My name is Dean Bohus I'm a history major and want to talk about how America's past relationship with the institution of slavery can be a hard topic to grapple with especially in the classroom. What are some ways that you can confront the hard task of teaching slavery in a modern American classroom?

This article has some tips on ways to improve your lessons on American slavery. Don't teach history in order to make people feel good. Don't be afraid of teaching hard truths. History should be honest.  History isn't always a story of progress and that's okay. "But slavery is about real people and what they do to one another. ... So you have to start with the basics. But that the most important basic here is that history is not just about everybody always getting better".  Respect that your students can process difficult subjects, don't go easy on them. Before talking about sensitive material acknowledge upfront to the class that it may be challenging. Help students articulate their questions and name their emotions.

This article talks about teaching strategies for teaching slavery. Begin by having students look at the economy of 18th century America. "We ignore slavery, and its catalog of horrors, only when we are careless or deceitful". Slavery needs to be taught to introduce children to the "human condition, the drama, the travail of love and hate, and of exploitation and survival in history". The topic of slavery is full of stories that shaped the United States in hugely impactful ways. Slavery is at the heart of American history. Talk about slavery not just in the context of the United States but in ancient times and the modern day. Explore multiple perspectives and open the class up for discussion.

This website has lesson multiple lesson plans for all grades. 

Some key points from the website: Connect slavery with bigger demographic trends. Draw information from statistics. Use a multitude of sources. Allow your students to engage with the topic visually to have a better understanding. Highlight the importance of the individual. Have students analyze cause and effect relationships in reguard to the topic.

This website also has some lesson plans for teachers.

Some key takeaways: Slavery existed for a long time before America. All the colonies in North America utilized slavery. Slavery was an institution of power. Enslaved people did resist. The enslaved experience varied due to many different factors. Slavery was the central cause of the Civil War. Slavery shaped the way we think about race in this country. The constitution provided direct and indirect protection to slavery. Examine ways that slavery impacted domestic and foreign policy. Deeply examine the effects of the cotton industry in regards to slavery. Look into the beliefs of enslaved people. Talk about the effects slavery has on society today.

This article goes over more strategies for teaching slavery. Be unwavering in your commitment to honesty and the truth. Look back to what you were taught in school and try and educate yourself in areas you may have not been taught. Be honest with you students if you don't know something. Being honesty about slavery also means being honest about white supremacy. Explain that slave womens were victims of rape and make it clear that these were not just affairs. Make sure students understand that all dignity was stripped from enslaved people and that people were literally bought and sold as commodities. Put emphasis on the work that black people did to build this country and that the America that we know today is due in large part to black people. Try not to include stories of 'good' plantation owners that were kind to slaves. Try and dispell myths about slavery.