILY LIFE 

-Students will learn about the harsh reality of the daily life of someone who was enslaved 
-Students will virtually visit an example of living conditions of someone who was enslaved 
-The black woman's experience under slavery 
-Students will learn about forms of punishments for infractions and the differences of these punishments between those under indentured servitude and those who were enslaved. 
- Students will learn of the duties given to an OVERSEER and DRIVER
- Students will learn about "SLAVE CODES," which outlined the rights of those who were enslaved and the acceptable treatment and rules regarding those enslaved. 
-Students will learn about events leading and after Nat Turners Rebellion (short supplemental video)
-Students will learn about the practice and history of lynching 
-Students will watched a virtual tour of the Mount Vernon Planation and learn about the daily life of those who were enslaved by George Washington. 

Week 6- UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 

-The Underground Railroad (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY) 
-Students will learn that the Underground Railroad wasn't solely used for escape to Northern states and Canada 
-Students will virtually visit an example of a safe houses on the Underground Railroad via Youtube and Canva Slides 
-The life journey of Harriet Tubman and William Still 
-William Still Supplemental Video (part in class; link will be given to watch entire special at a later time for students) 

Week 7- CIVIL WAR

-Students will learn about the ideology of Alexander Stephen (Vice President of the Confederacy)
-The events of Fort Sumter 
-The Confiscation Act- WHO, WHAT, and WHY
-The life of Susie Baker King Taylor 
-Harriet Tubman's role in the Civil War as a spy 
-The union's events at Combahee River 
-The reasoning and reasons that led Lincoln to pass the Emancipation Proclamation 
-Students will learn about the holiday Juneteenth and the events leading up to this day and years after. 
- In the more than 150 years since the end of the Civil War, there have been many attempts to litigate the reasons for the war, but the reality is that the root of the division was slavery. The Black Americans experience in that war is particularly interesting. During this lesson, we'll learn about how Black people fought and participated in the war, the Emancipation Proclamation, and  more.
-Students will learn that national disagreements about slavery became so strong that 11 states seceded from the United States to form their own country, leading to the Civil War.

Week 8- CANADA 

-Students will learn of Canada West 
-Learners will learn differences of someone enslaved in the United States and some enslaved in Canada
-Students will learn of the daily life of those who made it to Canada via Underground Railroad 
-Students will learn why a lot of African Americans left and came back to America after the Civil War 

Week 9- ABOLITIONISTS

-Various Abolitionist héros, and efforts 
-The story of Henry Box Brown , who escaped enslavement via a mail parcel 
-Various first hand stories of various abolitionist during this time 
-Students will learn about John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. That it was a 2 day effort by abolitionist John Brown to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states by taking over the United States arsenal.
-Students will learn about Uncle Toms Cabin and its author Harriet Beecher Stowe and its colleration to the Civil War 

Week 10-  Modern Day Enslavement and FREEDOM ART Project 

-Students will learn that almost 50 million people are estimated to be trapped in modern enslavement worldwide through forced labor, human trafficking, debt bondage, child labor, forced marriage, domestic servitude, fast fashion,  and construction.
-Students will learn about real life abolitionists.  
-Students will complete a FREEDOM ART PROJECT in class