Integrating Black British History into the National Curriculum
Dan Lyndon, AST, Head of History, Henry Compton School, Fulham
Too little attention is given to the black and multi-ethnic aspects of British
history. The teaching of black history is often confined to topics about slavery
and post-war immigration or to Black History Month. The effect, if
inadvertent, is to undervalue the overall contribution of black and minority
ethnic people to Britain’s past and to ignore their cultural, scientific and many
other achievements. QCA Annual report on curriculum and assessment in
history 2004/5.
There has been a continuous black1 presence in Britain for over 500 years.2
However, one of the most contested debates about teaching black history is the
suggestion that this is a history that is not relevant to the vast majority of students,
that is, those who come from the ethnic majority. Furthermore, it has been argued that
an emphasis on black history unfairly and artifcially ‘distorts’ the past, by
exaggerating the influence of a few ‘bit-part players’ on British history. A debate
about the teaching of black history arose on the TES discussion forum3 a few months
ago; one respondent argued that if they were going to teach about the black sailors in
the British fleet at the battle of Trafalgar (there are records of black sailors in the
Royal Navy as far back as 1595), 4 this would only be a “10 second” comment in the
lesson before moving on to “the more important stuff”. 5 As a result of this (often
heated) debate it occurred to me that the solution to the problem of tokenism or
exaggeration was a series of short bursts of relevant black history ‘dripped’ into the
curriculum at the appropriate moment. This would ensure a fair representation of the
contribution made by black Britons, would not force history teachers to artificially
create opportunities to add in black history nor restrict black history only to the month
of October.
By demonstrating how black history has been successfully integrated into the
National Curriculum schemes of work in the History department at Henry Compton
School, this article directly addresses the concerns laid out in the QCA report, above;
that black history is too narrow; artificially bolted on to history lessons in October;
and undervalues the contribution made by black Britons. There are three main ways in
which these concerns can be tackled with relative ease and minimal disruption to
current practice; 1) through a thematic approach, such as looking at Elizabethan
attitudes to poverty and Elizabeth I’s attempts to repatriate the Blackmoores (the
Africans living in England were given this name, amongst others); 2) through looking
at key historical events, such as the two World Wars and the contributions that were
made by black and asian people; 3) through an examination of key individuals such as
Olaudah Equiano or William Cuffay. The crucial element to the approach advocated
here is that mainstreaming black history into the curriculum avoids the pitfalls
outlined by QCA. The benefits of this approach are significant: not only does this
provide a curriculum that is inclusive and representative, but it also helps to raise
achievement in the history classroom. At Henry Compton we have seen a significant
increase in the number of students taking GCSE History and the results have risen
dramatically over the last 3 years.6 Moreover, by relating black history to
contemporary issues (as is the case with all good history teaching) this approach
makes an important contribution to citizenship as well as student/teacher and
student/student relationships within the school and the wider community -
mainstreaming black history allows schools to challenge stereotypes, ignorance and
racism.
The integration of black history can be done quickly and with little disruption.
The History department at Henry Compton School has adapted the KS3 schemes of
work to integrate black history into the National Curriculum and teaching material has
been produced in support. As a result we now include information about John Blanke,
the Tudor trumpeter, when teaching about the court of Henry VIII; the attempts by
Elizabeth I to repatriate the Blackmoores in the 1590s as part of a unit on poverty in
Tudor times; the role of William Cuffay in the Chartist movement; and the
contribution that black and asian soldiers made in the first and second world wars. 7
This material is now available on the website that I set up to share these resources,
www.blackhistory4schools.com .Whilst this is by no means an exhaustive list it does
begin to re-dress the balance and, more importantly, brings black history firmly into
the mainstream history curriculum. Future plans include looking at the influence of
India on the textile industry in the Industrial revolution, and case studies on pioneers
such as Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Asian MP (in 1892) and John Archer, one of the
first Black Mayors (Battersea 1913). 8
The illustrative lesson plans and worksheets provided here have all been used
in the classroom and the pupil responses about Elizabeth and the Blackmoores came
from interviews recorded for Teachers’ TV. 9 The examples are based on individuals
showing the diverse contribution that black Britons have made over the last 500 years.
