Topic title: “Free at Last? “Free at last?” How did Black Americans go from slavery to freedom?
Year group: 8
When taught: April-May
What are we learning?
- What life was like in a number of African countries before the transatlantic slave trades;
- How the transatlantic slave trade worked and what conditions were like on the middle passage and on plantations;
- How and to what extent were slaves freed in the US;
- How did the Civil Rights Movement battle against segregation;
- Why some people still feel there is a need to fight for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Why is this important to know?
- It is important to understand the links between the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire and their role in the creation of the transatlantic slave trade;
- It is a very relevant topic – and is often talked about in current political discussion;
- Discussion around the Black Lives Matter movement is important in the current political context.
Where does this link into our past and future learning?
- The importance of the Industrial Revolution and the creation of the British Empire in relation to the development of the transatlantic slave trade.
- Previous discussion about the multi-ethnic nature of Britain throughout our history (year 7 – who are the British?)
- Serves as a good comparison with the experience of Black British people later in the year.
How will we be assessed on this topic?
- Knowledge Test in class
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
- Evidence of attempting a sound revision technique
- An improved knowledge test score from the previous topic
What key words are there in this topic?
Visit Quizlet
- Emancipation: Getting freedom
- Segregation: When people of different races are kept apart
- Transatlantic: Across the Atlantic Ocean
- Middle Passage: The part of the sea voyage when Africans were taken from Africa to the Americas
- Trade / Commerce: When goods are bought and sold for profit.
- Civil Rights: Protection under the law, regardless of race
What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?
- Look at experience of the campaigners for racial equality during the period 1870-1950
- Look at the establishment of countries like Liberia and Sierra Leona
- Spend longer looking the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. How does it compare and contrast with the experience in the United States.
What wider reading can be done on this topic?
Supporting document/links:
The following books are available from the school library:
- Alexander, K. (2023) The door of no return. London, Andersen Press.
- Anderson, L.H. (2010) Chains. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
- Blackman, M. (2007) Unheard Voices: An Anthology of Stories and Poems to Commemorate the Bicentenary Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Random House Children’s Publishers UK.
- Daley, K. (2019) Natives : race and class in the ruins of empire. London, Two Roads.
- Dell, P. (1994) Nelson Mandela: freedom for South Africa. Children’s Press.
- Hatt, C. (2009) Martin Luther King. Evans.
- Landman, T. (2014) Buffalo Soldier. Walker Books Ltd.
- Landman, T. (2017) Passing for White. Barrington Stoke.
- Morrison, T. (2006) Beloved. Everyman’s Library.
- Northup, S. (2013) Twelve Years a Slave. Penguin Books Ltd.
- Stowe, H.B. (1995) Uncle Tom’s Cabin. David Campbell.
- Wheatle, A. (2021) Cane warriors. London, Anderson Press.