Teaching Hard History

Indian Removal was a brutal and complicated effort that textbooks often simplify. It is also inseparably related to slavery. Enslavers seeking profit drove demand for Indigenous lands, displacing hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people. Some of these Indigenous people participated in chattel slavery. Focusing on the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations, this episode pulls the lens back to show how Removal and enslavement must be taught together. This story must be told if we're going to understand the full hard history of American enslavement. You can find a complete transcript in the show notes for this episode, along with a list of resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. 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.

The Americas were built on the lands, labor and lives of Indigenous peoples. Despite being erased from history textbooks after the so-called first Thanksgiving, Indigenous peoples did not disappear. Colonial settlers relied on the cooperation, exploitation and forced labor of their Native neighbors to survive and thrive in what became North America. Focusing on New England, historian Margaret Newell introduces us to the Charter Generation of systematically enslaved people across this continent. You can find a complete transcript in the show notes for this episode, along with a list of resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. 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 1936 to 1938, the Federal Writers' Project collected stories from people who had been enslaved. The WPA Slave Narrative Collection at the Library of Congress is a valuable resource; these oral histories are also problematic. Interpreting these narratives within literary and historical context, students can develop primary source literacy. Historian Cynthia Lynn Lyerly outlines unique insights these texts can add to your curriculum. You can find a complete transcript in the show notes for this episode, along with a list of resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. 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.

To better understand the United States' past and present, we need to better understand Indigenous identities—and our classrooms play a huge role. This starts with examining what's missing from our social studies, history, civics and government curricula. Throughout this episode, we reference the K-5 Framework for Teaching Hard History as we shed light on key topics like sovereignty, land and erasure. You can find a complete transcript in the show notes for this episode, along with a list of resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. 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.

Educators can no longer ignore our country's history of Indigenous enslavement. Our students need a fuller understanding of the pivotal history of slavery to comprehend the present and develop a vision for our nation's future. In this mid-season recap, we highlight key lessons about this consequential part of American history—along with teaching strategies and resources—through the voices of leading scholars and educators featured so far. 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... Resources and Readings Guests Maureen Costello (Episode 1): Teaching Tolerance Eduardo Díaz (Episode 1): Smithsonian Latino Center Renée Gokey (Episode 1): National Museum of the American Indian Christina Snyder (Episodes 2 and 3): McCabe Greer Professor of History, Penn State University Debbie Reese (Episode 6): American Indians in Children's Literature Andrés Reséndez (Episodes 7 and 8): The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America References: Teaching Tolerance: Frameworks, Teaching Hard History Teaching Tolerance: Lesson, Rethinking Discovery Christina Snyder, Slavery in Indian Country: The Changing Face of Captivity in Early America Christina Snyder, Great Crossings; Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in the Age of Jackson Teaching Hard History, Summary Objective 2 (Colonial enslavement of Indigenous people) Andrés Reséndez, A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca Spain, Requerimiento: The Spanish Requirement of 1513 Teaching Tolerance, Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way The New York Times, Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving Is Wrong Teaching Tolerance, Emancipation Proclamation Teaching Hard History, Summary Objective 16 (Lincoln and the Dakota 38) The New York Times, Lincoln and the Sioux Spanish forced labor, Encomienda Spanish forced labor, Repartimiento Southern United States, Convict leasing PBS: Slavery by Another Name, Slavery v. Peonage

Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the forced labor and bondage of Indigenous peoples was integral to the economic and political history of what became the Southwestern United States. Historian and author Andrés Reséndez outlines the significance of silver mining, Indigenous enslavement and resistance in the history of New Mexico and Latin America. We also examine how, as white settlers moved west, so-called "free soil" states like California continued to institutionalize coerced labor. You can find a complete transcript in the show notes for this episode, along with a list of resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode. 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.

A hundred years before the first ship carrying enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia, Europeans introduced the commercial practice of enslavement in "The New World." And for the next 400 years, millions of Indigenous people throughout the Americas were enslaved through several forms of forced labor and bondage. Historian and author Andrés Reséndez calls this "The Other Slavery," and his work is changing our understanding of the transatlantic slave trade. 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... Resources and Readings Teaching Hard History, Summary Objective 1 Teaching Hard History, Summary Objective 2 Andrés Reséndez History, University of California, Davis The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca References: Ancient History Encyclopedia, Atahualpa Spanish forced labor, Encomienda Spanish forced labor, Repartimiento Southern United States, Convict leasing PBS: Slavery by Another Name, Slavery v. Peonage Interviews with Historians, Brett Rushforth Portuguese slave trade, São Jorge da Mina American Heritage, Columbus and Genocide Massimo Livi-Bacci, The Depopulation of Hispanic America after the Conquest Spain, New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians Nancy E. van Deusen, Global Indios: The Indigenous Struggle for Justice in Sixteenth-Century Spain 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... Resources and Readings 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... Resources and Readings 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... Resources and Readings 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.