Developed By:  Dan Broyld and Paquita Jarman-Smith 

The journey to abolish slavery in the United States was a battle that progressed gradually over time. The unit explores: the individuals, groups, and schools of thought that contributed to the movement. The subsections of the unit will move through the topics of Black survival and resistance to enslavement and emancipation using the Gradualist, Militant, Early and Late Political Periods, and the Civil War. Students will also examine “Free” Black communities, Slave Narratives, Negro Spirituals, folklores, newspapers, pamphlets, and speeches that Blacks and abolitionists employed to precipitate change. Themes of resistance and agency will be examined.

In this unit, students will:

• Examine how Africans and African descendants worked individually and collectively to spark revolutionary change to their existence; and

• Explore various perspectives of enslavement from free and enslaved Africans.

Compelling Questions:  When is resistance and/or revolution justified/glorified/condemned?  How effective were the actions of abolitionists and the slave rebellions of this period?  Are individual contributions or collective efforts more effective in actualizing social change?