African-American History
Curriculum Created by:
Richard A. Dillon
White Plains High School
550 North Street
White Plains, New York
Social Studies Department Coordinator, Lois Gordon
White Plains High School History Department
African-American History
2011-12
Instructor: Mr. Richard Dillon
This course traces the historical and political experiences of Black America from
colonial times to the present. It explores the existence of Blacks in America and
compares and contrasts their experience with that of other ethnic groups.
Students will encounter and contemplate the social, economic and legal
institutions which have characterized being black in the U.S. at various periods in
the nation’s history. Classes also will examine the development of political theory
and action among Black Americans in response to conditions they have faced and
continue to face. As well, close study of several major events and political
movements allows students to develop interpretations of political interaction in
America.
This course introduces students to the uniqueness of the Black American
experience through the avenues of economics, political developments, social
structures and human relations. In addition, students will examine the role that
identity, resistance (passive and aggressive) and organization have played in
reaching various milestones throughout the African American experience.
Relevance
A quick glance at events currently in the news demonstrates how such a course is
essential and relevant. We need look no further than evening television
broadcasts, radio programs or blogs to know that America is engaged in a
vociferous and, at times, contentious conversation about race matters. Indeed, the
election of the nation’s first African American president contributes greatly to this
on-going national discussion.
If our students will be expected to fruitfully contribute to this conversation, their
awareness and historical perspective will be vital. This course will arm them to
participate in the public square and in their personal and professional interactions
going forward.
Learning Objectives:
Upon the completion of the course the student will be able to do the
following:
1. Identify many of the principal figures in African American history and their
contributions;
2. Associate their proponents with the main ideas that characterized ethnic
relations at various points in the history of the U.S.;
3. Synthesize historical factual content and theory into interpretations of the
various key events;
4. Trace the progression of legal status for black Americans;
5.
6.
7.
Compare the political ideologies of major African American movements
and leaders;
Describe the socio-economic complexity of African American experiences;
Explain the origins of some major social, economic, or political issues
engaging African Americans today.
Methods of Instruction: Methods of instruction may include, but are
not limited to the following:
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Lecture and whole-group discussion: lectures will focus attention on
essential factual content (critical events and individuals), while whole-group
discussions will develop understanding of their significance
Directed study of ancillary materials (hand outs, original materials): Out-ofclass reading of texts, primary sources and secondary sources will be
guided by developed question sets, to build analytical and interpretive
skills. Such directed reading will be used as the basis for in-class large and
small group discussions and/or out-of-class written work
Videos and projectable materials will be used to illustrate lecture points or
to prompt small group discussions
Student debate research teams may be utilized to foster more in-depth
analysis
Term paper research will encourage the integration of approaches learned
in the course and will provide students with the opportunity to
independently synthesize course material
Course Requirements
A. Any written work (except in-class exams or essays) must be prepared in
typescript, double-spaced.
B. "Integrity is expected of all students in an academic environment. A charge of
academic dishonesty is a serious one and can have serious consequences if guilt
is established." Plagiarism of any given or submitted work in this class will result in
a grade of "F" for that work. In addition a "formal report of academic dishonesty
will be made in writing to the department coordinator and the Principal.”
C. Required readings are most useful if read before that section in class.
Failing this, all such readings should be completed prior to a scheduled
exam, as they will be directly incorporated therein.
D. Project and Exam due dates are fixed. Failure to attend exams will
require a documented, acceptable excuse for early or late administration.
Failure to meet project deadlines will be penalized at the equivalent of one
letter grade per calendar day. All assignments are due in class on the
assigned date and late penalty for the first day is assessed immediately
after class on that assigned date. Work received four (4) to six (6) calendar
days late will be scored at fifty (50) points. Late work that exceeds six (6)
calendar days will not be accepted and a score of zero (0) will be entered
into the final calculation of semester grades.
Methods of Evaluation:
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Class Participation
Homework
Quizzes
Test
25%
25%
25%
25%
Required Text:
From Slavery to Freedom by John Hope Franklin.
Supplementary readings
Course Content
Unit 1
A. In search of the African Past
1. Africa: myths & realities
2. The African way of life
3. Africa's Legacy to America
B. The Slave Trade & Colonial America
1. The Business of Slavery
2. The Middle Passage
3. Notions of Race & Racism
 Which came first, slavery or racism?
4. The Plantation system
 Cairo, Brazil, Sugar, and Tobacco

