06: Expansion and Sectionalism

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1301 Rozella Way - Google Maps

Thia house was built in 1832 by one of the more active slave traders in the United States. it was on the register of Historic Landmarks until 2005. It is now the cetnerpiece of a golfing community and country club. How many of the residents know what happened on the land where they are living

1301 Rozella Way - Google Maps

The Invasion of America: How the United States Took Over an Eighth of the World

Between 1776 and 1887, the United States seized over 1.5 billion acres from America's indigenous people by treaty and executive order. The Invasion of America shows how by mapping every treaty and executive order during that period. It also contains present-day federal Indian reservations. This is another excellent primary source digitized by eHistory at the University of Georgia.

The Invasion of America: How the United States Took Over an Eighth of the World

History – Homeowners' Association

Ask students to research the name "Issac Franklin" - then take a look at this description of his Tennessee home published by the Homeowners' Association that currently manages real estate on the land. Have students use primary sources of Issac Franklin tell the Homeowners' Association what really happened in his home

History – Homeowners' Association

My Students Discovered a Plantation; Or, an Ad-hoc Methods Class for Non-History Majors - Common-placeCommon-place: The Journal of early American Life

High school teachers bound by the tyranny of factoid standards lists couldn't even consider a project this ambitious. Yet, some of their students may face something similar to this in college. This is yet another example of micro-history possible with the digitization of historical materials.

My Students Discovered a Plantation; Or, an Ad-hoc Methods Class for Non-History Majors - Common-placeCommon-place: The Journal of early American Life

Calhoun on Mexico 1848 - ours is the government of the white man

Teachers can take one quote "we make a great mistake in supposing that all people are capable of self-government" and use it for a civics lesson on in a DBQ. Yet US History teachers can also use this an example of what some Americans thought of different types of people. Calhoun declares that "our is the government of the white man"

Calhoun on Mexico 1848 - ours is the government of the white man

A Pro-Slavery Argument, 1857 – America in Class – resources for history & literature teachers

With an argument that was as much a critique of industrialism as it was a defense of slavery, Southern spokesmen contended that chattel slavery, as it was practiced in the American South, was more humane than the system of “wage slavery” that prevailed in the industrial North and Great Britain.

A Pro-Slavery Argument, 1857 – America in Class – resources for history & literature teachers

The Religious Roots of Abolition – America in Class – resources for history & literature teachers

This may be as much a lesson about abolition as it is a lesson about writing. Using Grimke's appeal to southern women, this lesson provides teachers with the step by step guidance needed to show students how persuasive writing is designed

The Religious Roots of Abolition – America in Class – resources for history & literature teachers

Speech on the Dred Scott Decision | Teaching American History

There is no good reason why students couldn't deal with the language in this speech and many reasons why they should. Rather than teach arguments against the spread of slavery in the abstract, teachers could coach students through the arguments in the specific

Speech on the Dred Scott Decision | Teaching American History

Texas Treasury Notes after the Compromise of 1850

This is an article only for teachers to skim, perhaps the economically inclined and truly brave can read. It explores in granular detail the sovereign debt of the Republic of Texas, the federal assumption of which comprised on of the five main elements of the Compromise of 1850. What were these bonds, when were they issued, who held them in 1850? Who would benefit from their assumption and payment? These were vitally important questions of the day, but unknown to virtually all history teachers today.

Texas Treasury Notes after the Compromise of 1850

U.S. Senate: The Censure Case of Benjamin Tappan of Ohio (1844)

Only for super-geek history teachers to share with people who think that "leaks" to the press are new. This US Senate version of Benjamin Tappan (brother of the abolitionists) leaves out the some of the more interesting details of the story, it leaves enough to show that senators used the press in the mid-19th century as they do today.

U.S. Senate: The Censure Case of Benjamin Tappan of Ohio (1844)

The Forgotten Supervillain of Antebellum Tennessee

Essay about one of the most prolific slave traders in America in the 1830s and 40s. His "plantation" home is now a golf club and multi-million dollar subdivision. His crimes are not absent from history, but seem to be forgotten, what does this mean about history? Provocative article, could serve as inspiration for inquiry lessons.

The Forgotten Supervillain of Antebellum Tennessee

History News Network | What Else You Should Know About Baltimore - The Business of Slave Dealers

This short articles speaks of one of the most notorious (or financially successful) slave traders in the Baltimore of the 1840s.

History News Network | What Else You Should Know About Baltimore - The Business of Slave Dealers

What became of the slaves on a Georgia plantation? : Great auction sale of slaves, at Savannah, Georgia, March 2d & 3d, 1859. A sequel to Mrs. Kemble's Journal.THE SALE.