The more well known figures in black British history, such as Olaudah Equiano10 and
Mary Seacole have deliberately been left out. Similarly, the article does not discuss
the question of Empire, outside the section on the First World War. 11
Elizabeth and the Blackmoores – using a thematic approach to teach
black British history
It would be surprising if most history teachers in the UK did not spend at least
a couple of lessons teaching about Elizabethan England. However, there is an area of
Elizabethan history that is rarely addressed. In 1596 Elizabeth I wrote to the lord
mayors of major cities stating there were 'of late divers blackmoores brought into this
realm, of which kind of people there are already here too manie...'. She ordered that
'those kinde of people should be sente forth of the land'.12 This was the start of
Elizabeth’s attempt to repatriate the African community in England, which numbered
several thousands, living mainly in London and other port cities such as Plymouth.
Teaching about Elizabeth and the blackmoores, has several positive outcomes: it
introduces year 8 students to the black presence in Tudor times, thereby debunking
the myth that black people arrived in England when the SS Windrush docked in
Southampton in 1948; and it is also an excellent opportunity to relate Elizabethan
England to contemporary issues of race, asylum and immigration. One class that was
taught this last year had a very challenging discussion about the issues facing the
Somali community in London, which allowed the teacher to skilfully tackle
underlying issues of racial prejudice that were surfacing in the class.
Figure 1 shows the lesson plan for a double lesson (100 minutes) on ‘Elizabeth
and the Blackmoores’ utilising both thinking skills and active learning strategies. The
lesson objectives were threefold: to understand Elizabethan attitudes to poverty
(linking in with previous lessons) and in particular to the Blackmoores; to extract
information from a variety of sources; and to demonstrate understanding through the
use of role play / hotseating. The lesson started with a visual hook,13 an arresting
image of the Drake Jewel, a pendant presented to Sir Francis Drake by Elizabeth in
recognition of his work with the Cimaroons (freed slaves in the Caribbean) fighting
against the Spanish. This shows a minature of Elizabeth on one side with a bust of an
African male in front of a European figure on the other (You can find the image at
http://www.tudor-portraits.com/Elizabeth23.jpg). An excellent way to start the lesson,
this immediately draws the pupils into discussing what is suprising about the image
and allows the teacher to bring in the idea of a black presence in Tudor times. The
pupils are then guided through a number of sources describing Elizabeth’s concerns
about the increasing number of Blackmoores living in England (Figure 2) and her
attempts to secure the services of a Dutch merchant, Casper van Senden, to exchange
English prisoners for black people in England. The activities involve a mixture of
comprehension (lower order), ranking (high order) and ‘think, pair, share’ (group
work). The lesson then moves onto a paired role play activity where the students
choose to be either Elizabeth and Lord Burghley discussing what they should do with
the Blackmoores or a black servant and a black vagrant discussing what was to
happen to them. The best examples of these role plays were performed to the rest of
the class. The lesson concluded with a discussion of contemporary attitudes to race
and immigration by comparing quotes from Elizabethan times with recent
newspapers (see figure 3). Although this lesson was part of a sequence of lessons
about poverty in Elizabethan times, there was also an overlap with the work that
followed on the Spanish Armada. As a result of looking at the Drake Jewel, the class
were able to bring in their prior knowledge of the tension between Spain and England
over the Caribbean into their work on the causes of the Armada. (This topic is
revisited in year 9 when the students study the development of the British Empire,
avoiding the pitfalls of linking black history only with slavery.)
The pupil response to the lesson was very telling. Some enjoyed learning
about the black presence in England and were surprised that there were black people
during the reign of Elizabeth I. Others reflected on their own experience of a multicultural society and related some of the issues from Elizabethan times to themselves.
Firstly, the pupils were asked about their initial thoughts on having another
lesson about Queen Elizabeth - they were not overly excited by the prospect.
However, the use of the Initial Stimulus Material effectively hooked them into the
lesson and they were surprised by the image of the black male opposite Elizabeth:
“it was kind of strange that there was a black man on the coin”
“because black people weren’t important, so it wouldn’t be common to see
them on a jewel”
The discussion then moved on to Elizabeth’s actions in attempting to repatriate the
blackmoores. Responses included:
“I found it (Elizabeth’s actions) very surprising because she had musicians and
people working for her, so it is quite surprising.”
