The focus of these nine units, developed for grades five through high school, is the history of people of color in Rhode Island, primarily the story of peoples of African and Native American decent. These lesson units were developed as part of a project thanks to a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.
Unit Plans
A Key to Understanding
Students examine early Narragansett history through early documents
Any Sort of Labor
Students learn about free and enslaved Africans in early Rhode Island.
A Better World
Examine documents pertaining to the service of African Americans in Rhode Island during World War II
Notice: To Be Sold
This unit uses primary documents to teach the presence and effect of slavery in the northern colonies and eventually the United States. The history of Rhode Island mirrors the nation.
Stay on the Ball
Students examine letters exchanged between an African American husband and wife during the husband's service in World War II to catch a glimpse of racial relations at war and at home.
Just and Right as Any Trade
Students examine letters between two brothers: one an abolitionist and one an ardent enslaver
