Life During Slavery: A Historical Research Project
Project Overview
This 4-day group project will allow students to explore and understand the daily life experiences of enslaved people in American history. Working in pairs, students will research and create a presentation that respectfully and sensitively examines this important historical topic.

Day 1-2 Activities
Partners will use approved websites to research:(At least 3 facts for each number)
1. Daily routines and living conditions
2. Family life and community
3. Work responsibilities
4. Methods of resistance and maintaining hope
5. Cultural traditions preserved

Day 3-4 Activities
Partners will create a presentation using one of these formats:
Journal entries from an enslaved person’s perspective
Informative poster
Digital slideshow-Google slides
Present findings to class (5 minutes per group)

Project Guidelines
Focus on historical facts and real experiences
Use respectful, appropriate language
Include at least 3 specific examples from your research
Cite all sources used
Both partners must participate equally

Assessment Criteria
Historical accuracy
Depth of research
Quality of presentation
Partnership cooperation
Respectful treatment of sensitive topic

Approved websites for research:
General websites about slavery:

1. https://www.ducksters.com/history/colonial_america/slavery.php

2. https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/slavery/353782

3. https://kids.kiddle.co/Slavery
4. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-underground-railroad

5. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teacher-resources/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery
5a. https://hudsonvalley.org/k-12-programs-resources/classroom-resources/teaching-about-slavery/

Daily routines and life for slaves:
6. https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-enslaved-field-worker
7. https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/life-enslaved-person
7Ahttps://www.evergreenplantation.org/roles-on-the-plantation
7Bhttps://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/freedom/1609-1865/essays/slavelabor.htm

Family life for slaves:
8. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3042
9. https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/freedom/1609-1865/essays/aafamilies.htm
10. https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/slavery/experience/family/history.html

Methods of resistance and maintaining hope:
11. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/slave-resistance
12. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/resisting-slavery.htm
13. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3045

Slave cultural traditions:
14. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3043
15. https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/community-and-tradition
17. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/slavery-colonial-america
18. https://slaveryandremembrance.org/articles/article/?id=A0057

Hi everyone,
we’re starting a new unit that covers the period just before and including the US Civil War. We have lots of new terms to learn so that we can discuss this crucial time in American history:

Unit 8: Sectionalism and the Civil War

Terms for the 1st half of the unit:

Sectionalism-an exaggerated devotion to the interests of a region over those of a country as a whole.
States rights-the belief that individual states have the right to limit the power of the federal government and secede from the union, if necessary.
King Cotton-the belief by Southern states that they would survive secession and become an independently wealthy country because of the power of cotton.
Slave-a person who is owned as the property of someone else.
Abolitionist-someone who wishes to abolish or get rid of slavery.
Secession-withdrawal from the federal government of the United States.
Rebel-nickname given to people in the South who supported the Confederacy.
Yankee-nickname given to people in the North who supported the Union.
Dred Scott case-Dred Scott was a slave who was taken to free territory by his owner. He petitioned the Supreme Court to declare him free, but the Court ruled that he was not a citizen, but property, and was not protected by any rights.

We will also watch this video about Westward expansion and it contributed to sectionalism in the US, and the United States’ attempt to delicately balance the Union with free and slave states.

We will also be studying these people and their importance to American history:

Key people:
John Brown-an abolitionist who believed that slavery must be ended by any means. He and his sons organized slaves to revolt at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia in 1859, but the slaves backed out at the last minute, and Mr. Brown’s sons were killed, and John Brown was tried and executed by Virginia.
There were 100,000 weapons stored at the arsenal at Harper’s ferry by 1859.
Harriet Tubman-a slave who escaped in 1849, and used the Underground Railroad to help about 70 family and friends to escape slavery from Maryland to freedom in the North.
Abraham Lincoln-16th President of the US. Issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all the slaves in the South in 1863.
As soon as Lincoln was elected South Carolina seceded in December 1860 from the Union, and Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas followed soon after in January 1861.
Jefferson Davis-President of the Confederacy from 1861-1865.
Robert E. Lee-Overall Commander of the Confederate Forces from 1861-1865.
Ulysses S. Grant-Overall Commander of the Union Forces from 1864-1865. Later 18th President.
Frederick Douglas-former slave who ended up being an advisor to President Lincoln on abolition issues. Gifted speaker and writer on anti-slavery issues.

https://play.blooket.com/play?hwId=67ae0aab4bb78be5d7401577

copy and paste the address into your browser to play at home.

Good morning,
Watch this video and then answer the questions below:

Write the questions and answers in your history folder:

When did slavery begin in the United States?

What continent did the slaves come from?

Who captured the African slaves in Africa to sell to Europeans?

How were slaves treated?

Name at least 3 other countries where slaves were used

Where were the main slave trade centers in America? Name at least 3 from the video.

How many states made up the Confederacy? Name the states as well.

How many slaves fought in the Civil War?

What year was slavery made illegal in the US?

Watch this video first, then answer the following questions:

Questions(do on a sheet of paper to turn in for a grade):

Why did people move from the rural areas to cities during the Industrial Revolution?

Name at least 3 uses of steam engines

What was on major drawback of water mils?

Due to the gas lamp, did people work longer hours or shorter hours? Why?

What were 3 types of work in Industrial factories? Which one would you like to work at and why(and none is not an acceptable answer)

Which invention was more important to the Industrial Revolution, the cotton gin or the steam engine, and why?

What was a spinning mule(from the video) and why was it important?

Did children have to work during the Industrial Revolution(from the video)? Give an example of the jobs they did.

Describe what a toilet looked like in a factory(from the video). Does it look like toilets today?

What were the 2 most common injuries in factories(from the video)?

Terms
Cotton gin-a machine that separates cotton seeds from the boll and greatly increased cotton production and the need for slaves in the US.
Steam engine-a machine that uses heat and steam pressure to create mechanical motion.
Gas street light-a street lamp that produces light by burning a combustible gas like coal gas,
Eli Whitney-inventor of the cotton gin. Hoped his invention would end slavery but it had the opposite effect.
Industrialization-the development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale.
Agriculture-the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.
King Cotton-a phrase that emphasized the importance of cotton to the southern economy.
Slavery-the practice of forcing someone to work or perform services against their will, and some people are owned as property.
Erie Canal-a 363 mile canal across New York that was dug by hand from 1817-1825. It connected Lake Erie to the Hudson River, and significantly improved trade between the East Coast and the Midwest. Dug by hand by Irish immigrants.