Putting together something on my own for history: Slavery

[parias1126]

My DD has decided to take a break from the four year history cycle. She wants to study something she enjoys this year. She started with Beautiful Feet, The History of Horses and it was a flop for us. :(

 

She's now decided she wants to do a study on slavery, famous slaves, The Civil War, etc. 

 

Does anyone have any ideas of people to study (possibly biographies), YouTube videos, Netflix, websites, book suggestions, etc? 

 

I would love some ideas! We are already into the start of our year and ditching BF. I need a plan for tomorrow. :) 

[Carol in Cal.]

"Amos Fortune, Free Man" is an award winning, fairly gentle older kids' novel about slavery that takes place in New England.

 

This book is excellent and has a lot of background:  http://www.amazon.com/Amistad-Long-Road-Freedom-Thirst/dp/0525459707/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1442275455&sr=8-10&keywords=Amistad

 

This is an excellent video about the abolitionist movement in England:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00114RKT8?ie=UTF8&keywords=amazing%20grace&qid=1442275534&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

 

This is a very good book about pre-Civil War life on a Southern plantation.  http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Life-Southern-Plantation-1853/dp/0525675477/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442275836&sr=1-5&keywords=childrens+history+southern+plantation

 

Where this landed us, there are many, many books about that.  One of the most compelling is http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Dont-Cry-Searing-Integrate/dp/1416948821/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442276029&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=memoir+by+a+member+of+the+little+rock+nine

 

I don't recommend that one for children, but I think  you might enjoy it.  It's written by one of the Little Rock Nine, and it is excellent.  I believe that I remember reading a toned down book about the same thing back when I was a teen, an older kids' novel that was pretty good but underreported the danger and trauma involved, but I can't remember the name of it.

[waa510]

12 Years a Slave, Frederick Douglass, Ken Burns' Civil War, History of US has a Civil War and Slavery episode that's well done and discusses the railroad network and its influence in the war. Women in Blue or Gray from Greathall is interesting for a look at women who helped out on both sides. The Underground Railroad for kids book, the Who was Harriet Tubman book, Uncle Tom's Cabin Young Folks' Edition, Huck Finn

 

[Carol in Cal.]

You know, Uncle Tom's Cabin is a really good idea.  Good point.

[Farrar]

I'd start with Sugar Changed the World:

http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Changed-World-Slavery-Freedom/dp/0618574921/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442281103&sr=8-1&keywords=sugar+changed+the+world

 

Many Thousand Gone is another good opening resource:

http://www.amazon.com/Many-Thousand-Gone-African-Americans/dp/0679879366/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442281216&sr=1-17&keywords=slavery

 

There are tons of biographies of Harriet Tubman out there. And Frederick Douglass - I thought that his Narrative of a Slave was really readable and short so that would definitely be possible for a 12 yo. It really depends on where you want to go. There are movies, historical fiction, different time periods... For things like this, I tend to find a handful of resources to begin and then follow them to see where we want to go.

[Junie]

I also was going to mention Amos Fortune.  And if you're also studying slavery in other parts of the world, I highly recommend I, Juan de Pareja.

[texasmama]

We read this last year.  It is a great autobiography and very inspiring.

 

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-interesting-narrative-of-the-life-of-olaudah-equiano

 

There is a retelling of the story which is more approachable, geared towards a younger audience, but I can't seem to pull it up.

[TarynB]

Lots of great suggestions already.  I'll add a few docus I haven't seen mentioned yet that my DS13 and I watched recently.  DS was really absorbed in them and we had some really good discussions about them.

 

The Abolitionists (American Experience)

Whispers of Angels: A Story of the Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad (produced by the History Channel)

 

The first two were on Amazon streaming and the last one was on YouTube.

 

We also watched Glory (with Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman) but it may be too violent/bloody for some kids, YMMV. (Mr. Shelby Foote, one of the historical advisors for Ken Burns' The Civil War, was an advisor for Glory as well.)

[HomeAgain]

I find this to be a cool resource - http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/01/to-my-old-master.html

It's a letter from a former slave after the war, to the plantation owner that wants them to come back and work for pay.  The letter was more than likely dictated rather than written directly but it's a fascinating glimpse into the backbone that freedom gives.

 

I would also suggest looking through the Google newspaper archives for both your local area and the time periods from the colonies through the civil war. https://news.google.com/newspapers The oldest papers I've looked through start in 1774.

 

And lastly, I LOVE this interpretation of Sojourner Truth's Ain't I A Woman.  It is done as I imagine it would have been the first time around.

