The New Teaching Hard History: American Slavery

Most students leave high school without an adequate understanding of the role slavery played in the development of the United States—or how its legacies still influence us today. In an effort to remedy this, we developed a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning this critical topic at all grade levels.
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New Resources for Teaching Hard History

Our students deserve an honest account of our nation’s history. That’s why we’re proud to share our new and expanded Teaching Hard History resources. They will help you tell a more complete story of American slavery that starts with Indigenous enslavement and includes students of all ages. To teach our students the truth about our shared hard history, we’ll need to start where the stories—and the learning—begin.

Teaching Hard History American Slavery

Teaching Hard History Key Concept Videos

In these videos, scholars and historians explore the Key Concepts of the Teaching Hard History framework by discussing slavery’s impact on the lives of enslaved people in what is now the United States and the nation’s...
Chains superimposed over an image of the United States Constitution.

Teaching Hard History: Grades K-5

Our youngest students deserve a truthful, age-appropriate account of our past. These resources for elementary educators include a first-of-its-kind framework, along with student texts, teaching tools and professional...
Person of Color's hand placing a brick onto the United States flag, which is made of bricks.

Teaching Hard History: Grades 6–12

Teaching Hard History resources for middle- and high-school educators include our popular 6–12 framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. Educators will also find teaching tools and...

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Abolitionists William Still, Sojourner Truth, William Loyd Garrison, unidentified male and female slaves, and Black Union soldiers in front of American flag

Teaching Hard History: American Slavery

Teaching Hard History: American Slavery is a comprehensive guide to teaching this critical topic and to helping students understand how slavery influences us in the present day.

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TEACHING TOLERANCE TOPICS