Religion and slavery in the American South: Comparing perspectives

In this lesson plan, students consult a variety of primary sources from the Documenting the American South Collection to uncover the varied impacts of religion in the lives of slaves in the American South. They are encouraged to seek out multiple, and sometimes contradictory, perspectives of this history.

A lesson plan for grades 11–12 Social Studies

By Meghan Mcglinn

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Related pages

• Exploring the church in the southern black community: Students explore the Documenting the American South Collection titled, the “Church in the Southern Black Community.” Beginning with a historian's interpretation of the primary sources that make up the collection, students search the collection for evidence to describe the experiences of African Americans living in the south during the Antebellum through the Reconstruction Period centering on their community churches. The activity culminates in student presentations of a digital scrap book.
• Slave songs: This lesson plan allows students to learn more about the religious observances of slaves in the United States by presenting hymns from Slave Songs in the US digitized in the Documenting the American South Collection. This is a great lesson to introduce the intersection of religion and slavery in a US history or African American history class.
• An introduction to slave narratives: Harriet Jacobs' Life of a Slave Girl: This lesson is intended to enhance student knowledge about the life experiences of a slaves in America during the 1800s by using the story of a North Carolina slave woman who eventually escaped.

Related topics

• Learn more about African American history, African Americans, American history, Emancipation, religion, slave narratives, slavery, and social studies.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• learn about the important role of religion in the lives of slaves.
• understand the difference between white-controlled religion and the “invisible institution” established by slaves in the South.
• gain an awareness of the multiple perspectives that contribute to our understanding of the historical past, and make their own decisions about interpretation.
• understand the difference between primary and secondary sources in social studies.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 day

Materials/Resources

Comparing Primary Sources handout for each student.

Technology resources

Computers and internet connection. It is best if students each have access to their own computers but this lesson can also be done in groups.

Pre-activities

This lesson coincides with student study of slavery and the Antebellum South.

Activities

1. Students all read the brief essay titled Guide to Religious Content in Slave Narratives compiled by Marcella Grendler, Andrew Leiter, and Jill Sexton.
2. Allow students to scan the list of primary sources links following the essay. Ask them to select a topic and at least 2 titles to read. Teachers may wish to guide students to select from oppositional categories such as “prayer meetings” or “slaveholder controlled religious practices” and choose sources before 1860 if study relates to the Antebellum South.
3. As students read the primary sources, they fill out the Comparing Primary Sources handout.
4. As a group, students discuss their primary sources and any patterns of similarities or differences that they may have discovered.
5. In smaller groups or as individuals, students write a narrative history of this time period based on the evidence they read and what they heard about in the discussion. Then allow students to compare their histories to that written about slavery in their text book or another secondary source.

Assessment

Evaluate students based on class participation, completion of Comparing Primary Sources handout, and the historical narrative.