Homework Slaves Mistress

HISTORY LESSONS WITH HOMEWORKS: BLACK PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS

ANTHONY SMITH and STEPH YATES

Illustrated by NEIL CROSSLEY

ISBN 1 86025 233 8

.INTRODUCTION. The pack

Student suitability

Using the pack

Other linked Chalkface packs The people involved

Photocopy laws

How to contact us

History Lessons with Homeworks: Black Peoples of the Americas provides a wide range of materials and activities enabling students to explore the history of Black Americans from the slave trade to the civil rights movement of the sixties. Students will learn about black leaders and the events which influenced them, as well as about what life was like for ordinary black people. The pack covers the United States and the Caribbean. Each sheet includes a homework activity based on the work covered during the lesson. The pack is designed for use with KS3 students in History lessons studying the Black Peoples of the Americas. Because the pack is photocopiable, you can use it flexibly, with individual students, small or large groups, or across a whole year set. You can use the sheets separately to focus on one particular area, or group several together to provide the basis for a project lasting several lessons. The Teachers’ Notes provided opposite each worksheet give the page’s aims, preparation needed, classroom management advice, differentiation possibilities, answers and extension activities. We presume that you have access to pen, paper and chalkboard, and that students are used to working individually and in small and large discussion groups. If you have a query about how best to use the pack, we are happy to help; please write to us at the address below. You may also find the following pack useful History Lessons with Homeworks: Britain 1750–1900. Anthony Smith, the consultant author for this pack, is a teacher in South London. Steph Yates is a freelance writer. The pack was illustrated by Neil Crossley and the cover and series design was by Michael Lopategui. Deborah Sheward was the editorial co-ordinator, and Karen Reed was the editor and layout artist. The Chalkface format was created by Susan Quilliam. The text and pictures in this pack belong to The Chalkface Project Ltd. However, you may photocopy the sheets, provided you do so only for use within your own institution. If you wish to photocopy for any other use, you must write to us for permission, for which we may charge a fee. Address: Tel: Fax: E-mail: Website:

The Chalkface Project Ltd, PO Box 111, Milton Keynes MK11 1XN 0800 781 8858 0845 458 5344 [email protected] www.chalkface.com

History Lessons with Homeworks: Black Peoples of the Americas © The Chalkface Project Ltd 1999 ISBN 1 86025 233 8 Last updated 4/9/02

1

.CONTENTS. The Slave Trade 7

AFRICA BEFORE SLAVERY

Students learn about Africa in 1550 and use the information to write magazine articles.

9

WHAT IS SLAVERY?

Students explore what slavery means and produce an encyclopaedia entry on the subject.

11

TRIANGULAR TRADE.

A map enables students to write a newspaper article about the triangular trade between Africa, America and Europe.

13

THE MIDDLE PASSAGE

Students use roleplay to explore conditions on a slave ship.

The Life of a Slave 15

THE RAW MATERIALS

Students produce a map showing American colonies and the raw materials produced by slaves there.

17

THE PRICE OF PROFIT

Students explore how individuals benefited and suffered as a result of slavery.

19

LIVING BY THE RULES

Students look at some of the rules imposed on slaves and consider the consequences.

21

THE BOOK OF LIVES

Students discover what made a slave valuable in the eyes of a slave owner.

23

TO BE FREE IS VERY SWEET

Students roleplay an interview with a freed slave based on the life of Mary Prince, and plan a report on life as a slave.

Abolition of Slavery 25

NANNY AND THE MAROONS

Students use information about communities of escaped slaves to produce television programmes.

27

REVOLUTION IN HAITI

Students produce posters exploring the causes of the slave revolt in Haiti and reasons for its success.

29

SLAVERY IS ODIOUS

Students write abolition speeches based on the moral arguments against slavery.

31

WHY DID IT END?

Students explore the reasons for the abolition of slavery.

The American Civil War 33

A COUNTRY DIVIDED

Students consider the reasons for the American civil war, including the issue of slavery.

35

BUFFALO SOLDIERS

Students use extracts from letters to gain an understanding of the experiences of black soldiers during the American civil war.

37

ADVISING THE PRESIDENT

Students use information about the life of Sojourner Truth to write a film script of her meeting with President Lincoln.

2

.CONTENTS. Civil Rights in the 20th Century 39

JIM CROW

Students learn about the growth of segregation after the civil war.

41

WAYS AND MEANS

Students find out about the different campaign approaches of Booker T Washington and W E B Du Bois.

43

OUR OWN LAND

Students find out about the beliefs of Marcus Garvey and design a museum display based on this.

45

A LONG WAY TO GO

Students learn about some of the self-help organisations set up by black people.

47

SING AMERICA

Students look at a poem and discuss what it tells them about the life of a black man living in America in 1930.

49

FIGHTING ABROAD

Students consider the implications of segregation in the American armed forces during the second world war.

51

GETTING INTO SCHOOL

This page re-tells the events at Little Rock, Arkansas, to help students explore how segregation was fought in the 1950s.

53

ROSA PARKS

Students learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and consider the effectiveness of non-violent protests.

55

JOURNEYING SOUTH

Students produce radio programmes on the Freedom Rides and sit-ins of the 1960s.

57

YOU WILL UNDERSTAND

Students analyse extracts from a Martin Luther King letter written from Birmingham Jail in 1963.

59

MALCOLM X

Students reflect on the turning points in the life of Malcolm X and produce a film script based on one of them.

61

WHO IS IT?

Students complete a quiz about Black People of Achievement.

62

APPENDIX 1

For ‘The Raw Materials’: Outline map showing European colonies in America at the end of the 18th century.

63

APPENDIX 2

For ‘Why did it End?’: Reasons for the end of slavery.

64

DATA RECORD PAGE

Assessment grid.

Lesson-specific Teachers’ Notes are to be found on the page facing each worksheet.

3

.GENERAL GUIDELINES. The Teachers’ Notes opposite each page provide information on each specific page as required. These more general guidelines give advice on using the whole pack. They offer suggestions on preparation, running the lesson and follow-up work, and could form the basis of in-service training prior to using the pack. Please remember to photocopy both the relevant Teachers’ Notes and these General Guidelines if you are copying worksheets for a supply teacher to use.

Preparing for the lesson • Specific preparation requirements are indicated in the Preparation section of the Teachers’ Notes. You should always have available copies of the worksheet, pens, pencils and a chalkboard or equivalent. • Allow approximately an hour’s lesson for each page unless advised otherwise in the Timing section of the Teachers’ Notes. • The heading Points To Be Aware Of will draw your attention to any possible classroom management issues which may arise from using the page. These may be to do with racial, cultural, emotional, religious or gender issues requiring sensitive handling. There are many opportunities within this pack to explore and challenge racial stereotypes. Some pages require students to roleplay black American characters and you may want to discuss with students ways that they can do this realistically.

The lesson Most pages leave you free to choose how to manage the lesson, and suggestions are made under the heading Classroom Management. Where a particular approach is required, this is made clear in the Teachers’ Notes. One way of structuring the lesson is to begin with an ‘introductory chat’, moving on to individual, group or paired work, and finishing with a chance to share ideas in groups or as a class. Each sheet contains a number of activities. These fall into several basic formats: • Thought starters

•

Reading

• Oral work

•

Brainstorming

• Research

•

Acting or writing in role

• Written work

•

Empathy work

Suggestions are made under Differentiation to enable you to adapt the sheet for more or less able students. For assessment purposes, differentiation will usually be by outcome.

Following up on the lesson Where appropriate, the Teachers’ Notes include suggestions for Extension Activities. These are usually designed to carry the topic into a double lesson, or to provide an opportunity for out-ofclassroom work.

5

Teachers’ Notes AFRICA BEFORE SLAVERY Aims

This page introduces students to the diversity of African history and aims to challenge the notion that Africa was ‘backwards’ before slavery. Students explore some of the cultural and social information available about Africa in the sixteenth century.

Preparation

You may wish to have additional resources available for students to use. The British Museum, Commonwealth Institute and Horniman Museum all have material such as postcards which could be used.

Additional Information

The date 1550 has been chosen for the main activity because this is when Al-Hassan ibn Muhammed al-Wazzani (known as Leo Africanus) published a book describing his travels in Africa. The description of Timbuktu is taken from his book. The description of Gao is by Ibn Battuta, a Tunisian traveller born in 1304. The population of Africa in 1600 is estimated to have been about 60 million, and over 1,000 languages were spoken.

Differentiation

Assessment Extension Activities

As some of the descriptions are not in modern English, you may need to read them with students to ensure they understand them. More able students could be encouraged to imitate the style in their accounts. Attainment levels 4–6. Students could use the first verse of County Cullen’s poem ‘Heritage’ as the centre piece for a collage on what Africa means to the class: What is Africa to me: Copper sun or scarlet sea Jungle star or jungle track, Strong bronzed men, or regal black Women from whose loins I sprang When the birds of Eden rang?

