Slavery in Colonial America
Aligned to C3.D2.His.6 — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Slavery was a deeply unjust part of colonial history. Traders forced millions of African people onto ships and carried them across the Atlantic against their will. Enslaved people were made to work without pay and were denied their freedom and basic rights.
Worked example
On Southern plantations, enslaved men, women, and children were forced to plant and harvest crops like tobacco and rice from dawn to dusk. Even so, they kept their families, faith, music, and hope for freedom alive.
Practice questions
- What does it mean that enslaved people were forced to work without pay?
- Explain why slavery was unjust and denied people their basic rights.
- Analyze how enslaved people kept their culture and hope alive even under very hard conditions.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
La esclavitud en la América colonial
La esclavitud fue una parte profundamente injusta de la historia colonial. Los comerciantes obligaron a millones de personas africanas a subir a barcos y las llevaron a través del Atlántico contra su voluntad. A las personas esclavizadas se les obligaba a trabajar sin paga y se les negaban su libertad y sus derechos básicos.
Ejemplo: En las plantaciones del Sur, hombres, mujeres y niños esclavizados eran obligados a sembrar y cosechar cultivos como el tabaco y el arroz desde el amanecer hasta el anochecer. Aun así, mantuvieron vivas a sus familias, su fe, su música y su esperanza de libertad.
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