“It was shocking because she uses black people for her uses, so why would
she want to get rid of them… so I wanted to know more about why she did it.”
Others however were able to bring in a different perspective, perhaps reflecting on
personal experience:
“not really, because in those days people treated black people as lower class
people.”
One response indicated the importance of showing pupils that black presence has been
in this country for so long:
“they would have felt really annoyed because they had been in a country for so
many years and they were going to be taken back to Africa for no reason.”
The final part of the pupil feedback focused on the relevance of the lesson for pupils
in their own life:
“we definitely get on a lot more than in those days, it has really improved.
Black and Asian people were thought of as second class, but now we can live
together, work together.”
“before this lesson I thought that History couldn’t teach us about today, but
now I think that it can improve (our lives) because we can now just all get
along.”
By teaching about Elizabeth and the Blackmoores, year 8 students can be exposed to
black presence in Tudor times and reflect on how contemporary attitudes to race,
immigration and poverty may have been shaped by the past.
Black and Asian soldiers in World War One – using events to teach
black British history
If the contribution that black people have made to the UK has been
‘undervalued’, one area where their contribution is more widely recognised is in the
two World Wars. There is a growing resource bank of material on the Internet and at
museums such as the Imperial War Museum. Helena Stride’s article ‘Britain was our
home’: helping years 9,10 and 11 to understand the black experience of the Second
World War (in TH 112) and Rupert Gaze’s article ‘Uncovering the hidden histories:
black and asian people in the two world wars’ (in TH 120) both demonstrate that
research material is available to history teachers. They also signal the commitment of
Teaching History to increasing awareness and understanding of these periods of
history. However, whilst published research and exhibitions aid our understanding,
they do not straightforwardly translate into material that can be used in the history
classroom. One of the ways to tackle this gap is to use the Internet to research and
produce your own classroom ready material. Last year I wrote a ‘black and asian
soldiers
of
the
First
World
War’
webquest
(www.comptonhistory.com/ww1webquest.htm) – this took approximately 5 hours. A
webquest is an online lesson or series of lessons using the Internet as a resource bank.
A successful webquest engages the student with an enticing ‘hook’ and requires
students to complete a task, often using other ICT applications, that encourages the
development of higher order thinking skills. The ‘black and asian soldiers of the First
World War’ webquest asks year 9 students to imagine that they had been
commissioned to write a booklet for primary school children about the contributions
that soldiers from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean made to the war. This task (see
figure 4) means that pupils have to use higher order thinking skills to synthesise the
appropriate material and produce an outcome that was different from the original
material they had used. There is also a self assessment sheet which requires the pupils
to grade themselves on different criteria ranging from how many websites they used
(this was deliberately scored to encourage them not to use too many), how appropriate
their language was (this should cut out as much cutting and pasting as possible) and
their effort. The students spend three lessons in the ICT room working independently
on their booklet. One key advantage of the webquest is that the students are guided
through the Internet rather than floating aimlessly in hyperspace. The resources about
the contribution that black and asian soldiers had been pre-selected when the
webquest was being constructed and there is an extension page of resources for those
students who want to further their research.
The pupil response to the ‘black and asian soldiers of the First World War
webquest’ was again very positive. The outcome of the task was a set of very
impressive booklets, using a variety of ICT tools and has made an excellent display in
my classroom. The 3 lessons in the ICT suite allowed the pupils time to study
independently, and to discover the different contributions that were made. As the
students were in year 9, they were able to evaluate this in the wider context of the
work that had already been completed on the British Empire and some were able to
reflect on this in their conclusions. The fact that they had already been exposed to
black history in year 8 also meant that this was not a token addition to the curriculum
but represented continuity across the key stage.
John Blanke and William Cuffay – using individuals to teach black
British history
By teaching about key individuals such as John Blanke and Willliam Cuffay,
and others such as William Davidson14 and Robert Wedderburn15, Equiano and
Seacole, it is easy to integrate black history into the mainstream, without having to
divert away from the topics that most history departments are teaching already. This
enhances our pupils’ understanding of events that would be taught as part of the
accepted ‘canon’ of the National Curriculum.
