How did slaves resist?
Task 1: What would cause the slaves to resist?
Work in pairs to annotate to the sources.
SOURCE A: Scenes of slavery on a cotton plantation
in the American South.
Scenes of slavery on a cotton plantation in the American South. Colored engraving, 19th century. / Credit:
The Granger Collection / Universal Images Group / Copyright © The Granger Collection / For Education Use
Only. This and millions of other educational images are available through Britannica Image Quest. For a
free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
SOURCE B: Extract from Narrative of the Life and Adventures
of Henry Bibb, an American Slave (1849)
A plantation overseer whipping slaves. Wood engraving from the 'Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an
American Slave,' 1849. / Credit: The Granger Collection / Universal Images Group / Copyright © The Granger Collection / For
Education Use Only. This and millions of other educational images are available through Britannica Image Quest. For a free
trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
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How did slaves resist?
Task 2: How did slaves resist?

Highlight the different forms of resistance with different coloured pens. You could
categorise as either violent / non-violent or physical / verbal / cultural.

Discuss which methods you think would have been the most effective.
Types of resistance
Slow down the pace of work.
Speak in a native language.
Damage machinery so that it couldn’t be
used and required either lengthy repair
or costly replacement.
Play native music and sing songs that show
indigenous culture or religion. (Drumming was
banned so playing drums was a way of
resisting.)
Sabotage: put rocks or other things
inside cotton bales; injure or kill farm
animals.
Set fire to crops, barns, or other buildings.
Organise mass rebellions against the
master. This often involved violence.
Steal food from the master’s stores.
Run away.
Murder: poison or find other ways to kill the
master.
Pretend to be sick to avoid work.
Fight with the overseers or masters.
Practice faith in secret with ‘invisible’
services.
Write! (Slaves were not allowed to be
educated or to write.)
Task 3: Encourage resistance!
In role as a slave, imagine you are going to start a resistance against the master on your
plantation. Write a speech to encourage the other slaves on your plantation to join you. Include:

Why are you going to do this?

How are you going to resist and why have you chosen these methods?

Do you think they will be effective?
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
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