6

.AFRICA BEFORE SLAVERY. 2 The year is 1550. You have just returned from travelling around Africa. Using the information given below, write an account of what you have seen.

1 Write down all the things you think of when you hear the word ‘Africa’. Compare your ideas with those of other people.

Gao is one of the finest towns… with rice in plenty, milk and fish… The buying and selling is done with cowrie shells.

Benin is a very big city with many streets… The palace of the King is very large.

A brass head from the city of Benin

The inhabitants in Timbuktu are exceedingly rich… Here are doctors, judges, priests and other learned men… and manuscripts or written books.

There are many different languages, and most speak more than one. There are different writing systems and many religions.

Timbuktu

Zimbabwe

The Asante people trade in gold. They are great craftsmen producing gold rings, ceremonial daggers, crowns and ornaments.

A bird carving, originally covered in gold leaf, from the arm of a stool

3 Your account is to be published in a magazine. Draw a suitable picture to go with it.

Great Zimbabwe is the commercial centre of a powerful state and trades with many countries, including China.

Homework Think about the words you brainstormed about ‘Africa’ at the beginning of the lesson, and the things you have learnt during the lesson. Write a personal piece of writing with the title, ‘What Africa means to me’.

7

Teachers’ Notes WHAT IS SLAVERY? Aims

Preparation

Classroom Management

This page looks at what is meant by the term ‘slavery’. Students gain an appreciation of the differences between slavery and paid work. Examples of encyclopaedia entries for young people would be useful. ICT facilities could be used for this lesson. The initial brainstorm could be held in groups or as a class. Slavery has occurred in many cultures at many times. The significant differences between slavery in other parts of the world and the Atlantic slave trade are differences of scale, distance, planning, bureaucracy, economic scale and organisation. Students could produce their encyclopaedia entries using ICT facilities, and include pictures where appropriate. It may help to show them some entries from a children’s encyclopaedia so that they have an idea of design elements such as layout, use of pictures, diagrams and captions.

Differentiation

Assessment Answers Extension Activities

Less able students could write a simple entry defining slavery using the statements from the page. More able students could include historical information about slavery. Attainment levels 4–6. Statements a), c), d), g), h), j), k), l) and m) are all true of slavery. Students could find out about the use of slavery in places other than the Americas. Information is available on current slavery from the Shaftesbury Society.

8

.WHAT IS SLAVERY?. 1 Brainstorm the word ‘slavery’. Where do we get our ideas about slavery from?

2 Select the statements below which are true of slaves. Then, based on the statements you have chosen, and your own ideas, produce an encyclopaedia entry for young people explaining what slavery is.

a) They are owned by a master or mistress. b) They may work long hours for money.

c) They can be born into this position.

d) Their children may be taken from them and sold.

e) They may earn a great deal of money. f) They can travel wherever they want to. g) They are not paid.

h) Their skin may be branded (marked with the owner’s mark). i) They can work for whoever they want.

j) They may have been kidnapped. k) They have no rights. l) They can only be freed by their owner.

3 Write a paragraph explaining what the worst aspects of slavery are. Are these mental or physical? 4 Some people who are poorly paid or over worked describe their jobs as ‘slave labour’. Explain why work of this kind is not slave labour. Do you think people should use this phrase?

m) They can be sold and bought. n) They are paid.

Homework Imagine you are a visitor from another planet, where slavery has never existed. Write a report about slavery on Earth and your feelings about what you have discovered.

9

Teachers’ Notes THE TRIANGULAR TRADE Aims

Classroom Management Answers

This page introduces students to the idea of the triangular trade. Students discover how the trade worked and who profited from it. You will probably need to talk through the triangular trade route with students before they can write their newspaper articles. 1 and 2 Europeans captured or bought Africans and transported them as slaves to the Americas, where they worked on plantations to produce raw materials such cotton, sugar, and tobacco. The raw materials were then shipped to Europe where they were manufactured into saleable goods. Goods such as textiles, and metal goods including tools and weapons, were then transported from Europe to Africa to be sold to some West African leaders, who supplied the traders with captives to be transported as slaves. It should be stressed that not all African leaders complied with the slave trade, but that some did capture people from rival tribes and sold them to white traders. 3 Profits would have been made in the following ways: merchants – buying and selling at each stage; plantation owners – selling raw materials; manufacturers – selling manufactured goods; shop keepers – selling manufactured goods; governments – taxes; some West African leaders – selling Africans as slaves.

Assessment Extension Activities

Attainment levels 4–6. Students could produce a display showing how different groups of Europeans were affected by the slave trade.

10

.TRIANGULAR TRADE. The ‘triangular trade’ is the name often given to the trade involving slaves moving between the Americas, Africa and Europe.

Textiles

African men, women and children

1 Look at the goods and people in the box on the right. Which part of the route would each one have travelled on?

Metal goods

Tools Tobacco

Sugar

Weapons

Cotton

3

2

1

2 Using the above map to help you, write a newspaper article describing the triangular trade, and explaining what happened at each stage.

3 Look at the groups of people listed in the box below. How would each group have made money from the triangular trade? Which groups would usually have made the most profit?

Merchants

Plantation owners

Manufacturers

Shop keepers

Governments

Some West African leaders

Homework Choose three groups of people from the list above who would have made money from sugar during the time of the triangular trade. Explain how they would have made their money.

11

Teachers’ Notes THE MIDDLE PASSAGE Aims

Classroom Management

Additional Information

Differentiation

This page explores conditions on board a slave ship. Students gain an understanding of the conditions and the reasons why resistance was almost impossible. You could measure out the space described to show students how small it was. The roleplays will need to be handed sensitively and could be shown in groups or as a class. The description of the attempted escape is based on the account by Olaudah Equiano, a captured slave who later bought his freedom. The measurements are based on the Liverpool slave ship The Brookes. More able students could roleplay the part of the captured slave.

Assessment

Attainment levels 5–7.

Homework

The interview could be with a slave, the ship owner or one of the crew, and should reflect the opinions of the time.

12

.THE MIDDLE PASSAGE. 1 Millions of slaves were born into slavery, but millions of others were transported on ships from Africa. Look at the picture below and read the information. What emotions might the slaves have felt?

The Africans had to sleep on bare boards with no bedding, in a space of about 180cm x 40cm, and only 80cm high.

The journey lasted two– three months.

The slaves came from different tribes and spoke different languages, which made revolt difficult.

Diseases like smallpox spread quickly.

One African described how a group of slaves jumped overboard, preferring death to a life of slavery.

One in six slaves died.

They were allowed on deck for a few minutes each day, but spent the rest of the time chained up in the hot, dark hold.

2 Prepare a speech where a slave who was transported from Africa talks about the journey. The speech should include the conditions on board, why resistance was difficult, and how slaves could escape.

3 What would you say to someone who claims that the slaves should have fought their way off the ship?

Homework Imagine you have been asked to make a documentary about the Atlantic crossing slaves were forced to make. Write an introduction explaining what life on the ship was like, and then write an interview with someone who was involved.

13

Teachers’ Notes THE RAW MATERIALS Aims

This page aims to give students some understanding of the extent of colonisation around Central America towards the end of the 18th century. Students also find out about the raw materials which slaves were used to produce.

Preparation

Students will need copies of the outline map in Appendix 1 on page 62, atlases and colouring pens or pencils.

Classroom Management

Differentiation

Assessment Extension Activities

The map shows the larger colonies at the end of the eighteenth century. It has been simplified in order to make it more accessible to students, and many of the smaller islands have not been included. You should point out to students that the countries named are the modern countries, and that during colonisation they had different names and boundaries. Students also need to know that the Europeans fought over the colonies, and that areas of land often changed hands. The distribution of raw materials has also been simplified, but reflects the main areas where materials were produced. Students will need to work methodically, identifying the places using an atlas and shading them in before adding symbols for the materials. More able students could draw in and shade the following islands: British – Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, Dominica, Tobago; French – Guadeloupe, Martinique, Lucia, Grenada; Spanish – Trinidad. Attainment levels 5–7. Students could find out about how colonialism influenced one of the countries on their map.

14

.THE RAW MATERIALS. When Europeans landed in America, they began to colonise (take over) large areas of land. Often, they used slaves to farm or mine raw materials such as cotton, gold or sugar. The materials were then sent back to Europe. 1 Using an atlas and the information in Appendix 1, choose a colour for each European country and shade in on the map the colonies each one owned.

Cocoa beans were grown in Venezuela.

