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The Slave Experience: Survival of a People
John Bradshaw
SLAVE LIFE: Perspectives on Slavery_Bradshaw
This lesson allows students to investigate different accounts of the culture of slavery within the United States. By utilizing the PBS website, "Slavery and the Making of America," http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/ and analyzing documents, students will gain insight not only into slaves' living conditions and family lives but also into the preservation of their cultural identity.
Internet, various primary documents, poster paper, markers
Web sites:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/
1 - 60 minute block
4
How do people trapped in bondage transcend their circumstances and maintain their cultural identity?
Content Specific Question:
What factors accounted for the survival of African-Americans within the system of slavery?
Ask students to create a list of groups of people who are or have been in bondage throughout history. (Ex. Holocaust, Roman Empire and slavery, Indian removal to reservations, slavery in America, slavery today, women in various countries, etc.) Discuss how these groups were successful or not successful in managing to preserve their cultural identities. (Apply to present day situations also.)
Read an account of living conditions to students from www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery website—“Slavery and the Making of America”. Briefly discuss.
- Internet Scavenger Hunt: Using the computer lab and the PBS website-"Slavery and the Making of America," students are to answer questions on Handout 1.
a) Name 3 songs sung by slaves
b) Give a general description of religious songs
c) List 2 facts about Maria Stewart
d) What was The Liberator?
e) What did Harriet Smith say about her education?
f) Name 2 documents that dealt with the education of slaves
Living conditions section of the website
g) Name Thomas Jefferson's boyhood slave friend
h) Define paternalism
I) what was life like on plantations? In cities?
j) What kinds of food and shelter were provided?
k) What tasks did Joe McDonald have to do?
l) List 3 narratives or memoirs (original documents) that depict the lives of slaves
m) Give an account from each month of the plantation account book. What state was this in and who was the overseer?
n) What did the slave Jupiter get to wear? What are some things that he did?
Using what you have learned about slavery, select and complete one of the following activities:
(Teacher may want to have students form small groups to research and prepare these projects.)
- Prepare a time-line of major events in the history of slavery.
- Compose a song about life on a plantation
- Design a poster about the slave experience
- Select a topic for further research in the media center or on the Internet and share your findings with the class
- Visit your local archives and review documents relating to slavery in your county.
Have students write a cinquain that illustrates how African-Americans maintained their cultural identity while suffering the bondage of slavery. (Students might consider the role of songs, religion, poetry, writings, etc.)
Additional Sources:
Douglass: Autobiographies. New York: Library of America, 1994.
Slave Narratives. New York: Library of America, 2000.
Stowe: Three Novels. New York: Library of America, 1982.
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