The Negro Law of South Carolina - book 1848
This 1848 book was a compendium of negro laws presented to the South Carolina Legislature. It starts with a description of the Negro Law of 1740 and could easily fit into any slavery lesson
1850 Fugitive Slave Act – Underground Railroad Online Handbook
This GIS map and original dataset created by Cooper Wingert visualizes arrests under the federal 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.
Margaraetta Mason and Lydia Maria Child Discuss John Brown, 1860 | The American Yawp Reader
This exchange of two letters would take time for students to decipher, but it would be time well spent
Archy Lee - Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California | ACLU NorCal
The story of Archy Lee can show teachers and students that there were many enslaved people caught between free and slave states, not just Dred Scott. It also shows how Canada was the only safe haven for many of these people
Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1856)
Although much of the text of the decisions itself is impenetrable to high school students several select phrases are absolutely clear
1986 State Song of Kentucky Statute
This is the legislation that changes the words to the state song "My Old Kentucky Home", changing the words "darkies" to "people"
Letters from California and Oregon 1845-1852
Too many of our primary document assignments are detached from real life, this 300+ page set of letters opens up 19th century westward migration like nothing else can. Teachers can scroll through and pick some to improve their doc activities or just give students the entire set for a "free-range" primary document lesson
Letter of Mr. Walker, of Mississippi, relative to the annexation of Texas: in reply to the call of the people of Carroll County, Kentucky, to communicate his views on that subject : Walker, Robert J. (Robert John), 1801-1869 : Free Download, Borrow, and S
How many teachers tell students that there were southern Senators who suggested that the North should approve of the annexation of Texas because it would drain slaves away from the most northern slave states? In
Cannibals All! - George Fitzhugh Lee
Lee argues that that society was obligated to protect the weak by controlling and subjugating them. Teachers can use this to show a defense of slavery as well as an argument against Democracy
Chinese and the building of the transcontinental railroad
Wendell Phillips Speech to Anti-Slavery Society January 1852
Teachers who insist on teaching the taught narrative canon's explanation of the "Compromise" of 1850 would think differently if they took the time to read what people of the time actually say about it. Take a quick look at what Wendall Phillips does to Daniel Webster in this speech
Westward Expansion and Country Music's Hispanic Influence
Throw out that O'Sullivan excerpt that you haven't successfully helped a student understand in more than a decade and try something different for your Westward Expansion lesson - this is worth a shot
The underground railroad., by William Still, 1872
1872 account of hundreds of people who escaped enslavement compiled by William Still
Correspondence of James K. Polk | Newfound Press | University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Several volumes of the letters of James K Polk in searchable .pdf format. Students can search terms like "slave" and "negro" to get insight into this presidents human trafficking while president of the United States. Additionally, searching "Mexico", "Mexicans" and "Indians" yields interesting results as well
The Dark Mark of Manifest Destiny - Natural History Institute
Students should see contemporary interpretations of the Thomas Gast painting - seen through the eyes of a native artist.
Quotations - Thomas Jefferson Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
The inscriptions on the Jefferson Memorial present a vivid example of quote cutting for a purpose. The line that says that "these people out to be free" is from his autobiography. The very next sentence reads the two races, equally free, cannot live in the same government.
"Letter from a Fugitive Slave" New York Daily Tribune, June 21, 1853
This was written by Harriet Jacobs in response to an essay written by Julia Tyler https://tinyurl.com/2g8dcfnv
Mountain Meadows Massacre - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
This is the official explanation of the massacre of hundreds of men, women, and children by Mormons in 1857. Students can compare this with other explanations
The Diary of George Templeton Strong : Strong, George Templeton, 1820-1875 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
One of the great diaries of the 19th century, quotes can be found in dozens and dozens of books and documentaries. This resource is ripe for teachers making their own DBQs or as a stand-alone free range primary doc lesson
The Last Hours of John Quincy Adams
John Q Adams, son of John Adams, former president of the United States, a representative to Congress for 18 years actually died on the floor of the House of Representatives. This event is one of those "history is stranger than you think" events.
De Bow's Review : Devoted to the Restoration of the Southern States 1846-1880
DeBow's was one of the most widely-circulated magazine in the south during the 19th century, it offers lots of possibilities for a Free Range Documents lesson
Swallow barn, or, A soujourn in the Old Dominion : by John Kennedy 1853
This book is referenced by Ibram X. Kendi, Andrew DeBlanco, and Heather Cox-Richardson in recent analysis of the 19th century. It describes the experience of a northerner's extended visits at two plantations in Virginia in 1832. Recent analysis of the book say its descriptions of slavery are evidence the "positive good". Pairing this text with Harriet Jacobs, or Theodore Weld would make for an interesting Free Range Document lesson
American slavery as it is: : testimony of a thousand witnesses : by Theodore Weld
1839 book written by Weld and his wife Sarah Grimke (and sister Angela Grimke) that exposed the horrors of slavery to the non-slave holding public - and how it was used as source material for Harriet Beecher Stowe. Students can search individual terms and read them in context, gather common evidence together to create defensible conclusions about slavery
“Societal Collapse Is in the Air—Or It Smells Like It” - Current
This essay draws between the 1850s and today in a challenging, but perfectly "doable" reading for high school students. The time a teacher invests working students through this essay wouldn't be greater than talking through some bullet point slides, but it will be much better spent
Letter from Jourdon Anderson: A Freedman Writes His Former Master | Facing History and Ourselves
Jourdon Anderson, a former slave, responds to a request from his former master to return to work for him. Anderson explains, with a hint of sarcasm, his requirements for returning to work on his former plantation. This letter is available in many formats
Film as a gateway to teaching about slavery through historical empathy: a case study using 12 Years a Slave (McQueen, 2013) – ScienceOpen
Roll Call Tally on the Expulsion of Preston Brooks | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives
Many teachers tell the story of Preston Brooks attacking Charles Sumner in Congress after Sumner's "Crime against Kansas" speech - almost killing him. Though few include the more important part of the story, the vote to expel Brooks failed.
Journal of a residence on a Georgian plantation in 1838-1839 : Kemble, Fanny, 1809-1893 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Fanny Kemble was a British actress who married Pierce Butler, the wealthy grandson of the founding father of the same name. She did not know of the extent of slavery as a source of his wealth until she lived on his Georgia plantation after they got married. Their disputes over slavery, and his sleeping with slaves played a role in their divorce. This book is a first hand account of slavery, written to persuade Britons to not support the Confederacy
1845: Narrative of the sufferings of Lewis Clarke, during a captivity of more than twenty-five year
Slave narrative
Immersive Belle of Louisville cruise to depict families escaping slavery
"“We’re inviting people into this history and these stories to play, to learn, to choose your own adventure,” Snider said."