Gold was mined in Nicaragua, Columbia and Ecuador.

Sugar was produced throughout the Caribbean Islands and in Brazil.

Tobacco was produced in the USA colonies, Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil.

Cotton was produced in the USA colonies and Brazil.

Silver was mined in Mexico and Peru.

2 Choose a symbol for each of the raw materials and mark them on your map in the appropriate places.

3 Now add a key to show what the symbols and colours stand for.

Homework Write a report on who owned colonies in the Americas at the end of the 18th century, how the land was divided between them, and what the colonies produced.

15

Teachers’ Notes THE PRICE OF PROFIT Aims

Classroom Management

Differentiation Assessment

This page helps students to identify the ways in which some people suffered from the slave trade and others benefited. Students gain an appreciation of the far reaching effects of the slave trade. Students could work in groups of about four for the roleplay which is a ‘hot seating’ exercise. They could share their lists of questions with other groups before beginning the roleplay. Try to encourage a range of questions, from purely practical ones such as, ‘How do you make your money?’ to questions exploring moral issues such as, ‘Do you feel guilty about what you do?’. It might be useful to pause the roleplays from time to time and ask students to show extracts to the class. You can then draw out the differences between the students’ own opinions and the likely opinions of the characters in the picture. At some stage it would be useful to reflect on the fact that slavery played a large part in the European economy and that in this sense, as well as in many other ways, the lives of everyone in Europe were probably affected by slavery. This will be by outcome. Attainment levels 5–7.

16

.THE PRICE OF PROFIT. 1 Many people made money out of the slave trade, others suffered as a result of it. Some of the people affected by the slave trade are shown below. Match each statement to the person who could have made it.

I am able to charge my customers high prices for luxury goods such as sugar.

Merchant My slaves have made me rich – they work my land.

British soldier in the Caribbean

British labourer employed on a slave ship

The slave trade has made me very wealthy, as the boats I own carry slaves, weapons for trading, sugar and rum. I am at sea for months, the pay is terrible, and there is danger from the slaves and from disease, but I have no other job.

Shop keeper in Britain

African slave

I am in the Caribbean to help stop the slaves mutinying. It is dangerous, full of disease and the pay is poor, but I may save enough to buy a piece of land for myself one day.

I make a lot of money making cloth to trade in Africa.

I have lost my family, my tribe, my land – everything.

Plantation owner in the Caribbean

Factory owner in Britain

2 Write a list of questions about the slave trade that you would like to ask the people in the picture. 3 Now take it in turns to roleplay one of the people while the others ask some of the questions from your list. The person playing the character should answer in role.

4 Produce a list showing the advantages and disadvantages of the slave trade for four of the characters from this sheet.

Homework Imagine you were one of the characters from this page. Write a letter to a friend explaining how slavery affects you.

17

Teachers’ Notes LIVING BY THE RULES Aims

Preparation Classroom Management

Assessment Extension Activities

This page begins to investigate the conditions slaves lived under. Students think about the reasons for many of the rules imposed on slaves, and the consequences of these rules. Students will need large sheets of paper. Students could work in pairs or small groups to write their pairs of sentences. In looking at the rules, it should be recognised that conditions did vary from place to place and from year to year. Some plantation owners considered themselves to be very humane and ‘allowed’ activities such as Christian worship. Conditions on the plantations would have varied, with food, housing, working hours and general conditions being comparably better in some places than in others. Even the most liberal plantation owners regarded the slaves as their property. Attainment levels 5–7. A few plantation owners believed that they should provide slaves with reasonable living conditions, partly because this would make them more ‘productive’. Students could debate whether these owners were putting the needs of the slaves or their own needs first.

18

.LIVING BY THE RULES. 2 Write out all the rules on a large sheet of paper. Under each one, write two sentences on the following:

1 Look at the illustration below. Which rules would have been the most hated by the slaves? Give reasons for your opinion.

a) why the plantation owners would have wanted the rule b) what effect the rule would have had on the lives of the slaves.

1 Slaves are the property of the plantation owner. 2 Slaves may not own anything. 3 Slaves must do whatever work and hours the master or his overseers tell them to do. 4 Slaves must not travel beyond the plantation without the master’s permission. 5 Slaves will not marry. 6 Children born to slaves become slaves themselves belonging to the master. 7 Slaves can be sold at any time. Parents and children may be separated. 8 Slaves may not learn to read and write or attend religious services. 9 Slaves must not carry weapons. 10 The master has the right to punish slaves in any way he sees fit.

3 How would the plantation owners have made sure that the rules were not broken? Homework Slaves did break the rules. Choose one of the rules and write a story about a slave who broke it.

19

Teachers’ Notes THE BOOK OF LIVES Aims

This page tries to bring home the fact that slaves were considered a commodity whose value was determined in monetary terms. Students discover what affected the value of a slave and reflect on the fact that each slave entry in a plantation log book represented a real person.

Points To Be Aware Of

The idea of ‘valuing’ people in monetary or other terms needs sensitive handling and you may need to challenge students’ assumptions. When faced with records of this kind, it is easy for students to begin to see slaves as commodities, and you may be surprised at how easily students accept the idea of pricing slaves when they invent their own slaves for the log book. It is essential that at some point in the lesson you give students the opportunity to reflect on the fact that each of the entries in a log book would have been real people. Perhaps ask them how a slave might have felt as he or she grew older and could not carry out as much work.

Classroom Management

Students could study the table in pairs or small groups. You could point out that the names would have been names given by the owners, most of whom did not allow African names. Provide several opportunities for students to reflect on what they are working on.

Assessment Answers

Extension Activities Homework

Attainment levels 5–7. The cooper made barrels, the head driver was in charge of the other slaves. The factors determining the value of a slave would have been gender (women past child-bearing age were generally worth less than men), age (young children and elderly slaves were worth less) and job (‘skilled’ jobs and those in charge of others were worth more). Other factors would include the health, strength and ‘attitude’ of the slave. For example, a slave who attempted to run away would have been considered a liability. Intelligence may have been valued to some extent, as a slave who could learn a skilled job would have been valuable, but in general, signs of intelligence in a slave would have been considered dangerous. Students could work in groups to produce short plays based on the characters they wrote about in their homework. The homework is designed to reinforce the point that log entries represented living people.

20

.THE BOOK OF LIVES. 2 Study the table and make a list of three things which would have affected the value of a slave.

After 1817, slave owners were required to give details of all the slaves they owned to the government. The information below shows some of the information they had to record.

Now write two more entries for the log book, one for a slave worth £110, the other for a slave worth £30.

1 Look at each of the job titles. What work would each job have involved?

Name

Age

Job

Value

Isaac Joe Peter William Charles Jim Susan Amelia Sunday Cecily

53 18 38 40 7 42 38 52 15 18

field worker field worker head driver sugar boiler cattle boy cooper cook for gangs washerwoman domestic field worker

£50 £110 £110 £70 £60 £90 £40 £60 £90 £90

3 What other things about a slave might have affected his or her price? Homework The slaves are listed almost like objects, but each one was a real person. Choose one of the slaves from the log book above and imagine you had actually met that person. Write about the meeting, describing the person and explaining what happened when you met.

21

Teachers’ Notes TO BE FREE IS VERY SWEET Aims

This page looks at life as a slave using evidence from the autobiography of Mary Prince. Students will learn about the abuses slaves suffered and about some of the things they did to try to improve their lives.

Points To Be Aware Of

The information about Mary Prince refers to sexual abuse.

Classroom Management

Students could take it in turns to act out an interview rather than writing one. Some of the these could then be acted out for other pairs or the class. Generating headings for the report could be done in small groups. Make sure that students focus on life as a slave, rather than the wider topic of slavery. You may want to agree three or four headings with the class and ask all students to use the same ones for their reports. Headings could include work, conditions and rights. The reports are intended to be an extended piece of work covering various aspects of life as a slave, and could be used as the final piece of work on the topic.

Timing

Assessment

Students may need more than one homework to complete their reports. Attainment levels 6–8.

22

.TO BE FREE IS VERY SWEET. 2 Write an interview between Mary Prince and someone living in Britain who wants to find out what it was like to be a slave in the Caribbean.

1 Read the information given below. Mary Prince was a slave who was born in Bermuda in about 1788. What does it tell you about life as a slave?

ed. She and 12 her owner di as w y ar M n Whe ners. to different ow

sold her sister were

Mary ma yams an de some money d other g b oods to thy taking in washin e sailors g in the po and selling coffe rt. e, ‘Slaves who tried to run away were sometimes hanged.’

xually ably se owners. She b o r p s a sh er Mary w by one of h as a very har d e w s r u te b s a y ma says, ‘Mlfish man.’ e and s

Slaves used to stories togethersing, dance and tell remembered sl in the evenings. Many about Anansi – aves telling stories the spider full of tricks.