One of the individuals that pupils study at Henry Compton is John Blanke
(figure 5), the black trumpeter at the court of Kings Henry VII and VIII. There are a
number of ways in which his life story can be used, most obviously as a way of
looking at the role of the court, or simply to demonstrate black presence in Tudor
times. However, at Henry Compton, the image of John Blanke in his yellow and blue
robes, flanked by other court trumpeters on their horses and a document showing the
monthly payment that was made to John Blanke, by the court treasurer, are used as
part of our baseline testing for pupils in year 7. The purpose of this activity is twofold;
firstly to introduce the students to black presence in year 7) and secondly to use these
sources to assess pupil understanding of historical enquiry.16
A second example of an individual that can be studied is William Cuffay, the
black Chartist.17 At Henry Compton this is taught as part of a unit of work in year 9
about the struggle for the vote. Students look at the role of Cuffay, one of the leaders
of the London Chartists described by the Times newspaper as the ‘black man and his
party’.18 Figure 6 shows the worksheet that was used in a single lesson; the students
are given stimulus material from the Spartacus website and guided through a series of
comprehension questions culminating in an activity where they have to reflect on the
fact that Cuffay’s story has been ‘hidden from history’. The response to this activity
reveals the benefits of integrating black history into Key Stage 3, as pupils are able to
approach this task utilising their prior knowledge. Students have produced lyrics that
recognise Cuffay’s role, but also challenge the fact that his story has often been
ignored. By raising this issue the teacher can bring in the question of historiography
and who has been responsible for writing history. The African proverb ‘Until the lion
has a historian of his own, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter’ is an
ideal way of introducing this issue.
.
Conclusion
QCA argue that ‘too little attention is given to the black and multi-ethnic
aspects of British history’, adding:
The barriers to developing a truly inclusive history curriculum in many
schools appears to be lack of knowledge among teachers of black British
history, a lack of accessible resources and a lack of confidence on the part of
many teachers
This article has shown how the efforts of the history department at Henry
Compton have sought to address these issues. Advocating the mainstreaming of black
British history, teachers can use a variety of approaches. A thematic approach - such
as the study of poverty in Elizabethan times - is one; using events such as the First
World War, which is taught in most history classrooms, and looking at the
contributions the black community made, is a second. The third is to consider the role
of individuals, particular those who are often overlooked.
The benefits of adopting the mainstream approach is that the teacher ‘drips’
black history throughout the curriculum. Teaching resources are available at
www.blackhistory4schools.com and there is an increasing amount of material on the
Internet, as well as in some of the more recently published history textbooks.19 There
is then, no excuse for all teachers not to successfully integrate black British history
into the National Curriculum.
Figure 1 - Lesson Plan for ‘Elizabeth and the Blackmoores’
History Department Lesson Plan
Teacher:
Class: 8H1
DLY
Date:
8/11
Lesson Objective (what pupils should know, understand, be able to do or be aware of as a result of the lesson)



Pupils should understand the attitudes of the Elizabethans to the poor and in particular to the Blackmoores
Pupils should be able to extrapolate evidence from a variety of sources (visual and written)
Pupils should be able to demonstrate their empathetic understanding of the position of the Blackmoores
Key Question

Why did Elizabeth I attempt the repatriate the Blackmoores?
