America on the World Stage
Transatlantic Teacher Scholars Program
Title
Lesson Author
Key Words
Grade Level
Time Allotted
Lesson Overview
Guiding
Question(s)
The Legalization of Slavery in America
Tamie Campbell
slave, slave code, mulatto, common law, chattel slavery,
insurrection, manumission, and abolition
9th grade WHII
90 minutes
Students will examine primary and secondary source
information, to learn about vitally important, but lesser
known, events related to the evolution of slave codes in the
North Atlantic region. They will read and summarize the
information in a paragraph and complete a fact chart
related to their event. They will then determine which slave
code(s) relate to the event(s) they have studied, and
interpret the contrasting perspectives of the slaves, owners,
and or others involved in the slave trade.
Where in the world did events take place that led to
changes in legislation concerning the condition and
treatment of slaves?
How was the status of Africans affected by changes in
legislation?
How would you feel if you were the slave, owner, or trader?
Learning Objectives (SWBAT)
● Students will be able to examine events and identify key facts leading Africans to life-long
slavery based on race, and then to abolition.
● Students will be able to prepare summaries of events, and formulate connections between the
events and slave code legislation.
● Students will be able to consider various perspectives based on different motivations, interests,
and fears; including those of the slaves, slave owners, slave traders, and abolitionists.
Standards of Learning & Essential Historical Skills Taught:
•
WHII. 1a,b,e,f The student will improve skills in historical research and geographical
analysis by
a) identifying, analyzing, and interpreting primary and secondary sources to make
generalizations about events and life in world history since
1500 A.D. (C.E.); students will analyze events in conjunction with Virginia Slave
Codes.
f) analyzing the impact of economic forces, including taxation, government spending,
trade, resources, and monetary systems, on events from
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1500 A.D. (C.E.). Students will interpret the reasons for Virginia Slave Codes in regard
to economic forces affecting slave owners and slave traders.
•
WHII.4c The student will demonstrate knowledge of the impact of the European Age of
Discovery and expansion into the Americas, Africa, and Asia by
c) explaining migration, settlement patterns, cultural diffusion, and social classes in the
colonized areas. Students will analyze the opportunities of slaves as time and events
change their legal status.
•
OAH Historical Inquiry Skills –
• 1F Chronological Thinking –
Students will use actual events to see the development of slave codes, and the
turn of events, which led to the abolition of slavery in America and Great
Britain.
• 2B,D Historical Comprehension – After reading about court cases involving
slaves, and owners, students will identify primary legal themes which caused the
creation of slave codes.
• 3B,D Historical Analysis and Interpretation - Students will analyze the
perspective of slaves, slave owners, and business persons involved in the slave
trade by reading about their experiences from primary and secondary sources.
• 4C Historical Research Capabilities - Students will use historical data to
question the social, political, and economic decisions made by slave traders
involved in the cases of John Punch, Elizabeth Keys’, Fernando, the Zong
incident.
• 5D,F Historical Issues - Analysis and Decision-Making - Students will evaluate
the various possibilities in the court cases in terms of ethics, and how the parties
would be affected in the long and short term, both financially, socially, and
politically.
Assessment Tool(s)
Students will use the information gathered to write an informative paragraph,
which will be used in their day two activity. This will be a segment of their
portfolio that will be graded by a rubric.
Materials/Resources
Sources are embedded and linked below, or in pdf format in kit
Sources
1. Africans arrive in Jamestown http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1h289.html
2. John Punch
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p262.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/responses/spotlight.html
3. Ferdinand and Elizabeth Key – information in pdf – no link available
Md. Document 1671 - E 441. D66 1965 v. 4, pp.9-10
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4. 1663 Gloucester slave uprising
http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/winter05-06/conspiracy.cfm
5. 1675 Barbados slave resistance
CO 1/35 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/52115725@N03/
6. Bacon’s Rebellion
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p274.html
7. The Slave Ship Zong
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1h280.html
8. 1789 William Wilberforce Abolition Speech
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ohgtBxFIE0kJ:www.trumanlibrary.org/educ/
9. 1807 Great Britain Outlaws Slave Trade
educ/ThemeBook_Finalpgs6284.pdf+william+wilberforce%27s+1789+abolition+speech&cd=3&hl=en
&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a pg.6
10. Amistad –http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/amistad/
11. Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment http://www.ourdocuments.gov/print_friendly.php?flash=true&page=&doc=34&title=Emancipation+Proc
lamation+%281863%29
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1549t.html
12. Virginia Slave Codes http://vagenweb.org/hening (specific Acts available on pdf, in kit) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p268.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1h315t.html Materials:
Handouts of events – available in pdf. format in kit
Graphic organizer chart
List of Virginia Slave Codes (3 handouts)
Computers with Word capability, and loaded with templates
included in this kit.
• Talking points – see Instructional Procedures/Process •
•
•
•
01Jos, as show Modifications I have included information on events at various levels of difficulty to allow all students to participate at an appropriate reading level. It may be appropriate to group students, have them work individually according to their needs and abilities. America on the World Stage
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Instructional Procedures/Process
Lesson Preparation:
Begin class with a story. That of Anthony Johnson is compelling and directly
links to many events in this lesson. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr3.html
Ask students how it could be that several of the first Africans were brought to
the colonies as indentured servants, and gained their freedom, even owned
land, while only a few years later, Africans were enslaved? What happened to
take away basic rights of these people?
Show an illustration linked to the Zong incident and ask students what is taking
place in the picture? Why would living human beings be thrown overboard?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/images/1thro0133m.jpg
Students will act as investigators, learning about several events which, when
looked at chronologically, tell the story of the legalization of slavery in America.
1. Make copies of the event information sheets from events folder. Tell students to read and highlight important information. (5 w’s, who, what , when, where, why) 2. Have students open the summary chart on their computers, or pass out copies of the “History Frame” by Raymond C. Jones. (Teacher’s choice) From the event handouts, instruct students to fill in the chart with the information they highlighted, and reread for thorough and complete information summaries. 3. Next, have students open a Word document on their computer. They will now summarize the information from the chart into an informative paragraph, which will be used in their presentation in the next day’s lesson. 4. Students should be reminded to include important information in this paragraph. 5. Now, students who have events on or before 1705 will get copies of the Virginia Slave Codes handouts to read and determine which was linked with their event. For example: If a student’s event is on “Fernando,” then the law of 1667, Act III would match because it stated that being baptized would not keep a person from being enslaved. America on the World Stage
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6. Students with events dated after 1705 (The Zong, and beyond) will write a short paragraph on how their event helped bring about the abolition of slavery. This will also be completed on a Word document to use in tomorrow’s lesson. 7. Ask students to examine all perspectives of their issues answering the following questions with a strong statement. a. How would you feel if you were the slave, reading about your event?
b. How would you feel if you were a slave owner, reading about your event?
c. How would you feel if you were a slave trader, reading about your event?
8. Finally, students will turn in all of the above, and the teacher will check for completion of the assignment and accuracy. Any changes should be made before the next class period. Closure
In a class discussion, ask students to share what they learned about how laws changed, based on events of the time. Can they relate to the different points of view of the time? The teacher will explain that students will be using their information they learned today to create an interactive activity tomorrow. They will present their work for the class to complete their summary charts. All work, and the presentation will be graded by a rubric.