6. Slavery and race relations
It is impossible to teach American history without covering slavery and subsequent race relations in the United States. When and how to introduce it to children presents difficulties. Always a divisive subject, the goal should be to present it in as non-divisive manner as possible. Slavery in America occurred as an extension of thousands of years of one people enslaving another. It occurred in ancient times and is related to the Bible. In America, supporters of slavery cited instructions in the Bible regarding the treatment of slaves as justification for its existence. Younger children should be introduced to its existence gradually, with each succeeding grade looking more deeply into its horrors, and how the practice led to the most traumatizing event in American history, the Civil War.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center offers age-appropriate online lesson plans and activities for children on its website. They range from first-grade level activities to discussions and lessons for high school students and beyond. They also offer lesson plans ranging from kindergarten to grade 12. Together they supply a guideline to teach slavery in America from its inception, through the antebellum age, and the Civil War. The lesson plans are presented free, and offer parents tasked with teaching slavery to children a resource to guide their efforts. There are also materials covering Reconstruction and the Civil Rights movement in its wake.