Mary often saw slaves being punished. They were whipped and beaten. She said, ‘I have seen their flesh ragged and raw with licks.’

o asked wh er owners of h f o e n o s a When Mary putting ide had been dom into her head, very is e free e fr o be replied, ‘T ’ t. e e sw

3 Imagine the year is 1830 and you have been asked to write a report on life as a slave for the British government. You have interviewed Mary Prince and gathered other information. Make a list of headings you could use in your report.

Mary was o how she w ften beaten. She des the wrists aas stripped naked, hu cribes with cowsk nd had her ‘flesh ma ng up by in’. de open

Homework Using the some of the headings you thought of, write a report for the British government on life as a slave.

23

Teachers’ Notes NANNY & THE MAROONS Aims

This page shows students that, for some slaves, resistance was possible. Students find out about the way in which some escaped slaves succeeded in organising new communities.

Points To Be Aware Of

Be ready to challenge stereotyped portrayals of Nanny or other characters involved in the story.

Classroom Management

Students could work in groups to prepare the television programmes. They could use a mixture of scripted pieces with roleplay, and could video the final programme if you wished.

Timing

Differentiation

Assessment Extension Activities

You may need a second lesson if groups are going to show or video their work. Less able students could do the obituary activity, although this concept may need to be explained to them. Attainment levels 6–8. Students could produce a classroom wall display of ‘quotations’ about Nanny taken from their television programmes.

24

.NANNY & THE MAROONS. 1 Many slaves ran away. What problems would runaway slaves have faced? 2 One slave who escaped was called Nanny. Read the story of Nanny below, then either: a) use the information to put together a ‘This is your life’ programme on Nanny; or b) write and illustrate an obituary for Nanny.

A

Nanny was a slave in Jamaica. She ran away and joined a rebel town of escaped slaves in the hills. B

By 1720, Nanny had become leader of Nanny town. The town worked like an Ashanti tribe. The escaped slaves (Maroons), farmed and traded. They also raided plantations.

D In 1739 the British finally captured Nanny town. Other Maroon leaders signed a peace treaty which gave them their freedom. In return they agreed to help capture runaway slaves and put down revolts. Nanny refused to sign a treaty like this, but eventually she agreed a truce. C Nanny town was often attacked by British soldiers. The Maroons got warning of the attacks from people they had placed as lookouts and spies. The Maroon warriors fought off the soldiers.

3 How might Nanny have answered the question, ‘Do you feel your life has been a success?’ Give reasons for your answer.

Homework Write a newspaper report following a Maroon attack on a plantation. (Hint – would the newspaper have been in favour of the Maroons or against them?)

25

Teachers’ Notes REVOLUTION IN HAITI Aims

Preparation

This page looks at Haiti, where slaves succeeded in defeating a variety of white rulers and gained independence. Students will explore some of the causes of the revolution and consider what led to its success. You may want to photocopy the information about Toussaint L’Ouverture below for students.

Classroom Management

Students could discuss the jigsaw pieces in small groups before sharing ideas as a class. Posters could show what students consider to be the main reason, or could include several.

Additional Information

St Domingue was the most important French colony in the Caribbean. In 1789, the French revolution defeated the ruling classes in France. The French revolution’s ideals of equality and liberty encouraged the oppressed slaves. Slave revolt broke out in 1791. The revolt continued under the leadership of a slave, Toussaint L’Ouverture. The revolutionary French government also wanted the white rulers overturned and worked with the slaves and mulattoes (people of mixed race) to achieve this. In 1794 the French declared all slaves to be free. Toussaint L’Ouverture helped the French defeat the British and Spanish who had invaded. He became leader of a self-governing state, still officially part of the French Empire. St Domingue was renamed Haiti. By 1802 the French revolution had given way to a new government under the leadership of Napoleon 1. Napoleon decided to recapture Haiti and Toussaint was taken prisoner. Other leaders continued the fight against the French and in 1804 Haiti became the first black independent state in the world. Toussaint died in a French prison the year before Haiti gained its independence.

Differentiation

Assessment

Less able students could produce their posters by copying out the information on each jigsaw piece and illustrating it. Attainment levels 4–6.

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.REVOLUTION IN HAITI. In 1804 Haiti became the first black independent republic in the world. The jigsaw below shows some of the things which helped this come about.

The sla lead er – ves had Tou wh ssa an bril educ o was b int L’Ou liant orn ate ve a do d himse a slave rture, . ctor lf an be d wo He rked lead fore bec a er o f his oming th s arm e y.

1 How would each of these things have helped the revolution succeed?

re we te s hi ion dit the w s. n r co er es unde own v Sla rible tion a ter lant p

. In lony re o c ench sses we t a Fr la ha s a ing c iw ion t Hait , the rul revolut edom. fre ce ya Fran rown b lity and read to h a p t over d in equ ideas s e e s v The Haiti. belie

Black peop le held voodoo me etings, whe re they were a ble to talk and make p lans.

Other co succe lonies had eded in the ir fight f or indep enden USA ce; th was f e o r m ed aft the co er lonials had d t efeate here d their British rulers .

The slave population was very large.

3 Using the ideas you have talked about, design a poster to encourage slaves in Haiti to revolt.

2 Your teacher can tell you more about Toussaint L’Ouverture, who was the grandson of an African king. He learned about Africa from his family and was proud of being an African. How might these facts have helped the revolution to succeed?

Homework Write a newspaper article for a Haitian newspaper in the week that independence is declared, explaining why and how this has come about.

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Teachers’ Notes SLAVERY IS ODIOUS Aims

This page looks at some of the moral arguments against slavery. In particular, students gain an understanding of those arguments used by abolitionists in the eighteenth century.

Classroom Management

After brainstorming reasons against slavery, students could consider the quotations on the sheet. Encourage them to consider how views in the eighteenth century may have differed from views today. Religion was a particularly prominent theme in the argument against slavery, and many Christian groups, including the Society of Friends (Quakers) and Methodist groups, campaigned.

Additional Information

Sources of quotations: The Wedgwood Plaque designed by Josiah Wedgwood; Adam Smith from Wealth of Nations, 1776; Lord Chief Justice Mansfield from his summing up of the Somersett case in 1772, a test case resulting in a ruling that slavery was illegal according to English law. About 15,000 slaves were subsequently freed in England; Ottabah Cugoano, a former slave, writing in Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil and Wicked Traffic of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, 1787; Olaudah Equiano, former slave, Public Advertiser, 5th February 1788; Thomas Clarkson, abolitionist, The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade, 1808.

Assessment Extension Activities

Attainment levels 5–7. Students could roleplay a public meeting discussing the abolition of slavery. You could roleplay the part of someone arguing against abolition. The anti-abolition argument needs sensitive handling and would best be played by an adult.

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.SLAVERY IS ODIOUS. 1 Brainstorm reasons for ending slavery. Which reasons are the most important?

Am I not a man and a brother?

2 Imagine the year is 1797. There is a strong movement to abolish (end) slavery. You have been invited to give a speech at a public meeting arguing that slavery should be abolished. Use the information below and your own ideas to write your speech.

Slavery is so odious that there is nothing that can be said to suppor it. Lord Chief Justice Mansfield

The Wedgwood Plaque

Whatever work a slave does is squeezed out of him by violence only.

Can any man be a Christian who asserts that one part of the human race were ordained to be in perpetual bondage to another?

Adam Smith

Olaudah Equiano

The argument that states them [slaves] to be an inferior link in the chain of nature and so designed for slavery… is wholly false.

If any man should buy another man… and compel him to his service and slavery… the enslaver is a robber and defrauder of that man.

Thomas Clarkson

Ottabah Cugoano

Nearly everybody today would argue against slavery, but in the eighteenth century there were many people who believed that slavery was right. 3 Why do people think differently today? Give reasons for your opinions. Homework Write a conversation between an abolitionist and a slave owner, in which they discuss reasons for keeping or ending slavery.

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Teachers’ Notes WHY DID IT END? Aims

Preparation

Classroom Management

This page looks at the reasons for the abolition of slavery. Students explore a range of reasons and reflect on the fact that historians do not always agree on which reasons were the most influential. Students will need scissors and three different coloured highlighter pens or pencils for shading, and a copy of the reasons given in Appendix 2 on page 63. Students could work in small groups or pairs. Check that students understand the terms ‘moral’ and ‘economic’. Some reasons could arguably fit more than one category. For example, one of the reasons that slavery became unprofitable was because slave resistance cost planters money, either in terms of damage to property or because slaves deliberately worked slowly. Students could pick the category they felt was most relevant, or include some reasons under two categories and shade them in stripes. When the reasons are sorted into order of importance, the colour which appears in the largest amounts towards the top of the list will indicate whether students have chosen moral reasons, economic reasons or slave resistance as the most influential factors. Traditionally, campaigners such as Wilberforce, Clarkson and Sharp have been credited with ending slavery, but more recently historians have acknowledged the importance of economic reasons and of the efforts of slaves themselves.