From Servant to Slave

New York and Chesapeake Plantations: Slavery in the Colonies

Revolts and Reaction
SWBATS and other areas of investigation
1. Describe their perception of 16th century Africa and present day Africa
2. Examine the duality of these perceptions: “backward and uncivilized” vs. “the
romantic peaceful pastoral state”
3. Assess Africa’s relationship with the rest of the world before the European slave
trade
4. Describe European knowledge and contact with Africa before the Age of
Exploration
5. Debate the merits of Afrocentricity
6. Discuss the differences in the village state and larger kingdoms
7. Explain how communal ownership of land affected Africans in Africa and
Africans in the New World
8. Describe the importance of family at the time of the slave trade
9. Examine the importance of religion to Africans and compare findings to other
groups
10. Compare African slavery to slavery in the Americas
11. Assess whether the slave trade could have existed on such a large scale
without African cooperation
12. Describe the impact that English domination of the trade had on slavery in
North America
13. Assess the impact of the trade on Africa, and Europe
14. Debate the notion whether it is fair to blame the underdevelopment of Africa
on Europe
15. Explain why the term “culture” is such a complex idea.
16. List some of the cultural contributions that Africans have made to America
Additional Readings:
Asante, Molefi K. The Afrocentric Idea
Blassingame, John W. The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Old South
Curtin, Philip D. The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census
Lynch, Willie
Address to Plantation Owners in the South
Rodney, Walter. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa
Williams, Eric From Slavery to Capitalism
Films/Documentaries:
Black Athena
Roots Part 1.
Sankofa
Africans in the Americas pt.1
Term Paper Proposal due along with review of 5 sources
Unit 2
C. Slavery & the Revolutionary Era
1. Slavery & the Revolutionary Ideology

Declaration, Revolution and Constitution: “A Cancer at the Heart of
the Republic”

Cotton Culture and the Plantocracy
2. The Turn of the Century
 Free Black Society in the North- “The Parallel America”
3. The Western Frontier
D. Life in the 19th Century (Franklin’s Chapter 8 The Peculiar Institution)
1. The Plantation System & Black Codes
2. Free Blacks
3. Resistance & Rebellion
4. City Life
SWBATS and other areas of investigation
1. Discuss the inconsistency of the colonists arguing for freedom for themselves,
while denying it to the Africans held in slavery
2. Analyze the declaration of independence and explain why it did and did not
apply to Blacks
3. Explain why many Blacks were willing to fight and die for a country that denied
them their basic human rights
4. Describe how the American Revolution set in motion the death of slavery in the
North
5. Present and defend through debate the proslavery and antislavery position on
the three-fifths compromise, the abolition of the slave trade and the return of
fugitive slaves
6. Discuss the attitudes of the founding fathers toward slavery
7. Describe Washington’s dilemma during The Revolutionary War
8. Assess the contributions of Blacks during the revolution
9. Describe the impact of the Haitian Revolution on the U.S. and France
10. Explain how some Blacks were able to overcome the drawbacks (challenges,
burden, and stigma) of being Black in America and accomplish what they did.
11. Compare the writings of Phyllis Wheatley and Jupiter Hammon
12. Assess the impact of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin on the institution of slavery
13. Examine how Blacks established economic and intellectual self-sufficiency
during the early national period.
14. Assess the role of the Black church in the early national period. Does it play
the same role today?
15. Discuss the morality of the domestic slave trade.
16. Describe the roles played by Blacks during westward expansion. Explain why
Blacks have been historically invisible during this period
17. Examine the various interpretations of the slaves’ view of the institution
18. Compare the life and treatment of slaves on small farms vs. large plantations
19. Describe the environment of an urban slave
20. Discuss the various forms of resistance practiced by slaves
21 Explain why there were no successful slave revolts in the U.S.
Additional Readings:
Blassingame, John W. The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum
South
Douglass, Frederick Frederick Douglass’ Slave Narrative
Willis, Gary Intro to The Negro President
Films/Documentaries:
Feast of All Saints
Remembering Slavery: African-Americans Talk about their personal experiences
of slavery
Slavery and the Making of America
Unit 3
E. Abolitionism & Black Nationalism
1. The Anti-slavery Movement
 Erosion of Rights, Economic Polarity, and the Abolitionist Campaign
– Frederick Douglass
 Colonization Movement
2. Pro-slavery Ideology & Confederate Policy
 North vs. South – Slavery as a Cause
 The role of Black Americans in the War
F. Reconstruction and Redemption
1. Post War America Slavery: Abolished or merely altered and reinforced?

Politics and voting

The ”Farmers’ Alliance Movement”
2. The Ku Klux Klan and Terrorism

Jim Crow Laws
SWBATS and other areas of investigation
1, Describe the impact that David Walker’s appeal may have had on the antislavery movement.
2. Discuss the role that Black abolitionists played in the anti-slavery movement
3. Explain how the women’s rights movement grew out of the abolitionist
movement
4. Discuss the importance of the Underground Railroad
5. Discuss the difference between the goals of Black and White abolitionist
6. Assess the success of the abolition movement
7. Debate the merits of the Pro-Slavery Argument
8. Explain the role that print media played in the abolitionist movement
9. Identify the major events of the 1850’s and explain how these events
contributed to the strain of between pro and anti slavery forces
10. Explain why the election of Abraham Lincoln became the “straw that broke the
camel’s back”
11. Discuss the significance of The Emancipation Proclamation
12. Discuss Abraham Lincoln’s views on Blacks, emancipation and colonization.
13. Describe the role played by Blacks in The Civil War
14. What did freedom mean for Blacks, Whites, Northerners and Southerners?
15. Describe the economic, political and social changes brought by
Reconstruction
16. Identify the differences between Presidential Reconstruction and
Congressional Reconstruction.
17. Assess the changes brought about by The Reconstruction
18 Explain the circumstances that led to the end of The Reconstruction and the
triumph of White supremacy
19. Discuss the cost (impact) to Blacks for the North’s loss of the peace
Additional Readings:
Walker, David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World
Films/Documentaries:
Underground Railroad (History Channel)
Glory
Africans in the Americas pt. 4
Assessment: Midterm Exam
Unit 4
G. African-American Life 1877-World War I
1. South
 Agriculture

Urban Life
 Attempts at Reform
2. North
 Urban life
3. A separate society
 Plessy
4. Booker T. Washington and Tuskegee
5. W.E.B. DuBois, the Niagara Convention, the birth of the N.A.A.C.P.
6. Woodrow Wilson’s betrayal and WWI
H. Between the Wars- A Period of Calm: But not for everyone
1. The Other side of normalcy

The Red Scare
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Lynch Laws
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“Race Riots”
2. The Great Migration
 Chicago and New York during the 1920’s
 Marcus Garvey and Father Divine
 Harlem Renaissance
3. The Great Depression and the New Deal (Franklin Chapter 19)
SWBATS and other areas of investigation
1. Compare Black eagerness and opportunity for education during slavery,
reconstruction, the late 19th Century and the present.
2. Explain the role played by philanthropists in the establishment of historical
Black colleges and universities
3. Discuss both the advantages and limitations of attaining education during the
late 19th century
4. Explain the origins and the role played by HBCUs during the 19 th century and
the present. Are these institutions still necessary?
5. Compare both the merits and limitations of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B.
Dubois
6. Identify and discuss the various roles played by the Black church during the late
19th century and early 20th century; is it buffer/ protector? Or opiate?
7. Describe the origins and roles played by various fraternal orders (e.g. Masons)
as well as college fraternities and sororities
8. Explain why many Blacks supported the U.S. during the Spanish-American
War. Was this support consistent with other conflicts involving the U.S. past and
present?
9. Identify the reason why Blacks migrated to the North
10. Who was Plessey?
11. Discuss the difference in patterns of violence confronting Blacks in the North
and South
12. Explain the role the Niagara Movement played in the development of the
NAACP
13. Compare the early NAACP activities with those of the present organization
14. Determine how various issues of this period were handled in the press (e.g.
women’s issues, imperialism, WWI and violence directed towards Blacks)
15. Discuss the role played by Blacks during WWI. How did Blacks reconcile with
the war for democracy abroad while being lynched at home?
16. Identify the factors that led to the strengthening of the KKK and the
subsequent “Red Summer”
17. Identify Marcus Garvey and the source of his widespread support among
many Blacks. Was it Positive appreciation of Blackness and pride in Africa or a
reaction to White racism and exclusion?
18. Who was Father Divine? Who is he today?
19. Describe the role played by the Harlem Renaissance in a) resisting
oppression and b) celebrating Black pride. (Franklin, Chapter 18)
20. Assess the impact that the Great Depression had on Blacks
21. Evaluate the impact that Roosevelt’s New Deal had on Blacks economically,
and politically. (Franklin, Chapter 19)
22. Determine the degree to which New Deal programs impacted the participation
of Blacks in labor unions
23. Assess the survival and growth of Black institutions and culture between the
World Wars
Additional Readings:
Allen, James. Without Sanctuary: Lynching photography in America
Anderson, James D. The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935
Dubois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk
Friedman, David M. A mind of its own
Harlan, Louis R. Booker T. Washington, The Making of a Black leader, 1856-1901
Ross, Lawrence C. The Divine Nine: The history of African American fraternities
and sororities
Sitkoff, Howard A New Deal for Blacks: The Emergence of Civil Rights as a
National Issue: The Depression Decade
Period Magazines and Newspapers e.g. The Crisis, Harpers Weekly, New York
Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution
Films/Documentaries:
Africans in the Americas pt. 4
Rosewood
Burning of Tulsa
Marcus Garvey (A&E Biographies)
Harlem Renaissance
The Great Debaters
Unit 5
I. World War II and the beginning of the end of segregation
1. A. Philip Randolph
 Executive order 8802
 War Industry
2. Blacks on the Front lines
 Tuskegee Airman

