File:American Progress (John Gast painting).jpg - Wikimedia Commons
High definition format versions of the Gast Painting
06: Expansion and Sectionalism
Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery
Using primary sources in researching family information regarding slavery
The Most Infamous Floor Brawl in the History of the U.S. House of Representatives | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives
Short descriptive article on one of the biggest fistfights in the history of Congress. Instead of making students memorize and forget the five elements of the Compromise of 1850, teachers should let students know that this is what was happening in Congress itself.
An Act to prohibit the giving or accepting, within the District of Columbia, of a challenge to fight a duel, and for the punishment thereof.
Congress passed a law against dueling in the District of Columbia in 1839. Insults, bullying and the threats of duels and duels themselves, permeated the arguments over slavery in Congress but they are absent from the traditional narrative canon. What questions could students raise by seeing this law by itself? Could they make the connection to the fight over slavery? Or, at the very least, would they better understand the nature of the sectional debate in Congress is they knew this happened?
The Amistad Commission’s Literacy Components for Primary Grades
Notice the title "Under the Quilt of Night" which references the quilt codes that supposedly used by runaway slaves. The subject of quilts has been the subject of hot debate among historians because there is no evidence they existed. The debate last arouse in connection with a Frederick Douglas statue in Central Park. This is material for a 9th grade lesson plan - investigate the record and contact the Amistad Commission with the results
The 1619 Project - The New York Times
Collection of essays acknowledging the 400th anniversary of the advent of slavery in North America. Teachers should choose at least one of the essays from this collection for their students to read and discuss
Richard J. Jensen - "No Irish Need Apply": A Myth of Victimization - Journal of Social History 36:2
This article was published in a peer reviewed journal - and a 14 year old student at the sidwell school debunked it by finding examples that proved that the signs did exist and were prolific
Why historians are fighting about “No Irish Need Apply” signs — and why it matters - Vox
It is far more effective to have students read this article about disputes over historical evidence than it is to read just one explanation of a period in history. Plus - this one involves a 14 year old arguing, some say successfully, with a college professor
How is slavery taught in America? Schools struggle to teach it well - The Washington Post
Instead of having students read the textbook section on slavery - have them read this instead. What are the differences between history as it is practiced and history as it is taught?
A measuring rod to test text books, and reference books in schools, colleges and libraries : Rutherford, Mildred Lewis, 1852-1928
A quick look through pages 4 and 5 should convince teachers they can use this with students - It's textbook adoption advice from the United Daughters of the Confederacy to guide schools in the 1930s. This shows how historical understandings can be manipulated - students can explore the statements on page 5 or look through the primary documents in the booklet - how does the UDC weaponize primary source documents
‘It Was Very Humiliating’: Readers Share How They Were Taught About Slavery - The New York Times
Nat Turner, Freedom Fighter | Teaching Tolerance
Following the Frontier Line, 1790 to 1890
Map from US Census
"The GOP organized in the 1850s" Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) on Twitter:
This narrative of the sectionalism and the growth of the Republican party is every bit as valid as the narrative canon, though its significantly different. The bullet point nature of this Twiiter thread and its natural inclusion of primary source documents makes this a strong candidate as the baseline reading assignment for US history students
American Slavery As It Is: ., by Theodore Weld, 1839 (Book)
This is the raw material of slave narratives, compiled at the time of slavery. Published by the American Anti-Slavery Society, this book was thought to be used by Harriet Beecher Stowe to gather material for Uncle Tom's Cabin. Teachers can have students search the text ("whip", "force", "eat", "sear", "burn", "girl", "infant", etc.)
U.S. Senate: Clay's Last Compromise
John C Calhoun held up what he claimed was a piece of George Washington's coffin while introducing the bills that would become the Compromise of 1850
"Mud Sill" Speech in the Senate, by James Hammond, 1858 (Speech)
If ever there were a "one document" lesson - this could be it. There are enough references and explanations of the "positive good" argument as well as slaveholder challenges to the condition of white factory owners. More importantly, how would students react to the assertion that any society must have a permanent underclass? Better yet - look at how he threatens the north. Just as abolitionists have invaded the south to stir up slaves, he threatens to invade the north to tell the underpaid working class that they have the power of the vote to rebel against their "owners" as well
On the Dissolution of the Union (1855). By William Lloyd Garrison in THE LIBERATOR Vol. XXV., No. 24 (June 15, 1855). Whole No. 1093 // Fair Use Repository
An example of the ferocity of the anti-slavery rhetoric that can be found in the north. This invective is not representative of the general opinion of the north, but it is driving the radical side of argument
North Carolina Town Populations 1860 Census
Chart displaying the population of towns and counties in North Carolina in 1860. As a do-now or mid-lesson activity, (or even homework), ask students to speculate on the nature of society in counties by comparing the relative size of the free white, colored and slave population. How can society be organized in such a way that the number of people owned is one-third, or even half the size of the population that "owns" them? What about the "free colored" population?
