At a recent panel discussion with some state education leaders the following comment was posed. “There was a lot of debate on revising standards about slavery. Does Texas have a problem teaching about slavery?”

More pertinent questions might be – What are we teaching about slavery? How do we effectively teach about slavery? Is the narrative we teach about the history of slavery complete? Why is teaching about slavery so difficult? What is appropriate for each age group to learn about slavery?

There are no easy answers to these questions. As a result our teaching about slavery has largely been inadequate, as have been the resources and standards related to teaching about slavery.  A survey of the TEKS/SEs illustrates the common approach to addressing slavery in curriculum. In grades 1-3 students generally encounter slavery in the context of individuals who have escaped slavery, were formerly enslaved, or who have worked to end slavery. In grade 4, when the curriculum essentially becomes a history course, slavery is taught in relation to major events. This includes the Texas Revolution, annexation of Texas, and the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction. It is in Grade 5 that the word “slavery” actually is in a TEKS/SEs. 5.4B Explain the central role of the expansion of slavery in causing sectionalism over states’ rights and the Civil War.  While not directly stated in the SE, in Grade 5 slavery should be taught about in relation to SE 5.9A Explain the economic patterns of early European colonies.  In World Cultures, understanding slavery is important for examining contemporary culture in the Americas.

So for several grades students have touched on the issue of slavery without really learning about the practice of slavery.

Not surprisingly, the most references to slavery in the TEKS/SEs are in Grade 7 Texas History and Grade 8 US History.  The Grade 8 TEKS/SEs below are just a few.

• 8.7B Compare the effects of political, economic, and social factors on slaves and free blacks.
• 8.7C Analyze the impact of slavery on different sections of the United States.
• 8.8B Explain the central role of the expansion of slavery in causing sectionalism, disagreement over states’ rights, and the Civil War.
• 8.12B Explain reasons for the development of the plantation system, the transatlantic slave trade, and the spread of slavery.

It’s pretty daunting to teach about a horrific chapter in the history of the United States, and to balance teaching about oppression with teaching about resilience and agency. The Southern Poverty Law Center has been researching this issue and has teamed up with Teaching Tolerance to provide well developed resources for teaching about slavery in America. I encourage all grade level teachers to investigate the Teaching Hard History resources. (Yes, they have age appropriate resources for all grade levels.)

The amount of resources available can be overwhelming. Take a first step and look at the Framework for Teaching American Slavery.

Exploring this hard history and implementing changes to instruction is a significant journey. Best of luck on that journey.