Learners research slavery in the United States and present their findings as a newscast with appropriate visuals to the class.

Learners review factors that contributed to the development of the spiritual, which reflects the influence of African religious and Christian traditions, and slavery. Students collect spirituals/songs of their heritage from family...

Young scholars work with the slave narrative as a resource for historical study and evaluate it as a work of literature; students then examine the narrative in the context of political controversy as an argument for abolition.

Learners learn about the legal foundations for slavery and explore autobiographical writings of slaves. Students trace the development of laws that enforced the slave status of Africans and their descendants.

Discusses the resettlement initiatives in the 1800s when freed slaves were sent to live in Sierra Leone and Liberia in Africa, and some of the difficulties they faced there.

Complete text of the thirteenth amendment of the United States Constitution.

Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860 contains just over a hundred pamphlets and books (published between 1772 and 1889) concerning the difficult and troubling experiences of African and African-American slaves in the American colonies and...

A lesson that looks at the role of Christianity in the fight to abolish slavery in the United States.

Using primary documents, oral histories, and other historical resources, discover how the arts of Africa, Europe, and pre-Civil War America influenced the culture of enslaved African Americans.

Using primary sources and contextualizing, this lesson attempts to answer the question "Did the ideals of the American Revolution affect the condition of enslaved people?"

[Free Registration/Login Required] An excellent essay explaining the roots of the anit-slavery movement in the United States in the early 1830s and its evolution over the next twenty-five years. Read about the abolitionists, both white...

An exhaustive, searchable website with original court records on 300 legal petitions for freedom by people of color, originally filed in St. Louis courts between 1814 and 1860.

This online exhibit from the University of North Carolina chronicles the impact slaves had on campus during the antebellum period. View primary sources showing contributions of slaves, college servants and free persons of color to their...

This site describes how slaves were packed in the ships with barely enough room to sit or move, to maximize capacity.

"If I Had Just Two Wings", an historical novel by Virginia Frances Schwartz, follows the journey of some slaves as they flee to Canada along the Underground Railroad. This teacher's guide includes detailed chapter summaries and project...

Illustrated essay on the abolition of slavery in Britain.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage gives information about how some states are apologizing for their roles in slavery during the past. Reading comprehension questions are provided as supplements to the passage..

[Free Registration/Login Required] An article that discusses the 13-15th amendments and their impact on social history.

A learning module that begins with "Life of a Slave on A Southern Plantation" by BirdBrain History, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned...

A close up picture providing an example of what a slave chain looks like. Click on Teacher's Guide for teacher resources.

Here is a brief article from PBS on the life and accomplishments of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who risked her life on several occasions to ensure the freedom of others. Links to a teacher's guide and primary sources are provided.

The South relied on slavery heavily for economic prosperity and used wealth as a way to justify enslavement practices.

During the nineteenth century, enslaved African Americans worked on large plantations in the US South under brutal conditions.

A quick comprehension check over African Americans in the early republic of the United States.