The Liberators
J. The Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s
1. Who remembers Emmett Till?
2. Freedom Riders
3. Martin, Malcolm & Stokely

Integration versus Separatism versus Nationalism
4. Success and Disillusionment
SWBATS and other areas of investigation
1. Explain the American Dilemma
2. Compare and contrast Black protest against the military during WWI and WWII
3. Identify A.P. Randolph and explain his role in turning labor issues into civil
rights issues
4. Discuss the roles Black GIs played and the treatment they received during
WWII (Franklin, Chapter 21
5. Describe the political, social and economic landscape that Blacks faced after
WWII
6. Identify the measures taken by the Federal Government to address issues of
discrimination
7. Discuss both Black and White responses to progressive changes after the warhow did these changes affect Blacks in the south?
8. Describe the causes and effects of post WWII urbanization.
9. Why is 1954 sometimes referred to as the beginning of the end of segregation
10. Debate the notion that the Civil Rights movement was a Black Revolution
11. Evaluate the actions of the various Civil Rights Organizations
12. Assess the impact that young people had on the movement
13. Reinforce the role that women played in the movement
14. Examine the civil rights stance of the U.S. Presidents between 1945-1968
(Who deserves to be remembered as the “Civil Rights President?”)
15. Discuss the following: “White participation in the civil rights movement both
helped and hurt the movement”
16. Debate the merits of the Black Power Movement and other radical elements of
the era
17. Discuss the following: “As Blacks began to make incremental gains, the push
back from Whites increased in intensity”
18. Create a balance sheet of the Civil Rights Movement
19. Assess the cost of the gains made by Blacks during the Civil Rights Era
20. Appraise the 1970’s. “A non decade, a period of reflection or shades of things
to come?”
In Class Essay
Additional Readings:
Marable, Manning Malcolm X: A life of Reinvention
Films/Documentaries:
Eyes on the Prize
Children’s march
Cadillac Records
Race: The Power of Illusion pt. 3
Unit 6
K. 1970s through 90s: Closing the Gap or Pulling up the Ladder?
1. Affirmative Action and Backlash
 Before Michigan there was Bakke
2. Carter and Reagan variation of the theme: “Up the Down Escalator”
3. Power and not in title alone: The ascendancy of Blacks into positions of
power
 Cosby, Winfrey, and Thomas: Leaders of the New School
L. Current Era: The State of African Americans Today
1. Gains and Challenges
 Economics, Class and Ethnicity
 Political Issues and Options
2. The Prison System
 Justice or Just us?
 Racial Profiling
3. Black Pride: its impact on identity and on emerging ethnic and gender
groups
4. Non-US Blacks: Culture versus “Race” and “Color”
5. Leaders and Perspectives - Voices from the Ebony Tower
SWBATS and other areas of investigation
1. Discuss why race is still a hot topic today - why can’t we get past it
2. How will globalization affect affirmative action and other social programs?
3. Identify the pockets of merit based advancement in American Society-Where
does the American Dream Live? Military? Medicine? Sports?
4. Debate the notion of the African-American athlete as the modern day plantation
slave
5. Discuss the concept of a cultural "Great White Hope" and its significance and
ever changing perception, i.e. are Elvis and Eminem the same in their impact on
African American and American culture?
6. Discuss the validity of W.E.B. DuBois' "twoness" concept as it relates to present
day Blacks and its representations in modern culture via educational access,
economic success and corporate inroads
7. How will the Hispanic growth rate affect Blacks politically - will Blacks lose clout
and power in the political arena
8. Identify the economic forces (companies, spheres, industries) that benefit from
the status quo
9. Do successful African Americans have a responsibility to “give back to the
Black Community?”
9. Has integration been a good thing for the African-American community?
Additional Readings:
Cose, Ellis The End of Anger: A New Generations Take on Race and Rage
Dickerson, Deborah The End of Blackness
Dyson, Michael Eric Is Bill Cosby right: or has the Black middle class lost its mind?
Hacker, Andrew Two nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile and Unequal
Obama, Barrack Dreams of My Father: A story of race and Inheritance
Rhoden, William 50 Million Dollar Slaves
Robinson, Eugene Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America
West, Cornel Race Matters
Wise, Tim Between Barrack and a hard place: Racism and White Denial in the
Age of Obama
Films/Documentaries:
Do the Right Thing
School Daze
The Human Stain
ASSESSMENT: Students progress will be evaluated via weekly quizzes, unit
exams, and essay responses to various reading, documentaries, and films.
In addition students are expected to participate (respond) to weekly blog
questions.
Term Paper due ______________ by 3PM no Exceptions