Andrés Reséndez is the author of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America. His work has changed conventional wisdom about the institution of slavery in the Atlantic World. Over the next two episodes, host Hasan Kwame Jeffries and Reséndez will discuss key turning points in this history—exploring how it expands our understanding of the transatlantic slave trade and the lasting legacy of colonialism, which continues to reverberate in our communities. Be sure to join us.

And you'll find a full episode transcript on our site.

Each autumn, Thanksgiving brings a disturbing amount of inaccurate information and troubling myths into classrooms across the United States. Most students don’t learn much about the history of Native nations—and even less about Indigenous peoples today. Dr. Debbie Reese explains what to look for and what to avoid (or teach with a critical lens) when selecting children’s books by and about Indigenous people. She also recommends specific books to counter common misconceptions in your classroom.

Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

And you can find a complete transcript on our website, along with resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. Resources like these... 

• Teaching Tolerance, I Am the Blood of the Conqueror; I Am the Blood of the Conquered
• Teaching Tolerance, Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way
• ReadWriteThink: Debbie Reese, Native Americans Today: Lesson Plan

Dr. Debbie Reese Editor/Publisher, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) | Twitter

References:

• AICL, A critical look at O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins
• Andrea L. Rogers, Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story
• Traci Sorell, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
• The New York Times, Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving Is Wrong
• Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States
• Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (adapted by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese), An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People
• Carole Lindstrom, We Are Water Protectors
• First People, How the Chipmunk Got his Stripes
• National Indian Education Association, Policy Issues: Education
• Leilani Sabzalian, Indigenous Studies in Education, University of Oregon
• Sarah Shear, K-12 Teacher Resources
• Cynthia Leitich Smith, Hearts Unbroken
• National Indian Child Welfare Association, Indian Child Welfare Act
• AICL, L. Frank Baum: Author of Wizard of Oz books and racist editorials on American Indians
• Charlene Willing McManis, Indian No More
• Teaching Hard History, Summary Objective 16 (Lincoln and the Dakota 38)
• The New York Times, Lincoln and the Sioux
• Eric Gansworth, Writer and Visual Artist: Books
• Robbie Robertson, Testimony

And you'll find a full episode transcript on our site.

Children’s books are often the primary way young students are exposed to the history of American slavery. But many books about slavery sugarcoat oppression. Professor Ebony Elizabeth Thomas examines what we should consider when it comes to how children’s books portray African Americans and Indigenous people, their cultures and the effects of enslavement. She also explains why it’s crucial to create “a balance of narratives” when selecting books about marginalized and underrepresented communities.

Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

And you can find a complete transcript on our website, along with resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. Resources like these... 

• Teaching Tolerance, "Lies My Bookshelf Told Me"
• Teaching Tolerance, "Hercules’ Daughter"
• Rethinking Schools, Teaching for Black Lives

Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

• University of Pennsylvania, Literacy, Culture, and International Education
• Twitter, @Ebonyteach
• The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games

References:

• Virginia Hamilton, The House of Dies Drear
• Walter Dean Myers, The Legend of Tariq
• John Steptoe, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
• Tonya Bolden, Searching for Sarah Rector
• PBS Africans in America, Benjamin Banneker
• National Archives, "To Thomas Jefferson from Benjamin Banneker, 1791"
• Chinua Achebe (Wikipedia)
• Imani Perry, May We Forever Stand:A History of the Black National Anthem
• James Weldon Johnson (Wikipedia)
• Teaching Tolerance, Black History Month: Teaching Beyond Slavery
• N. K. Jemisin, How Long 'til Black Future Month?
• Rudine S Bishop, Free Within Ourselves: The Development of African American Children's Literature
• Glenda Armand, Love Twelve Miles Long
• Ashley Bryan, Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams
• Teaching Tolerance, Meet Frederick Douglass
• Detroit History, Frederick Douglass and John Brown Meeting Place
• Manumission (Wikipedia)
• Amma Asante film, Belle (Wikipedia)
• Emily Jenkins, A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat
• The New York Times, “Scholastic Halts Distribution of ‘A Birthday Cake for George Washington’”
• Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge

Hasan Kwame Jeffries

• Ohio State University, African-American History
• All Sides with Ann Fisher (radio), Black History Is American History
• Ohio State University, United Black World Month

And you'll find a full episode transcript on our site.

