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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in the Columbia River Basin

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students research the Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive (CRBEHA) and use a variety of primary sources to explore the history of blacks in the region.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparison of Owners' Perceptions of Runaway Indentured Servants and Slaves

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and contrast servants and slaves in a journal entry. They examine ads which describe indentured servants accompanied by escaped slaves. They draw conclusions as to owners' perceptions and present their conclusions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not the Stereotypical Immigrant? Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare and contrast the differences in African immigrants and traditional immigrants using a Venn diagram. They read the narrative "African Immigration" and examine the goals of African immigrants.
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Identity, Making of African American Identity: V. 2, 1865 1917

For Students 9th - 10th
Sixteen primary sources-historical documents, literary texts, visual images, audio, and video material-that explore how African Americans created group and individual identities in the late-nineteenth century.
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Unit Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: African Immigration: Africans in America: Life in a Slave Society

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent overview of the African American experience in America beginning with West Africa during the slave trade, through emancipation and reconstruction, to "New beginnings."
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: From Courage to Freedom:frederick Douglass's 1845 Autobiography

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
In this 3-lesson unit, students will read Douglass's narrative. They will analyze Douglass's vivid first-hand accounts of the lives of slaves and the behavior of slave owners to see how he successfully contrasts reality with romanticism...
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Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: American Memory: African American Odyssey

For Students 9th - 10th
The Library of Congress' Digital Library presents an outstanding lesson that links to collections about the quest for full citizenship, Frederick Douglass papers, slave narratives, and more.
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Segregation: From Jim Crow to Linda Brown

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Lesson from the Library of Congress on "the era of legal segregation in America, from Plessy v. Ferguson (1897) to Brown v. The Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas (1954)."
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Family Customs Past and Present: Exploring Cultural Rituals

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Photos, documents, music, and stories help students deepen their understanding of the rituals and customs of various cultures throughout American history.
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Website
Columbia University

Maap | Mapping the African American Past

For Students 9th - 10th
MAAP lessons, developed at Teachers College, Columbia University, help teachers at all levels engage in content through stories about building community, resisting slavery, and contributing to New York City's development. Lessons are...
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: The Making of African American Identity 1917 1968

For Students 9th - 10th
Eighty-two primary sources explore African American identity in the 20th century. They examine segregation, migrations, protest, community, and what remained to be overcome.
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Unit Plan
Massachusetts Historical Society

Massachusetts Historical Society: Phillis Wheatley

For Students 9th - 10th
Read a biography of Phillis Wheatley, along with poems and letters written by her.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: This Far by Faith

For Students 9th - 10th
Follow the spiritual journey of African Americans as you move along a timeline of major events and eras. Excellent coverage of the importance of spiritualism, religions, and faith in the African American community. Major religious...
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Website
PBS

Pbs: Unforgivable Blackness

For Students 9th - 10th
Online companion to Ken Burns documentary about boxing legend Jack Johnson. Very extensive site that gives you the life story of Johnson and the challenges he faced. Can be used as a companion to the PBS documentary.
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Sites in the Digital Collections

For Students 9th - 10th
American Memory, online exhibits and other areas of the Library's Web site provide a broad range of digitized materials pertaining to the African American experience.
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Website
Other

Massachusetts Studies Project: African Americans in Massachusetts

For Students 9th - 10th
The full title of this page is "African Americans in Massachusetts: Case Studies of Desegregation in 19th Century Nantucket and Boston." It features a timeline that covers the mid-19th century cases in Nantucket and Boston concerning the...
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Website
Other

National Urban League Home Page

For Students 9th - 10th
The homepage of the National Urban League, whose mission "is to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity and power and civil rights."
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Website
Other

A Historical Look at the Honorable Elijah Muhammad

For Students 9th - 10th
This site gives an excellent description of Elijah Muhammad's life, religious beliefs, and influence. It is very detailed and informative, written from the perspective of the Nation of Islam.
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Primary
Yale University

Avalon Project: African Americans Biography, Autobiography and History

For Students 9th - 10th
Five primary source materials on African American history: I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr., My Bondage and Freedom by Frederick Douglass, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois, Up From...
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Website
Other

Nabj: National Association of Black Journalists

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
From the largest media organization for people of color, this imaginative site is graphically clever with content to support it. Interesting reading for all journalists, as well as a great teaching tool for anyone interested in effective...
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Article
PBS

Pbs Antiques Roadshow: African American

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from PBS gives advise on finding and collecting African American collectables.
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Primary
University of Virginia

University of Virginia Electronic Text Center: African American Resources

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of primary source materials on African American history. Much of it is about slavery and racism. There are many slave narratives here, letters, essays, and biographical materials, and some of the names are well known ones,...
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Website
Other

Wisconsin/ Surf Report/web Sites

For Students 9th - 10th
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board provides numerous links to educational web sites for students and teachers. Its subjects include art, animals, astronomy, Black history, careers, children's books, dinosaurs, environmental...
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Primary
University of Virginia

University of Virginia: The Negro in the Regular Army

For Students 9th - 10th
This etext contains the history of the Philippine-American War. In this passage by Oswald Garrison Villard you will read about African Americans who fought in the War.