African American Slaves in Texas

Students begin by writing an explanation of what slavery is. Then they read about the lives of enslaved people in Texas. Next they analyze the slavery laws passed by the Texas legislature. Finally they learn about the cultural lives of the slaves and listen to some spirituals.

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Here are the teacher pack items for African American Slaves in Texas:

Attributions

Overview

In this experience, students begin by writing an explanation of what slavery is. Then they read about the lives of enslaved people in Texas. Next they analyze the slavery laws passed by the Texas legislature. Finally they learn about the cultural lives of the slaves and listen to some spirituals.

If you have access to leveled readers about the lives of enslaved people in the pre-Civil War period, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 35-45 minutes

Vocabulary words:

enslaved
labor
country of origin
theme
accompany
tradition

Objectives

Describe the experience of enslaved African Americans in Texas.
Examine the growth of slavery over time in Texas.

Engage

As Texas grew, so did the number of enslaved African Americans. By 1850, the number of slaves was over 58,000 and by 1860 that number rose to over 180,000. At that time, nearly one-fourth of the families in Texas owned at least one slave. In this experience, you will learn about slavery in Texas.

Objectives

Describe the experience of enslaved African Americans in Texas.
Examine the growth of slavery over time in Texas.

old photograph of a family of slaves working in the cotton fields

Family of Slaves, 1850

You have already seen the word slavery in this course. Write an explanation for a first grader, describing what slavery is.

Post your answer

Ask a few volunteers to comment on their posts.

Sample answer: Slavery is when people make other people work for them without paying them. The slaves are not free to make their own choices. They are often treated badly.

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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Early Texas Statehood and the Civil War Unit.