The Legacy of Slavery

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The Legacy of Slavery

• Grades 4-5
• A PowerPoint Presentation
• By Amanda E. Baird
• Dr. Helms
• Spring 2001
• ED 417-01

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Rationale

• The goal of this project is to inform the
  students of the complexities of the issues of
  slavery. Students will leave this unit with an
  appreciation of the horrors the United States has
  endured and overcome.

3
Strand 1 American HeritageThis includes
aspects of the past that help to make American
People unique among the peoples of the world
while at the same time recognizing what we have
in common with others

• Websites
• Library of Congress American Memory
• http//lcweb2.loc.gov/amhome.html
• American Social History Project Center
• http//www.ashp.cuny.edu/
• Civil War
• http//www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/history/marsh
  all/military/civil_war_usa/
• Martin Luther King Project
• http//www.stanford.edu/group/king/
• Social Studies Online
• http//www.ncss.org/

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American Heritage (contd)

• Activities
• Research the life of Harriet Tubman
• Read Frederick Douglass and the Fight for Freedom
  and keep a reading response journal
• Examine how geography influenced slave labor
• Create a timeline covering the existence of slave
  labor in the U.S.
• Watch and discuss AEs video biography of
  Frederick Douglass

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Strand 2 People in SocietiesRecognizes that
the United States and the world encompass many
different racial, ethnic, and religious groups

• Websites
• African Studies Association
• http//www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.html
• American Studies Crossroad
• http//www.georgetown.edu/crossroads/index.html
• Antiviolence Education
• http//curry.edschool.virginia.edu/curry/projects
  /HalBurbach
• Community Festivals
• http//festivals.com/cgi-shl/dbml.exe?Template/f
  estivals/homepage
• Museum Computer Network
• http//www.mcn.edu/sitesonline.htm

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People in Societies (contd)

• Activities
• Explore the first forms of slavery in America
  (indentured servants, etc.)
• Study the motivations of the slave traders
• Locate the Middle Passage(s) across the Atlantic
  Ocean
• Examine how slave songs influenced musical styles
  such as jazz, blues, and hip hop
• Write a report about Kwanzaa and its importance
  to African-American culture

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Strand 3 World InteractionsExplores the links
people make around the world as they attempt to
address common problems

• Websites
• Geo Web
• http//www.ggrweb.com/
• The Global Schoolhouse
• http//www.gsn.org/
• Electronic Resources for Geography
• http//www.faculty.acu.edu/armstrongl/geography/
  geog.htm
• World Atlas
• http//gheos.com/atlas/
• Map Viewer
• http//pubweb.parc.xerox.com/map

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World Interactions (contd)

• Activities
• On a map, locate other countries and societies
  that used slavery at one point in time
• Using a map of the United States, identify former
  slave states and free states
• Discuss or consider what climatic conditions of
  the South make it an ideal environment for
  growing various plantation crops create a chart
  representing this

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World Interactions (contd)

• Activities contd
• Study the Underground Railroads influences on
  the slave movement
• Pretending to be a slave, create an escape route
  from a slave state to a free state using cities,
  natural landmarks, etc. on a map

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Strand 4 Decision Making ResourcesFocuses
on decisions individuals and societies make in
addressing wants

• Websites
• Econ Ed Web
• http//ecedweb.unomaha.edu/
• Stock Market Simulation
• http//www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/edu/RSE/RSEyellow/gnb.ht
  ml
• Landmarks for Schools
• http//www.landmark-project.com/eco-market/
• Theodore Tugboat
• http//www.cochran.com/corporate/
• Federal Reserve Board
• http//www.federalreserve.gov/

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Decision Making Resources (contd)

• Activities
• Identify commercial goods that advertise using
  slave stereotypes (ex. Uncle Ben)
• Analyze how slaves and slaveholding affected the
  Southern economy
• Uncover the reasons and results of the boycott of
  the Mobile, Alabama bus system

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Decision Making Resources (contd)

• Activities contd
• Predict what would happen today if there were a
  boycott of a major means of transportation (ex.
  Air travel)
• Discuss how slaves and animals were treated
  financially by slaveholders and slave traders

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Strand 5 Democratic ProcessesExamines the
principles of democracy and explores the extent
to which governments reflect those principles.

• Websites
• Supreme Court Collection
• http//www.supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html
  
• Congress.Org
• http//congress.org/
• U.S. Department of Justice
• http//www.usdoj.gov/
• Department of Labor
• http//www.dol.gov/
• Welcome to the State of Ohio
• http//www.ohio.gov/

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Democratic Processes (contd)

• Activities
• Discuss the rights of African-Americans before
  the Civil Rights Movement
• Research court decisions affecting Black America
• Make a list of the rights of the typical slave in
  the South and compare it to the rights of their
  slaveholders
• Create a simulation of a segregated society by
  arbitrarily dividing the class into two groups
• Learn about the Emancipation Proclamation what
  it said as well as what it meant to the slaves

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Strand 6 Citizenship Rights Responsibilities
Context for examining those activities that
are part of an adults public life

• Websites
• Government
• http//www.npac.sur.edu/textbook/kidsweb/governme
  nt.html
• International Information Programs
• http//usinfo.state.goveducation/cybex.htm
• Public Citizen
• http//www.citizen.org/
• Civic Practices Network
• http//www.cpn.org/
• Idea Central
• http//www.epn.org/ideacentral/

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Citizenship Rights Responsibilities (contd)

• Activities
• Piece together an understanding of slavery by
  surveying various accounts given by both slaves
  and slaveholders
• Hold a mock debate between the North and
  South concerning slavery
• Make a list of the contributing factors of the
  Civil War

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Citizenship Rights Responsibilities (contd)

• Activities contd
• Make a bulletin board display for the school
  emphasizing the history and origins of slavery
• Create an abolitionist newspaper that includes
  class-written articles defending the rights of
  the slaves

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Strand 7 Science, Technology, and
SocietyCovers the contributions of the
scientific world and addresses the ever-changing
world in which we live

• Websites
• Ask ERIC
• http//ericir.syr.edu/
• Classroom Connect
• http//www1.classroom.com/
• Teacher Network
• http//www.teachnet.org/
• National Public Radio
• http//www.npr.org/
• The History Net
• http//www.thehistorynet.com/

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Science, Technology, and Society (contd)

• Activities
• Discuss how the cotton gin changed farming
  techniques in the South
• Select a plantation crop (ex. Rice, tobacco,
  etc.) and learn about its life cycle, growth
  patterns, etc.
• Use the world wide web to create a biography of
  Sojourner Truth

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Science, Technology, and Society (contd)

• Activities contd
• Listen to music that incorporates the slave song
  tradition
• Examine how religion played a role in the life of
  the slave

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Conclusion

• These unit ideas are designed for a fourth or
  fifth grade classroom. Before engaging in any of
  these lessons, it is wise to consider the beliefs
  and practices of your local school district. It
  is through units such as these that we may be
  able to heal as a nation from the traumas we have
  experienced in the past.