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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.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 and 10–12 Social Studies)

By Meghan Mcglinn.

An introduction to slave narratives: Harriet Jacobs' Life of a Slave Girl

In this lesson, students will learn about the life experiences of slaves in the United States during the 1800s by reading the story of a North Carolina slave woman who eventually escaped.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Joe Hooten.

Plantation life in the 1840s: A slave's description

This lesson introduces students to a description of life on the plantation and the cultivation of cotton from the perspective of a slave. It focuses on the use of slave narratives made available by the Documenting the American South collection.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By John Schaefer and Victoria Schaefer.

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.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Social Studies)

By Meghan Mcglinn.

Slavery across North Carolina

In this lesson, students read excerpts from slave narratives to gain an understanding of how slavery developed in each region of North Carolina and how regional differences created a variety of slave experiences.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Dayna Durbin Gleaves.

Spirituals and the power of music in slave narratives

In this lesson, students will learn about the importance of music in the lives of slaves by reading slave narratives and listening to recordings.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Music Education and Social Studies)

By Dayna Durbin Gleaves.

Resources on the web

Perspectives on the slave narrative

This lesson plan introduces students to one of the most widely-read genres of 19th-century American literature and an important influence within the African American literary tradition even today. The lesson focuses on The Narrative of William W.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment