Enslaved African Americans in Texas

Students begin by writing an explanation of what slavery is. Then they read about the lives of enslaved people in Texas. Next they analyze the slavery laws passed by the Texas legislature. Finally they learn about the cultural lives of the slaves and listen to some spirituals.

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Here are the teacher pack items for Enslaved African Americans in Texas:

Experience Summary
Printable overview of the learning experience with student activities and teaching options.
Attributions

Overview

In this experience, students begin by writing an explanation of what slavery is. Then they read about the lives of enslaved people in Texas. Next they analyze the slavery laws passed by the Texas legislature. Finally they learn about the cultural lives of the slaves and listen to some spirituals.

Estimated duration: 35-45 minutes

Vocabulary words:

enslaved
labor
country of origin
theme
accompany
tradition

Objectives

Describe the experience of enslaved African Americans in Texas.
Examine the growth of slavery over time in Texas.

Engage

As Texas grew, so did the number of enslaved African Americans. By 1850, the number of enslaved people in Texas was over 58,000 and by 1860 that number rose to over 180,000. At that time, nearly one-fourth of the families in Texas enslaved at least one person. In this experience, you will learn about slavery in Texas.

Objectives

Describe the experience of enslaved African Americans in Texas.
Examine the growth of slavery over time in Texas.

old photograph of a family of slaves working in the cotton fields

Family of Enslaved People, 1850

You have already seen the word slavery in this course. Write an explanation describing what slavery is.

Post your answer

Ask a few volunteers to comment on their posts.

Sample answer: Slavery was a system in which people were forced to work without freedom or pay. Enslaved people were treated as property instead of as human beings with rights. They were denied the freedom to make their own choices and were often treated with cruelty.

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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Early Texas Statehood and the Civil War Unit.