We have begun our second quarter social studies unit "A Nation Divided". This quarter, we will explore the events that led to the Civil War.
Beginning last Friday and extending through this Tuesday, we began the unit by looking at life in Antebellum America. Students read about each region and completed an organizer to compare the two. Next, we looked at historical images and tried to determine if they were of the North or South and why. The image that brought the best conversation was that of George Washington. Several thought it was north because he had been the president. Upon further inspection of the image, they noted that there was an enslaved person in the painting standing off to the side. We had previously discussed why the planter class, the wealthiest but smallest group in the South, had so much power. Upon seeing Washington, a planter, they realized the amount of power that the group truly had.
Finally, students were divided into small groups and presented, in any way they chose, how the two regions were different and why. We had puppet shows, game shows, talk shows, a graphic novel, comparison maps, infographics, and a rap. Below are all of the groups performing.
Wednesday and Thursday we discussed the difficult topic of slavery. Before beginning, we reviewed the Three C's - community, courage, and caring. We talked about the importance of being allowed to think and feel what you were thinking and feeling, to listen with kindness and without judgement to our peers, and to create a community of support. We began our conversation with how the institution of slavery was linked to the economy of the entire nation and the role that cotton had. Next, we looked at the number of presidents who owned enslaved people. This shocked all of the classes and led to questions about how they were never told about this other side of the founding fathers and how they could have enslaved people after fighting for their own freedom from the British.
Finally, we talked about the people that were enslaved. Although we discussed how the institution was horrific and dehumanizing, our true focus was on resistance and empowerment. My goal was for the students to rethink their image of enslaved people, to see that they resisted their enslavement in both large and small ways and to see them as human beings.
We began in 1780 with Mum Bett/Elizabeth Freeman who sued the state of Massachuesttes because their constitution declared that all men were born free, which she rightly noted, included her as well. She not only won her own freedom, but her case was key in ending slavery in the entire state! After a difficult class, students were amazed and inspired by the actions of Elizabeth Freeman.
For homework, the kids were asked to read the biography of two former enslaved people from Maryland, Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass. The next day in class, the kids were divided by the biography they chose and asked to share the ways that Tubman and Douglass resisted their enslavement and their impact on themselves and others. The remainder of the class we looked at everyday people, most enslaved in Maryland, who resisted in both small and large ways. At the end of the class students were eager to share stories of those who, in their words, inspired, surprised, empowered, and amazed them.
I would like to take a moment to say how the students surprised, amazed, and inspired me. The level of thoughtful discussion, the courage to actively participate in hard history, and to share their insights and thoughts was truly amazing. I was so impressed with their willingness to examine not only the thoughts and actions of those in the past, but their own thinking as well.
On Friday, we began talking about how the expansion of the nation also impacted the institution of slavery. We will continue this discussion next week.