For elementary teachers approaching the topic of slavery, it can be tempting to focus only on heroes and avoid explaining oppression. But teachers’ omissions speak as loudly as what they choose to include. And what children learn in the early grades has broad consequences for the rest of their education. Dr. Kate Shuster guides us through the new Teaching Hard History K–5 framework from Teaching Tolerance. We also learn how four elementary teachers are beginning to use it in their classrooms.

Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

And you can find a complete transcript on our website, along with resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. Resources like these... 

• Teaching Tolerance magazine, "We Are Our Ancestors' Wildest Dreams"
• James Madison's Montpelier, The Mere Distinction of Colour (exhibition)

Kate Shuster

• Teaching Tolerance articles
• Teaching Tolerance, Teaching the Movement
• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge

Bria Wright Fifth grade, Raleigh, North Carolina, Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board

References:

• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge #1
• Beyoncé, Freedom feat. Kendrick Lamar (video)
• Glenn E. Singleton, Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools
• Teaching Tolerance, My Multicultural Self

Marvin Reed Third grade, Berkeley, California, Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board

References:

• Teaching Tolerance, Remembering My Four Friends 50 Years Later
• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge #5
• Teaching Tolerance, The Story of César Chávez, Dolores Huerta and a Great Movement for Social Justice
• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge #7
• English Language Arts (ELA) Standards
• Teaching Tolerance: Lesson, The Little Rock Battle for School Integration
• Sharon Draper, Fire from the Rock
• Teaching Tolerance: Feature, Beyond the Little Rock Nine
• Langston Hughes
• Maya Angelou

Alice Mitchell Fifth grade, Boston, Massachusetts, Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board

References:

• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge #12
• NEA, K-W-L Charts (Know, Want to Know, Learned)
• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge #14
• Teaching Tolerance, Poster Warning Blacks in Boston: Kidnappers

Marian Dingle Fourth grade, Atlanta, Georgia, Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board

References:

• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge #15
• The New York Times: Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project
• U.S. Supreme Court, Dred Scott v. Sandford
• PBS/WGBH, Africans in America: The Middle Passage

And you'll find a full episode transcript on our site.

Understanding Indigenous enslavement expands our conception of slavery in what is now the United States. It spread across the entire continent and affected millions of people of different backgrounds. If we define slavery too narrowly, we can fail to see its persistence over time and even its modern-day permutations. Historian Christina Snyder examines the Civil War, Lincoln and emancipation with Indigenous people in mind.

Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

And you can find a complete transcript on our website, along with resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. Resources like these... 

• Teaching Hard History, K-5 Framework: Essential Knowledge #18
• Teaching Hard History, 6-12 Framework: Objective #8
• Teaching Hard History, 6-12 Framework: Objective #16
• National Museum of the American Indian, Native Knowledge 360°
• Minnesota Historical Society, Dakota War of 1862

Christina Snyder McCabe Greer Professor of History, Penn State University

• Slavery in Indian Country: The Changing Face of Captivity in Early America
• Great Crossings; Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in the Age of Jackson

References:

• Teaching Tolerance, The Underground Railroad
• U.S. Supreme Court, Worcester v. Georgia
• Smithsonian film, The “Indian Problem”
• Malinda Maynor Lowery, The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle
• University of Minnesota, Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• Teaching Tolerance, Emancipation Proclamation
• Time, How a Court Answered a Forgotten Question of Slavery’s Legacy
• WNET, Slaughterhouse Cases (1873)
• Crooked Media podcast, This Land

And you'll find a full episode transcript on our site.

Millions of Indigenous people lived in North America before European colonial powers invaded. Along with an insatiable desire for free labor, Europeans brought systems of slavery that significantly differed from the historical practices of enslavement among Native nations. Historian Christina Snyder explains what happened when these worlds collided. European concepts of bondage transformed the way Native nations interacted, resulted in the enslavement and death of millions and sparked widespread resistance.

Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

And you can find a complete transcript on our website, along with resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. Resources like these... 