Differentiation

Assessment Extension Activities

Less able students could be given less reasons to work with, but ensure that reasons concerning economics, morals and slave resistance are all included. Attainment levels 6–8. Students could use graphs, diagrams or pictograms to provide a visual interpretation showing the part played in the abolition of slavery by moral reasons, economic reasons and slave resistance.

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.WHY DID IT END?. In 1834 slavery was finally abolished in the British Caribbean. 1 Cut out the reasons for the abolition of slavery from Appendix 2. Now sort them into three groups headed ‘moral or religious reasons’, ‘economic reasons’ and ‘resistance of slaves.’ Choose three colours and shade each group a different colour.

Moral or religious reasons

Economic reasons

Resistance of slaves

2 Now put all the reasons together, and this time sort them into order beginning with the reason which was most important in ending slavery, and ending with the least important.

3 Which were the most important reasons – moral, economic or slave resistance? Why are there different views on this?

Homework Write a page for a young person’s question and answer book, answering the question, ‘Why was slavery abolished?’. You should include the reasons you think were most important.

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Teachers’ Notes A COUNTRY DIVIDED Aims

Preparation Classroom Management

Assessment Answers

This page looks at the reasons for the American civil war. Students learn about the economic and social reasons for the war, including the issue of slavery. Students will need paper, scissors and glue. The information on this page has been simplified to enable students to gain an overall grasp of the reasons for the American civil war and you may want to add further information. You could introduce the terms ‘confederacy’ and ‘union’, and discuss each of the pairs of facts in more depth. Students could work in pairs or small groups, with a chance to share ideas as a class. At some point you should discuss the fact that the issue of slavery was very important; indeed, some have argued that this was the central issue which led to the war. Attainment levels 5–7. The Union had the advantages of more wealth, industry and a larger population over the Confederacy.

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.A COUNTRY DIVIDED. Wanted to break away from the Northern States Wanted a strong central government which would take charge of the economy and help industry grow Fought against the abolition of slavery

Wanted to control power locally and was against paying ‘tariffs’ on manufactured goods

North

Home to 67% of the population

Produced cotton, rice and tobacco

South

Depended on slave labour Home to 33% of the population (a third of these were slaves) Had elected Abraham Lincoln

Produced 91% of the country’s wealth

Work was done by paid labourers Produced only 9% of the country’s wealth

Wanted North and South to be one country

Produced manufactured goods (for example – machinery, tools, clothes) Was against slavery Unhappy about the election of Abraham Lincoln

In 1861 civil war broke out between the southern and northern States of the USA.

2 Make a list of reasons why the South wanted to be independent. (The statements you cut out will help you.)

1 For each statement about the North (with a ‘stars and stripes’) there is a matching statement about the South (with a ‘rebel flag’) Cut out the statements and match the pairs. Then stick them onto a piece of paper in two columns under the headings ‘North’ and ‘South’.

3 Now look again at the statements you cut out. Which three ideas helped the North to win?

Homework Imagine you are an American from either the North or the South at the start of the civil war. Write a letter explaining why the civil war has broken out, and what you hope will happen.

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Teachers’ Notes BUFFALO SOLDIERS Aims

Preparation

This page looks at the experiences of black soldiers during the American civil war. Students gain an understanding of the dilemma black soldiers faced between the call of patriotism and the reality of the inequality which existed. The feature film ‘Glory’ deals sensitively with this issue, and if available may be a suitable starting point for students.

Classroom Management

The central issue of the gap between the idealism of the North and the treatment black soldiers received can be quite difficult for students to understand. The information below can be told to students to aid their understanding.

Additional Information

Although the North fought for an end to slavery, prejudice and inequality still existed. Black regiments were formed, but they remained segregated from white units and did not receive equal treatment. They received lower pay until Congress insisted on equal pay for black and white soldiers in 1864. They were given poorer equipment and weapons, they often lacked supplies of food and medicine, and they faced the prejudices of white soldiers and commanders. Many white people felt it was dangerous to arm black men in case they staged a rebellion. Frederick Douglass urged black men to join up as he saw the war as a fight against slavery. He felt it would show the courage of black men, increase their self-respect and, he argued, once black men wore the Union uniform, their citizenship of the Union could not be denied. Sslaves in the South may have been showing fear of, or loyalty to, their masters, or support for the Southern States.

Assessment Extension Activities

Attainment levels 6–8. Students could write leaflets aimed at recruiting black soldiers.

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.BUFFALO SOLDIERS. Black soldiers were treated very differently to white soldiers.

Black men who joined the Union (Northern) army were nicknamed ‘Buffalo Soldiers’, as some people said their hair was like that of buffaloes.

2 Using the information below to help you, write a diary entry for a black soldier during the civil war.

1 Why might black men have wanted to join the Union army? Letter from a black soldier to the Christian Recorder newspaper, February 1864

When I was at home I could make a living for my wife and my two little ones; but now that I am a soldier they must do the best they can or starve. It almost tempts me to desert… It is a shame the way they treat us; our officers tell me now that we are not soldiers; that if we were we would get the same pay as the white men; that the government just called us out to dig and drudge… Really, I thought I was a soldier, and it made me feel somewhat proud to think that I had a right to fight for Uncle Sam. When I was at Chelton Hill I felt very patriotic; but my wife’s letters have brought my patriotism down to the freezing point, and I don’t think it will ever rise again.

Letter from Sergeant Harden, 43rd US colored infantry

We are constantly under the fire of the enemy, who shell our camp nearly every day. There have been some few wounded in our regiment since we have been here, but no one killed as far as I can ascertain… I thank God that He has spared my life so far, and still hope to see the city of brotherly love once more. 3 Some of the slaves in the South helped fight the North in the Civil War. What might have been their reasons for fighting?

Homework In the letter to the Christian Recorder above, a black soldier explains why he feels like deserting the army. Write a conversation between a black soldier who is thinking of deserting and another black soldier who thinks he should stay. Try to include as many reasons as possible on both sides of the argument.

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Teachers’ Notes ADVISING THE PRESIDENT Aims

This page looks at the work of Sojourner Truth. Students gain an appreciation of the respect accorded to Sojourner Truth by political leaders of the time.

Classroom Management

The brainstorm could be done as a class, and should generate enough ideas for the students to be able to write their scripts. You may need to remind students that Truth and Lincoln respected each other and that this would have set the tone of the meeting.

Additional Information

Sojourner Truth was born about 1797 and died in 1883. She began life as a slave and, despite remaining largely illiterate, became one of the leading campaign figures of her time. At the time of her meeting with the President, the civil war was drawing to a close and Sojourner Truth wanted to make sure that the President was aware of the needs of black people after the war.

Differentiation

Assessment Extension Activities

The second activity may be difficult for less able students. An alternative would be to write a list of answers the President might give to the questions from the first activity. Attainment levels 6–8. Students could research Harriet Tubman as another example of a black women who fought against slavery.

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.ADVISING THE PRESIDENT. Sojourner Truth was a life long campaigner for rights for black people and women. In 1864 she met with President Lincoln to put forward her views.

Sojourner Trut h began

1 Read the information about Sojourner Truth below. Based on what you know of her, brainstorm a list of some of the things she might have said to the President.

life as a slave.

heard She was religious and believed she messages from God.

She began prea ching in the stre ets.

She argued for the abolition of slavery and for women’s rights.

She cam paigned fo r supplies during th for black e civil wa soldiers r.

She would speak at meetings, sometimes facing angry and violent crowds.

She described Lincoln as a ‘great and good man’.

She worked to im prove conditions for the Black people living in sl um areas of Washing ton.

2 A film is being made about the life of Sojourner Truth. You are the script writer. Write the script for the meeting between Lincoln and Sojourner Truth. Remember to include instructions for how they should move and speak, as well as writing their conversation.

3 Your film is being released on video. Write a paragraph to go on the video case telling people what the film is about and persuading them to watch it.

Homework Design a monument to Sojourner Truth to be included in an exhibition celebrating Black Women of Achievement. Your monument should include an inscription (piece of writing on or beside the monument) explaining why Sojourner Truth is worthy of being included in the exhibition.

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Teachers’ Notes JIM CROW Aims

This page helps students gain an understanding of what life was like for Black Americans after slavery was abolished. Students are introduced to some of the ‘Jim Crow’ laws.