In March of 1857, more than 400 slaves were sold in one giant auction at a Georgia racetrack to satisfy the debts of Pierce Butler. This is just one page of a NY Times article about the same and should be shared with students to show the names, ages and prices of slaves that were sold. Research inquiry can reveal more information about Pierce Butler and the auction described as the "Weeping Time", but empathy can be built on the importance of one name. Although students won't find the name "Anne Frank", they'll find many girls who may have been just like her.

What became of the slaves on a Georgia plantation? : Great auction sale of slaves, at Savannah, Georgia, March 2d & 3d, 1859. A sequel to Mrs. Kemble's Journal.THE SALE.

A Plea for Free Speech in Boston by Frederick Douglass

John Brown | Stanford History Education Group

Two years before the start of the Civil War, John Brown led an unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry in hopes of sparking a general slave revolt. Some abolitionists saw him as a heroic, moral crusader, while others questioned his methods as extreme and fanatical. To determine whether Brown was a "misguided fanatic," students examine a speech by Brown, Frederick Douglass’s account of his efforts to dissuade Brown from the raid, and a letter from an admirer to Brown.

John Brown | Stanford History Education Group

Texas Independence | Stanford History Education Group

Why did the civil war in Texas, which began in response to Santa Anna's coup, turn into a war for Texan independence? Why was Texas annexed to the United States rather than remain an independent country? In this lesson, students read parts of the Texas Declaration of Independence, military letters, and an abolitionist pamphlet to explore different causes for independence and statehood in Texas.

Texas Independence | Stanford History Education Group

The Abolitionist Movement | IDCA

The compelling question, ‘John Brown: Hero or Villain?’ challenges students in the Primary Source Set ‘The Abolitionist Movement’ exploring John Brown, 19th century Iowans’ variable and contrasting attitudes, and the rise of abolitionists

The Abolitionist Movement | IDCA

2013 Annual Meeting: Session 138: - Few comments on John Brown

Teachers can take a few minutes from class to show students how today's historians talk about how difficult it is to tell the story of the past. This clip from an American Historical Association has two historians talking about John Brown and the telling of the story of slavery

2013 Annual Meeting: Session 138: - Few comments on John Brown

Slavery Adverts 250 Project | The Adverts 250 Project

The Adverts 250 Project explores the history of advertising in eighteenth-century America. It features a daily image of an advertisement published in a colonial newspaper 250 years ago that day. Brief commentary accompanies each advertisement.

Slavery Adverts 250 Project | The Adverts 250 Project

The Mexican-American War: Arguments for and against Going to War | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

primary document lesson

The Mexican-American War: Arguments for and against Going to War | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

The Mexican American War - Essential Civil War Curriculum

Teachers could substitute this article for a textbook reading though the students will notice how more detailed it is. They may also notice the footnotes, giving the teacher the opportunity to show the importance of citation

The Mexican American War - Essential Civil War Curriculum

Visualizing the slave insurance industry | TechCrunch

Slave Societies Digital Archive

he Slave Societies Digital Archive documents the lives of approximately 6 million free and enslaved Africans, their descendants, and the indigenous, European and Asian people with whom they interacted

Slave Societies Digital Archive

Arkansas Act requiring free African-Americans to leave to state or face re-enslavement (1859)

John L. O'Sullivan on Manifest Destiny, 1839

Can teachers find exactly where the John O'Sullivan writes the phrase "Manifest Destiny"? It's easy to repackage and restate the taught narrative canon, it is more difficult to find evidence it actually happened in the first place. This last paragraph should be used in a DBQ, not just the phrase

John L. O'Sullivan on Manifest Destiny, 1839

Straight Talk About the N-Word | Teaching Tolerance

Students will encounter the word in primary source documents, though teachers can shape their experience with it first. This article is a brief read to help teachers prepare

Straight Talk About the N-Word | Teaching Tolerance

Slave Voyages

Massive compendium of data, charts, maps, timelines, essays and video for teachers and students to explore. Guaranteed lesson and research material.

Slave Voyages

Slavery and the Making of America . The Slave Experience: Education, Arts, & Culture | PBS

oday, slave music is usually grouped in three major categories: Religious, Work, and "Recreational" songs. Each type adapted elements of African and European musical traditions and shaped the development of a wide range of music, including gospel, jazz, and blues. Select the songs below to hear the songs, read their lyrics, and explore the instruments involved in the soundscape of slavery.

Slavery and the Making of America . The Slave Experience: Education, Arts, & Culture | PBS

Journal on a Georgian plantation in 1838-1839, by Fanny Kemble, 1863 (Book)

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

Journal on a Georgian plantation in 1838-1839, by Fanny Kemble, 1863 (Book)

Treasury of Weary Souls

With more than 1300 policy records, the Treasury of Weary Souls highlights the pivotal contributions of skilled slaves to the nation's most lucrative and most dangerous antebellum enterprises. The Treasury of Weary Souls also contains data on financial firms who continue to profit from slave insurance policies today.

Treasury of Weary Souls