Teaching Hard History Text Library
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Welcome to the Teaching Hard History Text Library. This collection includes more than 100 primary sources selected to support robust teaching and learning about the Key Concepts and Summary Objectives found in A Framework for Teaching American Slavery. The texts are also mapped to the four domains of the Social Justice Standards. Each includes a set of text-dependent questions.

Text Type
Grade Level
Social Justice Domain
Subject

155 Texts

Informational

Notice

This brief newspaper article represents the commonplace practice of selling land, animals and goods while including enslaved people in the same listing in the United States before emancipation. Serving as primary source evidence of a pending sale, the article simplifies the transactions as purely economic.
by
John A. Chaffin
Grade Level
Topic
Subject
History
Social Justice Domain
December 15, 2017
Informational

Reminiscences

In reflecting on both a pivotal moment in her life during the Civil War and the longer-term effects of such an event, Mrs. Albright excludes her family from the violent system of slavery while adhering to stereotypically Southern values. The necessity of interracial intimacy is noticeable in Mrs. Albright’s descriptions.
by
Mrs. James W. Albright
Grade Level
Topic
Subject
History
Social Justice Domain
December 15, 2017
Informational

Alice, The Negro

Recounting a selective portion of an enslaved woman’s life, this brief biography also serves as a reflection of what mainstream society deemed “worthy” during the early to mid-19th century. Precisely because Alice supposedly embodied characteristics that were both exceptional and ordinary, her story offers a useful lens to consider how slavery was understood in its time.
by
Abigail Mott
Grade Level
Topic
Subject
History
Social Justice Domain
December 15, 2017
Literature

Southern Marseillaise

Likely written during or shortly after the Civil War, these song lyrics depict Southern patriotism and duty to maintaining a certain way of life. Using melodic rhymes and repetition, the author emphasizes Southern manhood, justified violence and supposedly benign slavery.
by
Allan D. Francis
Grade Level
Topic
Subject
Civics
History
Social Justice Domain
December 15, 2017
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Learning for Justice in the South

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