Slavery in the Constitutional Structure
From: Gilder-Lehrman
Grade Level: MS, HS, College
Remote Ready: With Modifications
Time: 1-2 Class Periods
Length of Reading: Paragraphs
Link: Making a Covenant with Death: Slavery in the Constitutional Structure
Each group reads an assigned portion of the Constitution that deals with slavery. Students write the main ideas on a large sheet of paper. Hang these sheets of paper on the walls and have each group present on their overviews. Then debate, as the founders, which aforementioned portions to keep in or leave out of the Constitution. Finally Students create a written dialogue between a founder and a slave.
Gilder Lehrman resources are free but you must log in.
More Information:
Grade Level:
MS, HS, College: This lesson is meant for middle school, high school, and college students
This Activity Involves:
Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources.
Group Work: This activity calls for working in pairs or groups or having a group discussion.
Writing Exercise: This activity requires a writing assignment such as a discussion post, journal entry, or lengthy response to a prompt. Almost all of our activities require students to answer questions with short responses, but this icon refers to a slightly longer writing assignments.
Stearns, Junius Brutus, Artist. Life of George Washington--The farmer / painted by Stearns ; lith. by Régnier, imp. Lemercier, Paris. Paris: Lemercier. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/96521631/>.