Census report of 1860
The introduction to the census report of 1860 provides fascinating insight into the nation at the time of the Civil War. Although the data may have been collected before the war, the report was written during it. Selected paragraphs can be included in lessons for students, teachers should skim through the report
Frederick Douglas argues against War with Mexico
In this excerpt from the North Star of February 1848, Frederick Douglas makes references to Mexico paying for the Mexican War - this sounds much like the claim made by Donald Trump that Mexico would pay for a border wall.
Source Documents: Mary Boykin Chesnut, A Confederate Lady's Diary (1861)
Short quote usable as intro exercise or mid-lesson discussion. This speaks directly to the sexual assault of slaves by their owners - and the knowledge of this by slave owners wives. This could also be used to expose the complexity of opinion - not all southern slave owners thought of all aspects of the slave system the same way
Speech on the Kansas Nebraska Act at Peoria, Illinois (abridged) , 1854, by Abraham Lincoln, (Speech)
Notice how Lincoln laments the hypocrisy of the United States - being at once for both freedom and slavery. This can be linked to the Civil Rights movement and the Cold War when the United States establishes itself as freedom in contrast to the Soviet Union while half the nation continues in apartheid
Running a thousand miles for freedom by William William, 1860 (Book)
Running a thousand miles for freedom; : or, the escape of William and Ellen Craft from slavery. This is the story of a women who looked white enough to successfully escape to the north with her husband, who acted as her slave. Published in 1860, this edition of the book was given to William Lloyd Garrison
A Note on Uncle Tom's Cabin De Bow's Notice (1853)
Teachers looking for a straightforward defense of slavery and southern perspective of Uncle Tom's cabin can use this short editorial for that purpose. Easy to read, direct language sets forth the complexity of abolition. The defense of slavery sounds to modern ears like the claim of "It's just fake news" - perfect for students today
Don't We Have To Judge People By The Standards Of Their Time?
Provocative essay that engages students in a deeper discussion of American slavery beyond the narrative. How should we handle the moral questions raised by slavery?
Kennedy's Swallow Barn - Period Book about Life on a Plantation
This description of southern life does much to create the myth of the idyllic southern life on a plantation. Although the author claimed he was against slavery, the description of slaves reinforced the idea that they were happy. Students today would be shocked by the casual racism of his descriptions of slaves. They can Ctrl-F the word "negroes" in any of the four chapters of the book published here.
A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Book)
21st century teachers and students are used to being challenged on the veracity of their claims - they know that they always have to provided documented evidence to support their claims. Many mid-19th century southerners said the same to Harriet Beecher Stowe - they said that her book was fake. It was propaganda - Fake news! In order to prove her case, Stowe came out with a book that documented all of the claims in the book of Uncle Tom's Cabin itself
Abraham Lincoln's 1855 Letter to Joshua Speed
Every student should read the first paragraph of this letter as it captures so well the gray area between pro slave and anti-slave. Lincoln admits that slavery makes him sick, but he remains quiet about it because of the constitution. In this admission, he reflects the struggle so many historians have identified (DeFalco, David Potter, etc) that the northerner was always caught having to choose between the deal that created the United States and slavery. Would you risk one to get rid of the other? When the circumstances of the ever-changing situation brought on by western expansion made that question impossible to avoid anymore - the union was going to be lost anyway - might as well get rid of slavery
Why The Americans Are So Restless In The Midst Of Prosperity - Alexis de Tocqueville
Why do Americans work so hard? What are Americans so intent of clearing the west? This quote and the chapter from which it comes is a great way to generate discussion - combine with Rick Burn's American Experience video on the Donner Party