Classroom Management

You will need to ensure that students understand the term ‘segregation’. Students need to appreciate the gap between the words of the constitution, which gave full citizenship to black men, and the experiences of black people. When students have considered the cartoons, you can reveal that all of these restrictions were true at some time in some parts of the USA.

Additional Information

‘Separate but equal’ became a legal term in 1896 when the supreme court ruled that separate but equal facilities were acceptable. The southern states tended to have the most ‘Jim Crow’ laws. The origin of the term ‘Jim Crow’ is unclear, but may have referred to a slave or slave owner. The cartoons focus on the Jim Crow laws, but you may also want to discuss other issues which affected black people, for example they usually had poorer housing, lower paid jobs and less access to education. They were also victims of verbal and physical racial abuse. The Ku Klux Klan, founded in 1867, is thought to have been responsible for more than 10,000 lynchings of black men and women in its first twenty years.

Assessment Answers

Attainment levels 5–7. All the statements were true at some time in some parts of the USA. Some laws, like those forbidding ‘mixed’ marriages, existed until the 1950s. The Jim Crow laws were unfair because facilities offered were not of an equal standard and, more fundamentally, because any law based on race is discriminatory.

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.JIM CROW. In 1875 the USA passed a civil rights bill which gave all persons ‘full and equal’ rights. Despite this, many Southern states brought in laws segregating black and white people. These laws became known as ‘Jim Crow’ laws. 1 Look at the cartoons below. Which of these do you think really happened?

Black and white people were not allowed to marry each other

Text books printed for black and white students were kept apart in the warehouse

Separate carriages in trains

People had to pass reading and writing tests in order to vote

Separate water fountains and telephone boxes

Black and white workers at a cotton mill were not allowed to look out of the same window

2 Imagine you are a European visiting South Carolina in 1900. Write a letter describing what you have learnt about life for black people, and how you feel about it.

Separate schools

Black and white people were not allowed to play board games together

3 The ‘Jim Crow’ laws were based on the idea that black people could be provided with facilities which were ‘separate but equal’. Suggest at least two reasons why this was unfair.

Homework The historian Lerone Bennett Junior wrote about the Jim Crow laws, saying that, ‘Brick by brick, bill by bill, fear by fear, the wall grew taller and taller.’ Design a poster to illustrate his words.

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Teachers’ Notes WAYS AND MEANS Aims

Preparation Classroom Management

Additional Information

This page looks at two of the influential movements concerned with Black rights at the beginning of the twentieth century. Students explore the different approaches of Booker T Washington and William Du Bois. Students will need the information from these teaching notes. Students could sort the statements in pairs, then check them as a class, giving you the opportunity to discuss the statements and their implications. Students should appreciate the difference between Washington, who believed in working with the system, and Du Bois, who believed in fighting it. After preparing the opening statements, students could hold debates in groups or as a whole class. You may need to point out that Booker T Washington was not related to President Washington! Booker T Washington and William Du Bois both wanted to improve the lives of black Americans, but they used different methods. Booker T Washington 1856-1915 Washington was born a slave and became a teacher. He believed that black people should not fight against their position but should try to improve it by working hard. He accepted segregation, and worked closely with black and white people. He met with politicians and was described as ‘the most powerful Negro in America’. William Du Bois 1868-1963 Du Bois was the first black man in the United States to receive a PhD degree. He believed that black people should campaign for equal rights. He campaigned for freedom of speech, votes for black men and an end to racial discrimination of all sorts. He criticised Washington for saying that black people should accept their position.

Differentiation

Assessment

Students could base their debate statements on the ten statements they have sorted. More able students could carry out further research into Washington and Du Bois before writing their debate statements. Attainment levels 6–8.

Answers

Statements c), e), i), g), and j) reflect the views of Booker T Washington; a), b), d), f) and h) reflect the views of Du Bois.

Extension Activities

Students could find out about the lives of Washington and Du Bois and reflect on how far their upbringings may have influenced their views.

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.WAYS AND MEANS. 1 Your teacher will give you some information about Booker T Washington and William Du Bois. Sort the statements in the illustration into two lists showing which statements each man would probably have agreed with.

a) Black people with the ability should be encoura ged to go to university. b) Black people should fight against prejudice

and injustice.

c) Black people need before being gran to show their loyalty to the Unite d States ted the right to vo te.

d) Black people have the right to

live as equal citizens with white peo ple. e) Black people shou ld continue to work

for white people.

f) Black people should demand the end to segregation.

g) Black people should try to improve their lives by working hard to earn money to kee p themselves.

h) Black people should be given the right to vote immediately. i) Black students shou ld learn trades, not stu dy for higher education and degrees .

j) Segregation in schools and public places such as buses and cafés isn’t important

2 Imagine you have been invited to a debate between followers of Washington and followers of Du Bois. Write the opening statements each side would make.

3 If you could meet Washington and Du Bois, what questions would you ask them? What replies might they give?

Homework Imagine you are a black American in 1910. A friend has written asking whether you are a follower of Washington or Du Bois. Write a reply explaining which man you agree with, how black people should behave according to him, and why you think he is right.

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Teachers’ Notes OUR OWN LAND Aims

This page looks at the life of Marcus Garvey. Students find out about his life and aims, and explore his opinions.

Points To Be Aware Of

The idea that black people should ‘return’ to Africa has at times been supported by both black activists and white racists. Garvey’s vision was based on the belief that black people deserved their own state and you may need to point out that this is very different from the racist viewpoint of ‘they don’t belong over here – send them back to where they come from.’ Students also need to appreciate that whilst many black people living in Britain feel that Africa is their true home, many others feel entirely British. The first activity will provide an opportunity for exploring these issues.

Classroom Management

Students could discuss the initial questions in groups before sharing ideas as a class. When looking at the information on Garvey, it may help to remind students that at the time Garvey was asking for Africa to be ‘restored’, many parts of Africa were still governed by white Europeans. You may also need to point out that the word ‘negro’ was considered acceptable at this time. The museum could be annotated sketches showing what the figure of Garvey will be doing, and what will be around him.

Differentiation

The amount of written information students include can vary from two or three sentences about Garvey’s life to a more detailed account of his life, opinions and aims.

Assessment

Attainment levels 5–7.

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.OUR OWN LAND. 2 Using the information below, design a display about Marcus Garvey for a museum. Your design should include written information on Garvey, his life and his aims.

1 Marcus Garvey believed that black people belonged in the land of their ancestors – Africa. Why do you think he thought this?

Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica in 1887. He moved to the USA in 1919.

Garvey said, ‘Where is the black man’s government, where is his king and kingdom?… I could not find them; and then I declared, ‘I will help to make them’.’

He set up many black groups to achieve his aims.

He told people that ‘black is beautiful’.

Garvey believed that black people should have their own land in Africa. He set up a steamship line to enable black people from the Americas to move to Africa.

By 1919 he had over 2 million supporters.

His steamship company went bankrupt, he was charged with fraud, and was sent to prison. Two years later he was pardoned, but he was deported from the USA and was unable to carry on with his work. He died in London in 1940.

3 What do you think was the greatest achievement of Garvey’s life? Why?

Homework Consider all you know about Marcus Garvey. Do you think his life was a success or a failure?

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Teachers’ Notes A LONG WAY TO GO Aims

This page looks at some of the organisations set up by black people after the civil war to provide opportunities for black people. Students think about why such groups were needed, and how black people benefited.

Points To Be Aware Of

You may want to point out that the words ‘negro’ and ‘colored’ (US spelling) were commonly used at the time.

Classroom Management

The initial statement and questions will give students the chance to reflect on the prejudice, discrimination and segregation faced by black people at this time. You may want to refer to work done on the Jim Crow laws. Each of the self help schemes could be discussed as a class before students choose which one to focus on for their leaflets. In answering the final question, students should explore the idea that education is regarded by many as the key to achieving equality for any oppressed group. They should focus on the idea of education being the way to a better life.

Assessment

Attainment levels 4–6.

Homework

Students could brainstorm ideas for the homework as a class in the lesson. Ideas might include raising finance, attracting customers, competing with competition, and dealing with prejudice. Students will need to have talked about the importance of black financial organisations such as banks and insurance companies.

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.A LONG WAY TO GO. The illustration below shows information about self-help schemes set up by black people.

1 ‘Although the civil war had freed black people from slavery, it had not freed them from hostility, discrimination and violence.’ What does this statement mean? What problems faced black people after slavery was abolished?

2 Choose one scheme and design a leaflet to raise funds for it. You will need to explain what the scheme does and why it is needed.

State schools for black children were overcrowded and had very little equipment. Black churches and other organisations opened their own schools. Mary McLeod Bethune started a girls high school in Florida. Pupils paid 50 cents a week.