Lesson Outcome (evidence showing that pupils have achieved the learning objectives - knowledge, understanding, skills)


Pupils will have answered questions from a variety of sources about the Elizabethan attitudes
Pupils will have participated in hotseating to demonstrate their empathetic understanding
Keywords
Blackmoores, repatriation
Starter

Timings
The Drake Jewel - brainstorm the image, discuss unusual elements, link to situation in GB
10
Activities





Think, pair, share - source 1 on worksheet ’Elizabeth and the blackmoores’
Comprehension activity - students need to rewrite Elizabeth’s statement in modern English
Ranking Activity - students need to explain the reasons why Elizabeth would want to
repatriate Africans and place in order of importance, justifying choice
Paired role play - write / act a short scene with Elizabeth / Burghley OR African Servant /
beggar
Perform examples of role plays
10
15
10
25
15
Plenary


Comparison of Elizabethan and contemporary attitudes about race / poverty
Discussion of attitudes to race / immigration / poverty
Differentiation
Must
All must complete the
written activities
15
Should
Most should be able give a
variety of examples showing
understanding of attitudes
Could
Some could make comparisons
between Elizabethan and
contemporary attitudes
Use student initials (where appropriate)
Homework

Links with LAC, NAC, ICT use of Whiteboard (ICT), Role play, hotseating (LAC)
Figure 2 - Worksheet ‘Elizabeth and the Blackmoores’
Elizabeth and the Blackmoores
SOURCE A from the National Archives website, Black Presence in Britain 1500-1850
From the 16th century, the numbers of Africans and Asians working became increasingly
common in England. Wealthy - and not so wealthy - people in the country might have one
or two Black servants, footmen or musicians. Whether they were slaves or free is often
unclear in the documents. However, there were certainly free Black people in a variety of
jobs. Queen Elizabeth I employed Black musicians. In one painting from around 1575, a
group of Black musicians and dancers is depicted entertaining Queen Elizabeth and the
people at her court. The queen also had a Black maidservant.
Activity 1 - Think, Pair, Share
You have 1 minute to write down what surprises you about this source
You have 2 minutes to discuss it with your neighbour
You have 2 minutes to discuss it with the people on your table
SOURCE B from the National Archives website, Black Presence in Britain 1500-1850
But while Elizabeth may have enjoyed being entertained by Black people, in the 1590s she
tried to expel them from England. In 1596 she wrote to the lord mayors of major cities
saying that there were 'of late divers (different) blackmoores brought into this
realm (country), of which kind of people there are already here too manie...'. She
ordered that 'those kinde of people should be sente forth of the land'.
Activity 2 - comprehension
Read the quote from Elizabeth and write it in your book in modern English
SOURCE C from a proclamation (statement) by Elizabeth, 1601
“The Queen is highly discontented to understand the great number of Negroes and
blackamoors which are (living in England); who are fostered (supported) here, to the great
annoyance of her own people who are unhappy at the help these people receive, as also
most of them are infidels (non-christians) having no understanding of Christ and the
Gospel…...Casper van Senden should be helped in taking these Negroes and blackamoors to
be transported”
Caspar van Senden was a merchant who had been given a licence by Elizabeth, in 1596, to
deport 89 Black people to Spain and Portugal, in exchange for 89 English prisoners
Activity 3 - ranking
1) Make a list of reasons why Elizabeth might want to repatriate (send back to Africa) the
blackmoores.
2) Rank them in order of importance and explain why you placed them in this order
Figure 3 quotes from Elizabethan England and contemporary newspapers
We want our country back
The Queen is highly
discontented to understand
the number of blackamoors
are carried into this realm
Immigration 'causing
housing crisis'
We'll turn back all asylum
seekers
10 Black people will be
deported
10 days to leave Britain
Figure 4 from the black and asian soldiers of the First World War webquest
www.comptonhistory.com/ww1webquest.htm
Figure 5 John Blanke, the black trumpeter at the Tudor court, from
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/early_times/blanke.htm
Figure 6 William Cuffay worksheet
William Cuffay - the Black Chartist
William Cuffay was born in Kent, in 1788, son of a naval
cook and former slave. When William was old enough he
found work as an tailor. After going on strike and losing his
job Cuffay became convinced that working people needed to
be elected to parliament to help them improve their lives.
He became an important figure in the Chartist movement in
London and in 1842 he was chosen to become president of
the London Chartists. The Times described them as "the
black man and his party".
After 1845 Cuffay became seen as the leading figure in the Physical Force Chartists
in London and was considered to be one of the most militant members. He believed
that violence should be used to get equal rights for working people. At the famous
Chartist meeting on Kennington Common in 1848 he was encouraged by some
Chartists to lead an armed uprising in London.
