The History and Legacy of American Slavery

Through this topic, students will learn the truth about the conditions of the American chattel slavery system through accounts centered on enslaved people's lived-experiences.

In contrast to conventional teachings of slavery, which portray slavery as a sin of individual slave owners, students will learn how the growth of the US economy was entirely dependent on slave labor, and how non-slaveholders also benefitted from the institution of slavery.

Though slavery was primarily a financial institution, theories of white supremacy arose to justify its existence. Students will learn about these theories, including paternalism and pseudoscience, explained in easy-to-understand language.

The Reconstruction Era is taught in American schools as a time period when the country recovered and reunited after the Civil War. Instead, students will learn the truth -- how Reconstruction was undermined and failed newly-freed slaves, allowing for hate groups like the KKK to thrive.

Student will learn about Jim Crow as both a legal and social system that furthered the legacy of slavery through enforced segregation and limited job opportunities for Black Americans.

Students will learn how American policing has roots in slave patrols, as well as how police departments played an integral role in upholding Jim Crow Era discriminatory laws.

We will take a closer look at the 13th Amendment and how it allows slavery to legally exist in US prisons. Students will learn how the War on Drugs and other programs have imprisoned Black Americans at a disproportionate rate, allowing corporations to exploit their labor as a continuation of slavery.

Having gained a thorough understanding of American slavery and its ongoing legacy, students will explore policy and community solutions to the problem.