Using the WPA Slave Narratives – w/ Cynthia Lynn Lyerly

Dealing With Things As They Are: Creating a Classroom Environment – w/ Steven Thurston Oliver: In many ways, the U.S. has fallen short of its ideals. How can we explain this to students—particularly in the context of discussing slavery? Professor Steven Thurston Oliver has this advice for teachers: Face your fears. With host Hasan Kwame... by Teaching Hard History

44 min listen

In the Footsteps of Others: Process Drama – w/ Lindsay Randall: Students learning about slavery often ask, “Why didn’t enslaved people just run away or revolt?” Lindsay Anne Randall offers a lesson in “Process Drama”—a method teachers can use to answer this question, build empathy and offer... by Teaching Hard History

43 min listen

Slavery in the Constitution – w/ Dr. Paul Finkelman: Constitutional historian Paul Finkelman explains the deeply racist bargains the founding fathers struck to unify the country under one document and discusses what students should know about how slavery defined the United States after the... by Teaching Hard History

41 min listen

Slavery & the Civil War, Part 2 – w/ Dr. Bethany Jay: Dr. Bethany Jay is back to talk about teaching the end of the Civil War, and how enslaved people’s participation in the war helped subvert the institution of slavery. With host Hasan Kwame Jeffries. (Teaching Tolerance / Southern Poverty Law... by Teaching Hard History

30 min listen

Slavery & the Civil War, Part 1 – w/ Dr. Bethany Jay: What really caused the Civil War? In this episode, Salem State University Professor Bethany Jay offers tips for teaching lesser-known history that clarifies this question and cuts through our cloudy national understanding of the Confederacy. With host... by Teaching Hard History

33 min listen

Film and the History of Slavery w/ Ron Briley: Film has long shaped our nation's historical memory, for good and bad. Film historian Ron Briley offers ways to responsibly use films in the classroom to reframe the typical narrative of American slavery and Reconstruction. With host Hasan Kwame... by Teaching Hard History

47 min listen

Coming Soon: Season 2 of Teaching Hard History: 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... by Teaching Hard History

8 min listen

Coming Soon: Stories from the Classroom (and more): Over the next few episodes, we're bringing Season One to a close. Tune in for stories from the classroom, guidance for elementary teachers and language arts classes. And answers to questions from listeners like you. With host Hasan Kwame Jeffries.... by Teaching Hard History

4 min listen

Diverse Experience of the Enslaved w/ Deirdre Cooper Owens: Most students leave school thinking enslaved people lived like characters in Gone with the Wind. Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens reveals the remarkable diversity of lived experiences within slavery and explains the gap between what scholars and students... by Teaching Hard History

36 min listen

Coming Soon: Conversations with Andrés Reséndez: 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... by Teaching Hard History

4 min listen

Confronting Hard History at Montpelier: At James Madison’s Montpelier, the legacy of enslaved people isn’t silenced—and their descendants have a voice. Christian Cotz, Price Thomas and Dr. Patrice Preston Grimes explain how that happened, and why it’s important. With host Hasan... by Teaching Hard History

75 min listen

Slavery & the Northern Economy – w/ Christy Clark Pujara: When we think of slavery as a strictly Southern institution, we perpetuate a “dangerous fiction,” according to Professor Christy Clark-Pujara. Avoid the trap with this episode about the role the North played in perpetuating slavery and the truth... by Teaching Hard History

33 min listen

Slave Codes, Liberty Suits and the Charter Generation – w/ Margaret Newell: 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,... by Teaching Hard History

82 min listen

Ten More … Film and the History of Slavery w/ Ron Briley: Film historian Ron Briley returns with more documentary, feature film & miniseries suggestions for history & English teachers. From Ken Burns to Black Panther, this episode offers background & strategies to incorporate pop culture... by Teaching Hard History

22 min listen

Classroom Experiences w/ Tamara Spears and Jordan Lanfair: How it’s done. Tamara Spears teaches middle school Social Studies in New York and Jordan Lanfair is a high school English Language Arts teacher in Chicago. Each has been developing additional lessons about slavery for years. They share their... by Teaching Hard History

57 min listen

Sample Lessons w/ Jordan Lanfair and Tamara Spears: Using the present to explore the past. Tamara Spears and Jordan Lanfair suggest a Social Studies unit about Resistance & Kanye West, and a set of English Language Arts lessons examining holidays to understand the legacy of American slavery. With... by Teaching Hard History

31 min listen

Drop Us A Line – Your Questions. Your Stories. Your Episode!: A listener’s question leads to a meaningful moment. And now we want more! Take a listen, then email podcast@tolerance.org to tell us your story about teaching hard history for an upcoming, special episode. With host Hasan Kwame Jeffries. (Teaching... by Teaching Hard History

11 min listen

Teaching Slavery through Children's Literature, Part 1 – w/ Ebony Elizabeth Thomas: Children’s books are often the primary way . 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... by Teaching Hard History

71 min listen

Wrap up: Questions from the Classroom – w/ Bethany Jay: 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... by Teaching Hard History

55 min listen

Indigenous Enslavement: Part 1 – w/ Christina Snyder: 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... by Teaching Hard History

85 min listen

Resistance Means More Than Rebellion – w/ Kenneth S. Greenberg: To see a more complete picture of the experience of enslaved people, you have to redefine resistance, Dr. Kenneth S. Greenberg offers teachers a lens to help students see the ways in which enslaved people fought back against the brutality of... by Teaching Hard History

67 min listen

Using the WPA Slave Narratives – w/ Cynthia Lynn Lyerly: 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... by Teaching Hard History

65 min listen

Slavery in the Supreme Court – w/ Paul Finkelman: In the United States, justice was never blind. Historian Paul Finkelman goes beyond legal jargon to illustrate how slavery was entangled with the opinions of the Court—and encoded into the Constitution itself. With host Hasan Kwame Jeffries.... by Teaching Hard History

56 min listen

Reframing the Movement – w/ Nishani Frazier and Adam Sanchez: Teaching the civil rights movement accurately and effectively requires deconstructing the myths and misconceptions about the civil rights movement. Most people are familiar with a very specific version of the Civil Rights Movement that exaggerates... by Teaching Hard History

67 min listen

The Hidden History of American Slavery – w/ Maureen Costello, Eduardo Díaz and Renée Gokey: 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... by Teaching Hard History

89 min listen

Indigenous Enslavement: Part 2 – w/ Christina Snyder: 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... by Teaching Hard History

68 min listen

Inseparable Separations: Slavery and Indian Removal: 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... by Teaching Hard History

60 min listen

Slavery Today w/ James Brewer Stewart: Enslavement didn’t end with Emancipation. Historian James Brewer Stewart discusses modern-day slavery happening across the world—and right here in the U.S. – showing educators how to connect the past with the present. With host Hasan Kwame... by Teaching Hard History

71 min listen

Young Adult Trade Books – w/ John H. Bickford: 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... by Teaching Hard History

58 min listen

Wrap Up: Teaching the Connections – w/ Bethany Jay: The systems that enabled and perpetuated African and Indigenous enslavement in what is now the U.S. have much in common, and their histories tell us a great deal about the present. Professors Bethany Jay and Steven Oliver join us to talk about... by Teaching Hard History

89 min listen

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Using the WPA Slave Narratives – w/ Cynthia Lynn Lyerly

Using the WPA Slave Narratives – w/ Cynthia Lynn Lyerly

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