In the summer of 1848 a government spy called Powell provided information on a
group of London Chartists. Based on the evidence given by Powell, Cuffay was
arrested, convicted and sentenced to be transported to Tasmania, Australia for 21
years. In 1856 all political prisoners in Tasmania were pardoned but Cuffay decided
not to return to England and instead became a tailor in Tasmania. Sadly William
Cuffay died in poverty in Tasmania's workhouse in July 1870.
Task
1.
What effect did losing his job have on William Cuffay?
2.
What organisation did he join?
3.
How did the Times describe this organisation? Why do you think it was
described this way?
4.
Copy out the paragraph choosing the best answer where appropriate:
After 1845 / 1945 William Cuffay joined the side of the Physical / Moral Force
Chartists. They believed that violence should / should not be used to achieve their
aim of getting equal rights for middle class / working class people. In 1848 a
government spy gave evidence against Cuffay and he was freed / arrested. He was
sentenced to 21 / 35 years in Tasmania where he died in poverty.
5.
There is very little information written about Black people like William Cuffay and
they are often forgotten about. Write a poem, nursery rhyme or a rap about
William Cuffay for primary school children so that they can learn about his
deeds.
For the purposes of this article I will be referring to the term ‘black’ as encompassing people of
African, Caribbean and Asian heritage
2
Fryer P 1993 Aspects of British Black History Index Books p5
3
http://www.tes.co.uk/section/staffroom/list_threads.aspx?path=%2fhistory%2f
4
There are no exact numbers but examples can be found here
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/work_community/high_seas.htm
5
“If I were to teach a lesson to the Y8s about the Battle of Trafalgar, I might point out that the crew of
HMS Victory included a number of non-British seamen, including some blacks and Asians. There.
That took all of ten seconds. Then I would move on to the more important stuff.”
http://www.tes.co.uk/section/staffroom/thread.aspx?story_id=2072164&path=/History/&threadPage=&
messagePage=5
6
GCSE results have risen from 19% A*-C in 2003 to 45% in 2005. However, it is acknowledged that
there have been a wide range of factors that have led to this increase.
7
See Rupert Gazes’ article ‘Uncovering the hidden histories: black and asian people in the two world
wars’ in Teaching History 120 Diversity & Divisions Edition pp 46-54
8
Any contributions to the website would be most welcome. Email danlyndon@gmail.com with
worksheets or suggestions
9
Two programmes were recorded for Teachers’ TV in June 2005, by Flashback Television to be
broadcast in February 2006. The first programme ‘Integrating Black History’ was filmed in the
classroom with year 8 students studying Elizabeth and the Blackmoores. The second programme
‘Black History workshop’ was filmed as an INSET for teachers wanting to learn more about teaching
black history.
10
For an example of how to use the story of Olaudah Equiano to support pupils’ historical learning see
Andrew Wrenn’s article ‘Equiano – voice of silent slaves? Teaching History 107 Little Stories Big
Pictures pp13-20. For an example of how to integrate the black experience during WW2 see Helena
Stride’s article ‘Britain was our home’: helping years 9,10 and 11 to understand the black experience of
the Second World War in Teaching History 112 Empire pp54-59
11
For discussion of the issues around Empire see the special issue of Teaching History TH 112 Empire
12
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/early_times/elizabeth.htm
13
See Rob Phillips’ article ‘Making History curious: Using Initial Stimulus Material to promote
enquiry, thinking and literacy’ Teaching History 105 Talking History pp19-25
14
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRdavidson.htm
15
http://www.100greatblackbritons.com/bios/robert_wedderman.html
16
Although it is recognised that sources about black presence in England in the Middle Ages are
limited, there is ample opportunity within the National Curriculum to look at the Crusades, Islamic
Civilisations and Mogul India. The influence of these civilisations on England has often been
undervalued. See Nicholas Kinloch’s article ‘A need to know: Islamic history and the school
curriculum’ Teaching History 120 Diversity & Divisions pp25-31
17
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CHcuffay.htm
18
Fryer P 1993 Aspects of British Black History Index Books p50
19
For example Ben Walsh’s Empires and Citizens, Nelson Thornes, 2003 and John D Clare’s New
Worlds for Old: Britain, 1750-1900: Foundation Edition, Hodder Murray, 2000.
1