The National Negro Business League began in 1900 to support black businesses. By 1907 it had 320 local branches offering help and advice in many areas, including finance and law. White-owned banks often refused to lend money to black businesses. Black people organised their own banks, credit unions, friendly societies and insurance companies.

In 1908 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People began. It published a regular magazine with black news and opinions, and challenged discrimination by taking cases to court.

3 Black schools, universities, medical schools and law schools were opened. Why did black people believe education was so important? Homework What problems might black people who wanted to start their own businesses have faced? How could they have overcome these?

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Teachers’ Notes SING AMERICA Aims

This page uses a poem by Langston Hughes to encourage students to reflect on life for black people in America in the 1930s. Students will explore the experiences, attitudes and hopes expressed in the poem.

Preparation

Students will need to know a reasonable amount of factual information about segregation in America in order to understand the poem. The worksheet JIM CROW could be used before this sheet.

Classroom Management

Students could read the poem in small groups. Each group could have a large sheet of paper to brainstorm their thoughts and feelings about the poem. They could then highlight five or six points which they could share with the class. The statements can also be written in small groups. Limiting them to five statements will mean they have to discuss their ideas and negotiate which ones they want to include. Students should focus on the emotions that songs and poems can inspire for the historian.

Differentiation

You could highlight particular lines, or groups of lines, for students to focus on when writing the ‘poet believes’ statements. Suggestions for eight highlighted sections: lines 3–4, 5, 7, 8–10, 11–14, 16, 17, and 18.

Assessment Extension Activities

Attainment levels 5–7. Students could find out about the ‘Harlem Renaissance’ and the work of other artists such as poet Countee Cullen, artists William M Johnson and Aaron Douglas, photographer James Van Der Zee, sculptor Meta Warwick Fuller and novelists Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright.

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.SING AMERICA. 1 Read the poem below several times and jot down your thoughts and feelings as you read it.

Epilogue I, too, sing America I am the darker brother They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh And eat well And grow strong Tomorrow, I’ll sit at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me ‘Eat in the kitchen’ Then. Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed I, too, am America

Langston Hughes

2 Write five statements about what the poet is trying to say, beginning each statement with the words, ‘The poet believes that…’ Do you think he is right?

3 How useful is poetry to a historian who wants to know how people thought and felt at a particular time?

Homework Langston Hughes wrote poetry partly because he wanted people to know about life for black people in America. Imagine you lived in America in 1930. Write down one thing you would want people to know about life for black people at this time. Now write a poem to help people to understand this.

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Teachers’ Notes FIGHTING ABROAD Aims

This page explores the experience of black soldiers during the Second World War. Students focus on the dilemma felt by many black Americans of feeling loyalty to a country where they did not have equality.

Classroom Management

Students could discuss the information around the poster before writing their magazine articles. Students should discuss the notion of black people fighting for others’ freedom while they themselves were not free for the third activity.

Additional Information

Some historians feel that the Second World War was a turning point for black Americans, who felt the irony of being asked to fight for ‘their’ country, when in reality their country still treated them as second class citizens. Crisis was the magazine published by the NAACP, and the cover described is from the July 1940 issue. Some felt that black people should not fight and in 1941 a group of young Black Americans from Chicago formed a group called ‘Conscientious objectors against Jim Crow’.

Differentiation

Assessment Extension Activities

Ideas could be collected on the board which could be included in the articles. Attainment levels 5–7. Students could design their own covers for war time copies of Crisis magazine.

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.FIGHTING ABROAD. 1 List the ways the recruitment poster shown below tries to persuade black people to join the services. How well would it have worked?

Black soldiers were not allo wed to use the sa me leisure fa cilities as white sold iers.

ation and faced segreg rs ie ld so ck la B fought in e army. They th in n tio a in of the war. discrim arly the end e n til n u its n separate u During th e Secon d World were ov War the er 800,0 re 00 black people in the Ame rican for ces.

Many black soldiers found that they were better treate d by the European and Asian peop le they met overseas th an by white Ame ricans.

are that they were Black Americans were aw ist policies, whilst fighting Hitler and his rac themselves at home. still facing discrimination

2 Many people felt that segregation in the army was wrong. Using the information above and your own ideas, write an article for a Black American magazine in July 1940, explaining why segregation in the army is wrong.

3 Some black people argued that black men should not join the army. What reasons might they have given for this opinion? Do you agree?

Homework Many black servicemen felt a loyalty to America, but at the same time felt angry about the way they were being treated as ‘second class citizens’. Write a letter from a black serviceman describing what it is like to be in the American army and how he feels about it.

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Teachers’ Notes GETTING INTO SCHOOL Aims

This page highlights the extent of discrimination faced by black people in the South in the 1950s. Students find out about the events at Little Rock in 1954 and reflect on the importance of this campaign.

Classroom Management

Students may find it hard to appreciate the significance of the events at Little Rock, and it will be worthwhile discussing the cartoon in some depth before they write their interviews. Point out that the State governor actually used troops to prevent the nine teenagers from getting in, even though segregated schools had been ruled unconstitutional. Students could also talk about how it must have felt to be one of a handful of teenagers faced by a huge, hostile crowd of adults. You may need to explain that Federal troops are controlled by central government, not the State. The final question will give students the opportunity to think about how the US government acted to control individual states.

Differentiation

Assessment

Students could write their interview questions and then roleplay the interviews, before or instead of writing them. In this case it will help if the role of the Little Rock student is played by a more able student. Attainment levels 5–7.

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.GETTING INTO SCHOOL. In 1954 an American court ruled that there should not be separate schools for black and white children. Many states in the south of the US ignored this ruling. 1 Read the cartoon. Why was this event so important?

1

2

In September 1957 an angry crowd threatened nine black teenagers who tried to enter the High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Governor Fabus put State troops outside the school to stop the black children from entering.

3

The events were filmed and shown on news programmes around the world. Many people were shocked at what they saw.

5 4

After 18 days, President Eisenhower sent Federal troops to protect the nine children.

2 Imagine you have been asked to interview one of the black children, 20 years after this event. Write down the questions you will ask.

The students continued to go to school. A paper said, ‘They risked their lives for the right to attend an integrated high school.’

3 Why do you think it was important that the President sent troops to protect the children?

Now write the interview. Homework Imagine you had watched the events as they happened on the news. Write a letter to the children telling them how you feel.

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Teachers’ Notes ROSA PARKS Aims

Classroom Management

Additional Information

Assessment Extension Activities

This page looks at one non-violent protests against discrimination. Students learn about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and consider why this non-violent approach succeeded. You could read through the cartoon with the class and discuss the significance of the events. Students could also discuss the concept of non-violent protest. Segregation on buses had already been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme court in 1954, but Southern States had continued to ignore this ruling. Rosa Parks, a member of the Montgomery NAACP, worked with Martin Luther King to organise the Montgomery Bus Boycott which brought mass media attention to the situation. Attainment levels 6–8. Rosa Parks lost her job as a result of the boycott, but continued to be active in civil rights. Students could find out about her life after the boycott.

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.ROSA PARKS. 1 Who would you give up your seat for on a crowded bus? Why would you do this?

1

2

One day in 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man.

4

A Federal court case ruled that segregation was wrong, and the bus company lost large amounts of money. Eventually, the bus company was forced to end segregation on their buses.

In the 1950s in Southern USA, buses were segregated. Black people had to sit at the back. If the white seats were full, black people had to stand to let white people sit, or they would face a fine.

3

Her arrest led to a 13 month boycott of the buses. The protest was led by Martin Luther King, and continued despite attacks on many of the black people involved.

2 Read the story in the illustration and design a poster urging people to boycott the buses, explaining why they should do this.

3 The boycott was a non-violent protest, meaning that the protesters did not try to harm anybody or any property. Do you think this way of protesting helped the campaign?

Homework Design a monument to stand at the bus stop used by Rosa Parks, to remind people of the fight against segregation on the buses. Your monument should include an inscription (piece of writing) telling people about the boycott.

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Teachers’ Notes JOURNEYING SOUTH Aims

This page looks at the campaign of sit-ins and Freedom Rides in the 1960s. Students consider the tactics and effectiveness of these protests.

Classroom Management

Students will need to have a clear understanding of how the Freedom Rides worked before planning their radio programme. Students could work in groups to produce their radio programmes, which could be written or performed. Students could discuss the influence of the media for the final activity.

Additional Information

The Freedom Rides were initiated by CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality) and protesters were given training in non-violent techniques. Estimates suggest that over 1,000 people were involved in these campaigns by the end of 1961.

Assessment Extension Activities

Attainment levels 6–8. Students could find out about some of the groups who believed in more militant methods of protesting, such as the Black Panthers.

