LEARN NC: Search results

An account of the slave trade on the coast of Africa: In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.6; Excerpt from a book by a former surgeon on a slave ship, describing the horrors of the Middle Passage from Africa to America. Historical commentary is included. Warning: This document may not be suitable for all ages. Please use discretion.; Format: book; Commentary and sidebar notes by Shane Freeman.

African and African American storytelling: In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.7; The advent of slavery led to changes in the tradition of African storytelling. Tales in Africa had once featured the lion, elephant, and hyena; African tales in America began to star the rabbit, fox, and bear. To the African in slavery, the Brer Rabbit tales became a source of identity.; Format: article; By Madafo Lloyd Wilson.

Africans before captivity: In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.1; Most Africans who came to North America were from West Africa and West Central Africa. This article describes some of the cultures and history of those regions prior to the beginning of the slave trade.; Format: article

Current events in Africa: In this lesson for grade seven, students find two news stories about a current event in Africa: one from an American media source and one from an African media source. Students compare the two to gain an understanding of cultural bias and perspective.; Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies); By Shane Freeman.

A forced migration: In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.3; The first Africans, brought to America through forced migration, came as indentured servants to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Africans brought to the colonies in later years were bought and sold as slaves. At the time of the American Revolution, most of the enslaved people in North Carolina lived in the eastern part of the colony and the majority lived on large plantations, where their work was critical to the state’s cash crops and economy.; Format: article; By Jennifer Farley.

The golden chain: In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 1.5; This creation story told by the Yoruba of West Africa describes how Olorun (the all-powerful being) lived with heavenly beings called orishas around a young baobab tree in the sky, until a curious orisha asked permission to create something solid in the watery world below.

Guinea corn: "Guinea corn" is a name for durra, a grain traditionally grown in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and southern Europe. It was typically ground into meal and made into bread. It is also known as Indian millet, African millet, or pearl millet. Guinea,...; Format: image/photograph

The Italian Empire, 1939: Map shows Italian possessions in Europe and Africa on the eve of World War II: Sicily, Sardinia, Albania, the Dolodecanese Islands, Libya, and Italian East Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland).; Format: image/map

Leo Africanus describes Timbuktu: In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.2; Sixteenth-century description of the West African trading city of Timbuktu by a Spanish-born Muslim. Includes historical commentary.; Format: book; Commentary and sidebar notes by Shane Freeman.

Mother and child figure from West Africa: Seated mother and child, from the Bamana people of Mali. The figure conveys the importance of motherhood. In this figure, the hat with amulets and the knife strapped to her left arm suggest a strong protector.; Format: image/photograph

Olaudah Equiano remembers West Africa: In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.4; Excerpt from a book written by a freed slave in the late eighteenth century, with memories of his boyhood in Guinea. Describes the government, culture, religion, architecture, and agriculture of the region. Primary source includes historical commentary.; Format: book; Commentary and sidebar notes by Shane Freeman.

Portal of sorrow: The view through the door of a slave holding pen on Gorée Island, Senegal, which was once a major West African slave trading outpost. Africans captured inland were marched to the coast and held in pens like these, from which they were taken to waiting ships.; Format: image/photograph

The slave route: Maps showing global routes for shipping of African slaves, including the "triangle trade" between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.; Format: document/map

Slavery and bias in historic West Africa: A case of he said, he said: In this lesson, students will examine three primary source documents concerning West African history, and will work to discover the similarities and differences between the documents. Students will discover the biases revealed by the authors of the documents.; Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies); By Shane Freeman.

Timbuktu: A Center for Trade: Map showing Timbuktu and trade routes passing through it to Cairo, Morocco, and West Africa.; Format: image/map

Venture Smith describes his enslavement: In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.5; Excerpt from a late eighteenth-century book by a freed slave in Connecticut. Describes his capture and enslavement at the age of six. Includes historical commentary.; Format: book; Commentary and sidebar notes by Shane Freeman.

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