[Alessandra]

The recent PBS series, African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, would be a great introduction to give historical context.

 

Websites of museums dedicated to African American history of the pre Civil War period. I know there are museums in SC, LA, and one being started in RI. Suggesting LA because French slavery was very different from that in the rest of the colonies/states. And RI was a center for trade in the north, because of its seaports.

 

If you want to add music to your curriculum, you could listen to recordings of call and response songs that were sung by fieldworkers. Many were recorded For the Library of Congress, iirc.

 

Will you be studying slavery in other parts of the world too?

[Soror]

We read this last year.  It is a great autobiography and very inspiring.

 

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-interesting-narrative-of-the-life-of-olaudah-equiano

 

There is a retelling of the story which is more approachable, geared towards a younger audience, but I can't seem to pull it up.

 

 

I'd start with Sugar Changed the World:

http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Changed-World-Slavery-Freedom/dp/0618574921/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442281103&sr=8-1&keywords=sugar+changed+the+world

 

Many Thousand Gone is another good opening resource:

http://www.amazon.com/Many-Thousand-Gone-African-Americans/dp/0679879366/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442281216&sr=1-17&keywords=slavery

 

There are tons of biographies of Harriet Tubman out there. And Frederick Douglass - I thought that his Narrative of a Slave was really readable and short so that would definitely be possible for a 12 yo. It really depends on where you want to go. There are movies, historical fiction, different time periods... For things like this, I tend to find a handful of resources to begin and then follow them to see where we want to go.

We stopped on slavery for a bit last year and the 2 big resources I remember are Sugar Changed the World- a must read about what led to the slave trade and kept it going and also The Kidnapped Prince which is an easy resource about Olaudah Equiano texasmama mentions. We also read some Frederick Douglas and a couple of picture books too. I actually had a couple more resources I didn't get too as after we went through that ds felt quite done with it.

[The Princess and the Jedi]

From slavery, you can move on to the aftermath of slavery in reconstruction, Civil Rights, Martin Luther King Jr. and his speeches, Rosa Parks, and Brown vs. the Board of Education. That would be a good time to read To Kill a Mockingbird. The movie Remember the Titans is a good tie in to that era, too.

 

Of course there is modern day slavery and slave-like conditions and the buy Fair Trade movement if you want to bring the discussion to today's time.

[EndOfOrdinary]

I am a total Yankee - born, raised, and resided basically in Washington/Oregon.  My husband is from the SE.  He is named after Robert E. Lee.  His entire family on his father's side is hardcore Confederate - like still, to this day.  I had no idea about the other side of the Civil War.  By that I do not mean in anyway that I am condoning, thinking slavery is okay, or in general have any kind of positive response to the concept of slavery.  However, I was very much so not aware of just how much the Civil War wasn't really about slavery.  It was a big, old, giant political power play.  Us Yankees were never taught much about that part.  It is an important part. 

 

I would most definitely have a bit of history from the "other side." Reconstruction destroyed many families that had no slaves.  In many ways, the abandonment of people who were slaves was really not helpful (we used this knowledge in the reconstruction of Germany).  Asking people who have never been given any sort of life other than one of horrific standards and then just being like "here you go" caused major issues and really did not do justice to a whole group of people who had been so horrifically marginalized.  It is a great way to discuss the current institutionalized poverty which still exists.

Anyway, I always learned "Awesome North" and "Bad, Racist South."  It is WAY more complicated than that.  Up until Dh, I had really no idea about so much.

[Carol in Cal.]

 

Anyway, I always learned "Awesome North" and "Bad, Racist South."  It is WAY more complicated than that.  Up until Dh, I had really no idea about so much.

Be a little bit careful of this.

A lot of the states rights stuff was a gloss that was more added or more emphasized in retrospect later on.

 

However, one of the reasons I suggested "Amos Fortune, Free Man" was that it reflect NEW ENGLAND slavery.  There was a tremendous amount of racism in the North as well as the South.  The move to abolitionist sympathies was very slow, and it does not appear to have been rooted in a belief in equality as much as in equal rights.  Books by Louise May Alcott, a strong New England abolitionist, still do reflect tremendous casually assumed prejudice against Irish immigrants.  The South may not have been that much worse than the North, but slavery was not going to be given up on its own either. 

[Chris in VA]

I would not include 12 Years a Slave as appropriate material for a 12 year old, but your mileage may vary.

 

Slave Dancer was a very good book for that age and slightly older.