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.JOURNEYING SOUTH. Martin Luther King, and many other black activists, urged people to campaign in nonviolent ways.

Black and white students entering a hotel doorway labelled ‘whites only’.

1 How are the people in each of the pictures below trying to fight against segregation and discrimination?

Black and white students sitting together in the ‘whites only’ section of a bus. Groups of black and white people, many of them students, travelled into Southern states where segregation still existed. They sat together on public transport, and went into ‘white-only’ areas together. These protests became known as ‘sit-ins’ and ‘Freedom Rides’. The protesters were non-violent, but often faced violence. Three freedom riders were murdered and many others were beaten.

Black and white students sitting at a lunch counter together; all the other customers are white.

2 Produce a radio programme about the sit-ins and Freedom Rides. You could include interviews, reports of events and comments about the situations.

3 The Freedom Rides and sit-ins were reported on news programmes all over the world. How might this have helped the campaigners?

Homework Design three stamps to commemorate the civil rights campaigns, and explain in writing why you chose the designs you have used.

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Teachers’ Notes YOU WILL UNDERSTAND Aims

This page looks at extracts from Martin Luther King’s Birmingham City Jail letter. Students analyse what motivated King and how he expressed his ideas.

Preparation

Students will need a basic knowledge of Martin Luther King before doing the work on this page.

Points To Be Aware Of

The extracts on the page include the words ‘colored’ and ‘nigger’. You may need to include a discussion on the implications of these words during the 1960s.

Classroom Management

The extract is taken from the letter written from Birmingham City Jail. Students may find it quite challenging. You could read the extracts through with the class initially to ensure they understand the basic message. Students could then work in groups to write their lists and discuss words and phrases, before comparing and discussing them as a class again. For the third activity students should talk about the consequences of breaking laws and when it might be morally right to do so.

Assessment Extension Activities

Attainment levels 6–8. Students could find out about the influence of Gandhi on Martin Luther King’s beliefs.

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.YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. In 1963, Martin Luther King wrote a letter from prison to a group of clergymen who did not agree with the way he campaigned. 1 Read the extracts below and discuss the points King makes.

…when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park, and see tears welling up in her eyes… and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her … developing an unconscious bitterness towards white people… …when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking, ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’… …when you… sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you… …when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading ‘white’ and ‘colored’… …when your first name becomes ‘nigger’ and your middle name becomes ‘boy’ (however old you are)… …then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.

2 Make a list of the most important points that King makes and highlight the words or phrases which help to get his message across clearly. Choose one word or phrase which stands out and say why you think it is effective. Homework

3 Later in the letter, King writes that people should be prepared to break unjust laws ‘openly, lovingly and with a willingness to accept the penalty.’ What did he mean by this? Do you agree?

Write a reply to King, giving your opinions and reactions to his comments.

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Teachers’ Notes MALCOLM X Aims

This page looks at the life of Malcolm X. Students focus on the turning points in his life.

Classroom Management

Students could discuss the turning points in groups before sharing ideas as a class. Encourage students to think about all the changes in his life. Many people regard Malcolm X as a militant anti-white campaigner, and his changes of opinion towards the end of his life are often overlooked. The film scripts and directions could be written individually or in pairs, while less able students could be instructed to design the poster.

Differentiation

Assessment Extension Activities

The film scenes could be written as storyboards, scripts or simple dialogue. Attainment levels 6–8. Students could say what advice they would give the actors playing their film scenes. They should describe what the actors should do and how they should say the lines. Alternatively, students could compare the message of the Black Muslims with that of pacifist campaigners such as Martin Luther King.

Homework

You will need to ensure that students understand what an obituary is.

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.MALCOLM X. 1 People sometimes describe events that change their lives as ‘turning points’. Read the biography of Malcolm X below and make a list of the turning points in his life.

1925 – Malcolm Little was born.

1931 – Malcolm’s father was murdered by racists.

1936 – Malcolm’s mother became ill. The children were taken into care.

1942 – Malcolm moved to New York. He had several jobs but also became involved in crime.

1946 – Malcolm was sent to prison for burglary. He became interested in the ‘Black Muslims’ also known as ‘The Nation of Islam’. Their leader, Elijah Mohammed, taught that black people were better than white people and would eventually overthrow them.

1949 – Malcolm came out of prison and began working for the Black Muslim Brotherhood.

1952 – Malcolm changed his surname to X as a sign that his African surname had been lost with slavery. He spoke against campaigners like Martin Luther King because they worked with white people.

1964 – Malcolm split from the Black Muslims to begin the Organisation of Afro-American Unity. He went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and travelled in Africa and Europe. This changed his view of white people – he no longer believed they were all evil.

2 You have been asked to make a film about Malcolm X. Choose one of the turning points and write a script for a scene about it, or design a poster advertising the film. 3 Which were the most important turning points in Malcom X’s life?

1965 – Malcolm X was assassinated.

Homework Imagine the year is 1965 and Malcolm X has just been killed. Write an obituary (article about his life and death) for a newspaper.

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Teachers’ Notes WHO IS IT? Aims

Classroom Management

Assessment Answers

Extension Activities

This page helps students recognise some of the achievements of black people past and present, and could be used as the starting point for a class display on ‘Black people of achievement’. The quiz will challenge most students, and could be done as a competition with students working in teams. Names include those of black achievers in the past and present. You could ask students to rely on memory alone, or allow them to use reference material to find the answers. If students are going to produce a classroom display of black people of achievement then it will be useful to agree on a definition, which could be the statement most students agree with, or an amalgamation of several. You may also want to brainstorm other black people who have made significant achievements in a variety of areas. Attainment levels 3–6. 1 Jackson, 2 Alice Walker, 3 Rosa Parks, 4 Marcus Garvey, 5 Spike Lee, 6 Oprah Winfrey, 7 Martin Luther King, 8 Nanny, 9 Arthur Ashe, 10 Sojourner Truth, 11 Bob Marley, 12 Derek Walcott. Students could produce a classroom display of black people of achievement, with pairs or small groups focusing on one person. Alternatively, students could make up word searches or crosswords based on the people in the quiz.

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.WHO IS IT?. 1 How many of the following people can you name? The numbers in brackets tell you how many letters are in the name. Work with a partner to find the answers.

1

Surname of singer Michael and politician Jesse (7)

2

Author of ‘The Color Purple’ (5,6)

3

She began the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give up her seat (4,5)

4

He started the ‘back to Africa’ campaign (6,6)

5

Film Director. One of his films was ‘Malcolm X’ (5,3)

6

Hosts her own talk show, owns a TV company and has also appeared in films (5, 7)

7

A famous civil rights leader in America who ‘had a dream’ (6,6,4)

8

A runaway slave in Jamaica who led the Maroons (5)

9

First black tennis player to win Wimbledon (6,4)

10

A 19th Century campaigner who spoke out for black people and women (9,5)

11

World famous reggae singer (3,6)

12

Prize winning Caribbean poet (5,7)

2 All of the people in this quiz could be described as ‘black people of achievement’. Write a paragraph explaining what this phrase means.

3 If you were going to produce a display about five ‘black people of achievement’, which five would you include and why?

Homework If you could meet one of the people from the quiz, who would you choose to meet? Why would you choose this person? What questions would you ask, and what else would you say?

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.APPENDIX 1. The Raw Materials – page 15 Spain took over a huge area, from Mexico, right through Central America and including parts of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. They also owned Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Britain’s colonies included 13 colonies grouped along the East coast of the USA, the Bahamas, Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica and Belize. France held colonies in Haiti and French Guiana. Portugal ruled Brazil. The Dutch ruled Suriname, Guyana and Curaçao.

Neil, please draw a map of colonies (*SY to provide).

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.APPENDIX 2. Why did it end? – page 31

Long history of slave rebellion and resistance

Sugar beet was being produced in Europe

Ex-slaves wrote and talked about the conditions of slaves

Slave revolution in St Domingue (Haiti)

Plantations were expensive to run, everything was done by hand, and much of the soil was exhausted

People began attending public meetings and refusing to buy sugar

Slaves deliberately worked slowly

Paid labourers were prepared to work harder than slaves

The anti-slavery society, formed in 1821, campaigned against slavery

The Montego Bay rebellion in Jamaica in 1831 cost planters over £1.15 million in damages

It was cheaper to pay wages than to provide housing and food for slaves

Many religious groups argued that slavery was wrong

Campaigners argued that slavery was wrong

More people in Britain began to feel that decent living conditions were a right for everyone

Cheaper sugar was being produced in Brazil and Cuba

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Name of page

Number of page

Date set

Date completed

KS3 AT (attainment target) levels

KS3 AT level achieved

Student comment

Student signature

Teacher signature

.DATA RECORD PAGE.

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