This is a collection of best of resources that were shared during the 2020 Summer Colonial Williamsburg online Teacher Institute Course entitled Race and Slavery in the Colonial and Revolutionary Era.
Overview
Resources for Understanding Race and Inequality through History
John D. Rockefeller Library Collections
Digital Library on American Slavery - UNC Greensboro
Day 1
Making History Live Video about First Person Historical Interpretation
Southern Poverty Law Center Reading: Teaching Hard History
Day 2
Lessons Learned- 40 Years of Interpreting African American History at Williamsburg
Revealing the Priceless- 40th Anniversary Exhibit
Reading- "In the Middle of this Poverty, some Cups and a Teapot" - Material Culture and furnishing 18th Century Slave Quarters in Colonial Williamsburg.
C-Span Video- Interpreting Slavery at Colonial Williamsburg Panel Discussion
Day 3- Finding and Using Primary Sources to Teach about Freedom an Slavery
Think Like a Historian Lesson- "Matthew Ashby, a Williamsburg Resident"
Nanny Jones Character Interpretation Video ( Wife of Matthew Ashby)
Survey of the Material Culture of Enslaved Black Women through Runaway Slave Advertisements
Includes several ads as well as a summary of details from many others.
No Master Over Me- CW Electronic Field Trip based on life of Matthew Ashby
Primary Sources Lesson Unit (270 pg PDF)
Colonial Slavery Primary Sources (PDF)
Slave Voyages Digital Memorial
Day 4 Agency and Resistance
"If we tell only stories about enslaved people with happy endings, we deny the truth about the horrors of slavery, But if we teach only the horror, we deny that enslaved people exercised their agency and took actions, small and large, every day."
Resilience, Resistance, and Rebellion- Africans and the Law (43 min video slideshow)
Primary Sources related to Resistance
Day 5 Teaching Sensitive and Controversial Issues
Video- A Conversation with James Armistead Lafayette
Reading- Bringing the Past to Life, from Archaeology to Actors
Reading- Being Uncomfortable in Character
Reading- FAQ's with Native American Interpreters.
Video- Legacy: Our Community
How do the Communities built by enslaved and free Black people of the 18th century connect, strengthen, and inform the communities of today?
Video- American Indian Tour of VA Capitol Building
Reading- Pride and Predjudice: Honoring Historic LGBTQIA+ Voices.
Reading- Getting to Know James - Researching the Life and Character of James Armistead Lafayette