• Teaching Tolerance: Lesson, Rethinking Discovery
• Teaching Tolerance: I am the Blood of the Conqueror, I am the Blood of the Conquered
• Teaching Tolerance: Stowage on the Slave Ship Brooks, 1788
• Wikipedia: Requerimiento: The Spanish Requirement of 1513

Christina Snyder McCabe Greer Professor of History, Penn State University

• Slavery in Indian Country: The Changing Face of Captivity in Early America
• Great Crossings; Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in the Age of Jackson

References:

• Teaching Tolerance: Lesson, Precolumbian Native Peoples and Technology
• Doctrine of Discovery
• Teaching Tolerance: The Atlantic Slave Trade what too few textbooks told you
• U.S. Supreme Court, Johnson V. M’Intosh
• Wikipedia: Requerimiento: The Spanish Requirement of 1513
• Mapping the Mississippian Shatter Zone: The Colonial Indian Slave Trade and Regional Instability in the American South
• Sarah Shear, Social Studies & Multicultural Education, University of Washington-Bothell

American slavery shaped our modern world and most certainly the foundation and development of what is now the United States. The Smithsonian’s Eduardo Díaz and Renée Gokey discuss the importance of learning about Indigenous enslavement. And Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello explains all of the program’s classroom resources available for teaching this history, including a first-of-its-kind K-5 framework.

Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

And you can find a complete transcript on our website, along with resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. Resources like these... 

• Teaching Hard History: American Slavery
• Teaching Hard History Key Concept Videos
• Teaching American Slavery Through Inquiry

Maureen Costello Director, Teaching Tolerance

References:

• Ira Berlin, The Making of African America: The Four Great Migrations
• Ira Berlin, The Long Emancipation: The Demise of Slavery in the United States
• Kathy Swan, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Kentucky
• National Council for History Education
• Teaching Tolerance: Text, I Have a Dream by MLK
• Teaching Tolerance: Webinar, Beyond the Bus: Teaching the Unseen Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Teaching Tolerance: The Moment, Teaching the Truth about Confederate History

Eduardo Díaz Director, Smithsonian Latino Center 

Renée Gokey Teacher Services Coordinator, National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) | Teaching Tolerance author

References:

• Andrés Reséndez, The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
• NPR Genevieve Valentine, Horrors Pile Up Quietly In 'The Other Slavery'
• Stephen Warren, The Worlds the Shawnees Made: Migration and Violence in Early America
• Christopher Columbus, Extracts from Journal
• Indigenous Peoples' Curriculum Day and Teach-In
• Native Knowledge 360°
• National Museum of African American History and Culture
• NMAI exhibition, Taíno: Native Heritage and Identity in the Caribbean
• NMAI exhibition, T.C. Cannon: At the Edge of America
• Teaching Tolerance: Text, Indian Removal Act: Primary Documents in American History
• National Museum of American History, Molina Family Latino Gallery

Hasan Kwame Jeffries Department of History, Ohio State University | Teaching Hard History author

References:

• CARTER Center for K–12 Black History Education, Teaching Black History Conference
• Carter Conference 2019, Teaching about the Beauty, Power, and Resistance of Black History
• Dr. LaGarrett King, founding director CARTER Center, University of Missouri
• James Madison’s Montpelier (Ohio State University students' visit)
• Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
• Barry Thomas, Director of Equity and Diversity, Omaha Public Schools

We’re turning our attention to the enslavement of Indigenous people, spending more time with teachers in the classroom and adding support for K–5 educators. Tune in next week for more advice about teaching the history and long legacy of American slavery.

And you'll find a full episode transcript on our site.

Historian Bethany Jay returns – answering questions from educators across the country. Host Hasan Kwame Jeffries and the co-editor of Understanding and Teaching American Slavery confront teacher anxieties and counter misconceptions in our season finale. 

Visit the show notes for this episode to find a complete transcript and a list of resources to help you teach the ideas explored by our guests.

And educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

From elementary to high school, YA literature can introduce fundamental themes and information about slavery, especially when paired with primary sources. John H. Bickford shows how to capitalize on the strengths and weaknesses of trade books about slavery. 

Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

And be sure to visit the show notes for this episode, for a complete transcript and resources to help you teach the ideas explored by our guests.