Top tips for teaching pupils about slavery

NERVOUS. Concerned. Worried. Wary. Unprepared.

This is how middle and high school teachers have told me they have felt over the past few years when it comes to teaching the troublesome topic of slavery.

Fortunately, in recent years there have been a growing number of individuals who have weighed in with useful advice. Four things that are mandatory for any teacher who plans to deal with slavery.

1. Explore actual records

Few things shine the light on the harsh realities of slavery like historical documents. I’m talking about things such as plantation records, slave diaries and letters penned by plantation owners and their mistresses.

It also pays to examine wanted advertisements for runaway slaves. The ads provided details about those who managed to escape slavery. In some cases, the ads contain drawings of slaves.

2. Examine historical arguments In order to better understand different perspectives on slavery, it pays to examine historical arguments about how slavery developed, expanded and ended.

Students can read texts that were written by abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and pro-slavery advocates like George Fitzhugh.

They should wade through the newspaper advertisements that provided details about those who escaped slavery.

Looking at the different arguments will show learners that history is filled with disagreement, debate and interpretations based on different goals.

3. Highlight lived experiences In my 11 years of teaching history, many pupils entered my classes with a great deal of misinformation about what life was like for those who lived under slavery.

In pre-unit surveys, some stated that the enslaved worked only in the cotton fields and were not treated that badly. We know the historical records tell a different story. While many worked as field hands, there were others who were put into service as blacksmiths, carpenters, gunsmiths, maids and tailors.

To combat misconceptions like this, I advise teachers to use historical sources that feature details about the lived experiences of enslaved people.

4. Consider the relevance

It is also crucial for teachers to consider the various ways in which slavery is relevant to the present with their learners. I advise them to ask questions like: How has the history of slavery influenced the status of black people in the US today? Why are there so many movies about slavery?

In Ailany’s class, we ended our unit by providing pupils with a chance to read and think about the relevance of recent picture books about slavery like Patricia Polacco’s January’s Sparrow, Ann Turner and James Ransome’s My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth and Frye Gallard, Marti Rosner and Jordana Haggard’s The Slave Who Went to Congress.

We asked pupils to draw on what they had learnt about slavery to consider and then share their perspectives about the historical accuracy, classroom appropriateness and relevance of a selected picture book. Learners always have much to say about all three.

Teaching slavery has been and will continue to be challenging. To teachers who are asked or required to take on the challenge, the four things discussed above can serve as strong guideposts for creating lessons that should make the challenge easier to navigate.