David L. Parsons
A good exercise to follow up the activities on social conditions among pre-Revolutionary slaves is list-making. The lists and their justification can get a good class discussion going.
Station students at the board to write down the items or have each child make a complete list first. Some categories for the lists are:
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Things slaves must do
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Things slaves cannot do that free people can
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Things slaves can also do that free people can
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Things slaves don’t have to do that free people do
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Good things about being a slave
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Bad things about being a slave
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Good things about owning slaves
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Bad things about owning slaves
Needless to say, this lesson needs careful controlling, but it can generate a good deal of student interest. Other projects are also possible.
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Reports: Southern slavery
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slave narratives (oral reports on individual slaves)
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Map: slave population density in Connecticut
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Chart: slave jobs in Connecticut
