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Summary and Objective
Students will use primary sources to infer information about African Americans living as slaves in Western Massachusetts. Students will then investigate the histories of African Americans using other archival materials and learn from the experiences of modern Americans. Students will understand that African American history is poorly documented and leaves many unanswered questions about the past.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Discuss with students what they know about early American life. Focus their discussion on daily life, education/schooling, housing, etc. Record on chart with two headings: European Americans and African Americans. Develop a list of ideas in each category. Students should begin to see a longer list under European Americans than African Americans. Discuss with the class why we seem to know more about one group than the other.
Step 2.
View "Pages from Rev. Jonathan Ashley's account book" in the americancenturies digital collection. Read the label paragraph. Click on "show text" to view transcription of the document. Discuss with the class the daily activities of two slaves, Titus and Cato.
Step 3.
Share and discuss with the class the only other known information* about these Americans:
-Cato (died in 1825) - Baptized 1739; Served in French & Indian War; Had an account at Elijah Williams' store (1755-1756)
-Titus - Had an account at Elijah Williams' store (1753-1756)
*Information from "18th Century Slaves in Deerfield, Massachusetts Listed by Owner" on americancenturies site.
Step 4.
View "Plane" from americancenturies digital collection. Read the label paragraph. Discuss this information about the life of Cesar (or Cesor) Chelor, a well-trained slave who became free. Note the limited amount of information about this American's life.
Step 5.
Go to the "African American Lives - PBS" link. Students click on "Analyzing the Evidence" to learn about interpreting archival materials. Students click on "Profiles" to learn from modern African Americans their understanding of their history. Students can also click on "Who am I: A Genealogy Guide" to begin their own genealogical research.
Step 6.
Conclude with a group discussion of the students' responses to these activities. Why might there be less information about the lives of African Americans? Who writes history? How does the documentation of history affect what we know about the past? What does this lack of documentation of a major part of American history mean to them?
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