Lesson
How Enslaved People Resisted Slavery
Guiding question
How did enslaved people resist slavery in their daily lives?
Objectives
Students will…
- Analyze primary sources to identify forms of resistance by enslaved people.
- Work collaboratively to interpret and represent historical acts of resistance.
- Create a visual “Resistance Wall” that serves both as a historical record, illustrating the many forms of resistance enslaved people demonstrated to assert their humanity against the forces of enslavement.
Materials
Student Resources
- How Enslaved People Resisted Slavery Primary Source Set
- How Enslaved People Resisted Slavery Graphic Organizer (called Resistance Bricks in lesson plan)
- Chart paper, markers, or digital tools for creating resistance bricks
Lesson Components
ActivityHow Enslaved People Resisted Slavery Graphic Organizer
A student handout to accompany the primary sources in this lesson.
ActivityHow Enslaved People Resisted Slavery Primary Source Set
Five primary sources that show how enslaved people resisted slavery in their daily lives.
Lesson plan
Click a phase to open it
More Information
Facilitation Notes
This lesson uses warm-ups and collaborative source analysis to help students explore resistance during slavery in varied forms: rebellion, escape, cultural preservation, and education. The lesson is structured to build understanding—review the selected texts ahead of time for emotional readiness of your students.