How do the legacies of racial slavery shape our world today?
Preview this unit for the table of contents, a student reading excerpt, and one lesson plan. Preview all units.
Additional unit descriptions for the U.S. History Series that summarize key events, people, and terms, as well as underrepresented histories and skill development are available, along with a timeline, on this MIRO board.
Teachers: Are you still using A Forgotten History: The Slave Trade and Slavery in New England? We retired that unit in 2017 and recommend that you no longer use it. Please consider whether Racial Slavery in the Americas could work in your courses. Contact our office at choices@brown.edu if you have any questions.
First Edition. August 2020. – Racial slavery was at the center of the Atlantic World’s economy for centuries. One of the primary legacies of racial slavery is that white supremacy and anti-Black racism became so deeply ingrained in the Atlantic World that they became part of the structures of society that are with us to this day. Racial Slavery in the Americas: Resistance, Freedom, and Legacies provides the opportunity for students to consider how the past shapes the present on these fundamental issues. This curriculum provides a wide-ranging overview of racial slavery in the Americas over many centuries. It is not comprehensive. Instead, it provides a broad and illustrative survey of the development of the colonial systems that led to the creation of racial slavery. The focus throughout is on how enslaved people experienced and resisted these systems of oppression and how the legacies of racial slavery have shaped our world today. Racial Slavery in the Americas: Resistance, Freedom, and Legacies covers more than four centuries of history of the Atlantic World. The unit is divided into four parts. Each part includes:
- Student readings
- Accompanying study guides, graphic organizers, and key terms
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Lessons aligned with the readings that develop analytical skills and can be completed in one or more periods
- Videos that feature leading experts
This unit includes additional synthesis lessons that allow students to synthesize new knowledge for assessment. You do not need to use the entire unit; feel free to select what suits your classroom needs.
This unit was developed in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice (CSSJ) at Brown University with the generous support of a gift to CSSJ from Mary and Jerome Vascellaro. CSSJ is a scholarly research center with a public humanities mission.
“The Choices unit on racial slavery offers a concise but thorough exploration of this terrible period in American history, including applications to the present day. It will be a welcome supplement to conventional coverage of slavery, which often leaves out more than it includes.” – Kate Shuster, Director of the Teaching Hard History Project