TOPIC 4.12 African Americans in the early republic

SAQ: Dr. asante & Nat Turner

KC-4.1.II.D Enslaved blacks and free African Americans created communities and strategies to protect their dignity and family structures, and they joined political efforts aimed at changing their status.

Dr. Molefi Kete Asante created the world’s first Black Studies doctoral program in 1988 at Temple University. He is a trailblazing scholar and prolific writer on American history. In his essay, “The Real Nat Turner,” he identifies the racism inherent in the American historiography of Nat Turner’s freedom struggle.

Objective: Students will identify a claim in a text-based source and evaluate how evidence was used to support an argument.

This Key Concept in the Antiracist Classroom :

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” American culture has lionized Patrick Henry and many other white freedom fighters who have proclaimed similar sentiments. However, for over a century, enslaved African Americans who fought for the same ideals were completely ignored in American history textbooks. Finally, in the 1960’s when Nat Turner became more prevalent in high school texts, he was presented as controversial at best, but often times as dangerous or “crazy.” Elected officials with no historical training should not be creating American History curriculum. Our students deserve to learn from experts like Dr. Asante. When antiracist activists in Texas attempted to have actual experts review state standards, the State Board of Education rejected the proposal. What logical reason could one give for keeping the opinion of historians out of our history textbooks?

Notes

This SAQ is helpful review of AP key concepts and leads to great discussion afterward. Students appreciate being  exposed to the opinions of experts.