Topic:SlaveryinTennessee
LessonplansforprimarysourcesattheTennesseeStateLibrary&Archives
Author:RebeccaByrd,NewCenterElementary GradeLevel:8thgrade
DateCreated:March2016
Visithttp://sos.tn.gov/tsla/educationforadditionallessonplans.
Introduction:SlaverywasanintegralpartofTennessee’seconomyandculturepriortotheCivil
War.ThislessonisdesignedtohelpstudentsunderstandhowslaveownersandenslavedpeopledeinedandchallengedtheslavesysteminTennessee.Note:Slaveryandthelivesofenslavedpeopleare
dif iculttopicstoteachandlearnabout.Teachersshouldbesensitivetohowstudentsmaybeimpacted
bythislesson.
GuidingQuestion(s):

Howdidslaveownersviewenslavedpeople?

Howdidenslavedpeopleadapttoandresistslaveryintheirdailylives?
LearningObjectives:Inthecourseofthelesson,studentswill

Analyzeprimarysourcedocuments

Describehowslaveownersviewedenslavedpeople

Makeinferencesaboutthelivesofenslavedpeopleincludinghowtheyadaptedandresistedintheir
dailylives.
CurriculumStandards:

8.52AnalyzethecharacteristicsofwhiteSouthernsocietyandhowthephysicalenvironmentin luencedeventsandconditionspriortotheCivilWar.(C,E,G)

8.71Identifytheconditionsofenslavement,andexplainhowslavesadaptedandresistedintheir
dailylives.(C,H)
MaterialsNeeded:
LetterfromJohnW.ChildresstoSarahChildressPolkaboutrunawayslave
Page1of8
LetterfromAndersonChildresstoSarahChildressPolkaboutarunawayslave
RobertH.Cartmelldiary–Chartonamountofcottonpickedperperson
RunawayslaveadsfromNewspaperforPheribaandNancy,John,andJimandJack(foundattheendof
thislessonplan)
Franklinvs.FranklinSlaveinventory
Preparation:Printonecopyofeachdocumentforeachstudentintheclassorhavestudentsaccessthe
digitalversionsfromthedocumentsfromtheTSLAwebsite.Dividestudentsintosmallgroups.Provide
eachgroupwithacopyoftheguidingquestions.
Background:
Slavery
Author:AnitaS.Goodstein
Source:TennesseeEncyclopediaofHistoryandCulture
Cotton Author:WayneC.Moore
Source:TennesseeEncyclopediaofHistoryandCulture
LessonActivities:Day1
Introduction:
Giveeachstudentastickynoteastheyentertheclassroomandinstructthemtowritetwofactsthey
knowaboutslaveryonthenote.Studentsshouldsharetheirresponsesandplacetheirnotesonapiece
ofchartpaperforlaterreference.Explainthatoverthecourseofthelesson,studentswillbeanalyzing
documentstolearnmoreaboutslaveryinTennesseeandthenreviewingtheirinitialideasonthetopic.
`Activity1:
GiveeachstudentacopyoftheCartmelldiarychartandhave
themspendafewmomentssilentlyexaminingthedocument.
Next,instructthemtodiscussthedocumentwiththeothermem
bersoftheirgroupandbepreparedtosharetheirinsightswith
theclass.*
*Ifagroupcannotmakeanyprogressinunderstandingthedocu
mentafterseveralminutesofdiscussion,youmayguidetheir
attentiontothenotationatthebottomofthepagethatmentions
“25bales.”
Page2of8
Discussthedocumentasaclass.Makesurethatthediscussioncoversthefollowingkeyideas:

ThechartisarecordofhowmanypoundsofcottoneachenslavedpersonontheCartmellPlantation
pickedin1854.

SomeenslavedpersonssuchasDickandChar[les]pickedsigni icantlymorecottonothers

Someenslavedpeopledidnotpickeverydayrecordedonthechart.

Overthecourseof2months,theelevenpeoplenamedonthechartpickedover41,000poundsofcotton.
Tellstudentsthatin1854cottonsoldforapproximately$0.11perpound.Havethemcalculatethevalue
oftheCartmellcrop.(Approximately$4,500) Activity2:
HaveeachstudentlookattheInventoryoftheEstateofIsaac
FranklinfromtheTennesseeSupremeCourtCaseWilliam
Franklinv.DescendantsofIsaacFranklinfrom1852.Askthe
studentstoworkwiththeirgroupstodeterminewhatfactors
mighthaveaffectedthemonetaryvalueassignedtoeachenslavedperson.Allowstudentsseveralminutestoreadand
discussthedocumentandthenhavethestudentsdiscuss
theirconclusions.Makesurethatthediscussioncoversthe
followingkeyideas:

Agewasanimportantfactorindeterminingthevalueassignedtoenslavedpersons.Veryoldorveryyoungpeoplewereassignedlowervaluesbecausetheywereassumedtoworkless.

Enslavedpersonswithspecialskillssuchasbrickmason
orblacksmithwereassignedhighervaluesthanotherenslavedpersons.
Page3of8
Activity3:
Havestudentslookattherunawayslaveadsfound
attheendofthislessonplan.Askstudentstoconsiderwhyslaveownersadvertisedrewardsfor
runawaysandwhatin luencedtherewardamounts
offered.Discuss.
LessonActivitiesContinued:Day2
Explaintostudentsthatinthepreviousactivitiestheylearnedabouthowslaveownersviewedenslaved
people,butverylittleaboutthelivesofenslavedpeople.Askthembrainstormaboutthechallengesof
researchingthelivesofenslavedpeople.Keyideasshouldinclude:

Enslavedpeoplewereforbiddenbylawtoreadandwritesofewdocumentswrittenfromtheperspectiveofenslavedpeopleexist.

Enslavedpeoplewerenotconsideredlegalpersonssodocumentationoftheirlivesincludingbirth
records,deathrecordsandlegaldocumentswerenotusuallycreated.
Explaintostudentsthat“ inding”enslavedpeopleintheexistingdocumentsoftenrequireshistoriansto
“readbetweenthelines”ormakeinferencesaboutthemotivationsanddecisionsenslavedpeoplemade.
Activity4:
HavestudentslookatCartmelldiarychartagain,askthemtothinkabouttheproductivitylevelsofDick
andChar[les].Askstudentstoconsiderwhetherbeingatopproducerwasanadvantageordisadvantage
foranenslavedperson.Studentsshouldciteevidencetosupporttheirconclusion.
Sampleconclusions:

Beingatopproducerwasanadvantagebecauseitcouldmeanrewardssuchasmorefoodorbetter
housing.

Beingatopproducerwasadisadvantagebecauseifaperson’stotalsfell,heorshemightbepunishedasanexampletootherenslavedpeople.
Activity5:
Havestudentsreviewtherunawayslaveadsagain(foundonthenextpage).Askthemtodrawinferencesaboutthemotivationsoftherunawaysandortheirescapeplansbasedontheads.Discuss.
Page4of8
Activity6:Giveeachstudentcopiesofthelettersfrom
AndersonChildressandJohnChildresstoSarahChildress
Polk.Tellthestudentsthattheincidentdescribedinthe
lettersoccurredearlyinJamesK.Polk’spoliticalcareer.In
Novemberof1825,PolkwonaseatintheUnitedStates
Representativesafteradif icultcampaign.PolkleftSarahin
TennesseewhenhewenttoWashingtontotakehisseatin
Marchof1826.HavestudentsreadtheAndersonChildress
letter irst,thentheJohnChildressletterbeforeanswering
theguidingquestions.Allowstudents20-25minutesto
readanddiscussthelettersintheirgroups.Alloweach
grouptoshareinsightsfromtheletters.
GuidingQuestions:

WhydidMariahrunaway?

WhatwasMariah’splan?

HowdidtheChildressfamilyrespondtoMariah’sescape?
CulminatingActivity:
Seelastpageofthislessonplanforhandoutfortheculminatingactivity.
Studentswilllist4essentialideasaboutslaveownersandenslavedpeopleinTennessee.Havestudents
reviewthelistofideastheycreatedduringtheintroductoryactivity.Askstudentstohighlightanyof
theiressentialideasthatwerenotpartoftheoriginallist.
Page5of8
Page 6 of 8 Page 7 of 8 Name: SlaveryinTennesseeCulminatingActivity
Directions:Usingtheknowledgeyougainedfromthedocumentsandclassdiscussion,
completethestatementsbelow.Highlightanystatementsthatwerenotpartoftheintroductory
activity.
SlaveOwnersinTennessee
EnslavedPeopleinTennessee
Page 8 of 8