Using the SlaveryinAmerica.org Image Gallery In Your Classroom
By Mickey Ebert

Overview

In studying images created by people during the time of slavery, students can gain insights into a culture that few of us could otherwise understand in the 21st Century. The challenge for people engaging in any sort of analysis lies in being able to look at the many parts along with the whole. Images enable us to do that. This lesson allows students to become historians by studying images and using techniques that historians use rather than studying history per se. When students become historians, they can develop worthy process skills, such as the abilities to analyze, interpret, and evaluate. By using these process skills, they then learn make connections regarding bias, points of views, and evaluation of today’s images, whether in the newspaper, on TV, or on Internet.

Students will use the documents from the Image Gallery to bring alive the human elements of a time and place in history. They should explore who created the image, predict biases the creator had, and come to a conclusion on exactly what feelings or ideas the creator wanted to capture. By comparing two images representing conflicting points of view, students bring the historical moment into context. Students will also write journal entries from the point of view of the characters and the artist to help tell the whole story. Finally, they then will use the analytical skills they develop in the lesson to scrutinize current events.

The following is a sample lesson that students can do easily with a photographic image. For more information on the worthiness of using documents, go to: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/history_in_the_raw.html

Curriculum Standards

For a list of standards that this unit addresses, click here.

Time required

Anywhere from one class period to several days, depending on the depth of research that follows the initial evaluation of the images within the gallery.

Materials

Internet access.

The Lesson

Anticipatory Set

Ask students to bring a persuasive and/or effective advertisement to school. Have them speculate on the biases of the creators of the ad, for instance, by asking:

• What sort of feelings did the sponsors want to evoke?
• Historically, what kinds of "ads" can they think of that, rather than selling a product, sold ideas and opinions?

Procedures

1. Give students an example of images in history that might show bias. Click here for Jim Crow Era images: http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/scripts/jimcrow/gallery.cgi?collection=popculture. Explain to students that posters, ads, and other images are sometimes drawn or captured in a way to evoke certain feelings. Explain that these posters are now historical images. They tell us about the culture in that era and can inform us about the people who drew them. Ask students to explore these questions:


• Why did the artists draw them to look that way?
• Why did they pick those colors?
• Did the artists have any biases?
• How did the artists try to persuade the American public?
• Do you think they were successful? Do political campaign TV ads try to persuade you?

Then, have students compare the campaign posters on this site to TV ads and discuss how they use persuasion.

(click to enlarge)


2. Ask students to be researchers first. Have them list on a piece of paper all the people, objects, and activities that they observe on the image.



3. Based on the evidence in the image plus their own knowledge of established facts, ask students to identify what they can conclude about the image and list three conclusions.



4. Have students conduct an inquiry based on the following: What questions does the image raise in their minds? Where would they be able to find the answers? To find a worksheet with those questions written on an organized graphic, go to: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/analysis_worksheets/photo.html



5. Although all items will not be identified, the students should get the main idea of the image. Then to add to their knowledge, let them read the caption under the image to see if their deductions are correct.



6. Now, ask for students to become a character in the image. They can also choose to be the artist (or photographer). Have them write a journal entry for that day describing this scene. Students should then compare the differences in points of view about what was happening.



7. Have students predict what they think the characters in the image will be doing in three weeks, three months, and three years. Then, ask them what they think the characters were doing three weeks BEFORE the image was created.



8. Ask students to state where they think this activity took place. Can they back up their opinions with facts?



9. Ask the students for whom this photograph was taken or the painting created. What sort of biases did the artist or photographer have? They then should list the possible people that could have benefited from this image, as well as those people who may have suffered from this image.

Assessment

Have students analyze this sketch and evaluate their findings.

(click to enlarge)

Additional Document Analysis Activities

Below are other lesson ideas involving different types of primary sources.

1. Analyzing Documents
   
   
   1. Instruct students to bring in a piece of paper, a picture, a videotape or a DVD, or a recording of their voice that gives us a hint about who they are or tells about a sliver of their life. For instance, they could bring a birth certificate that tells when the student was born; a videotape or photograph of a birthday party that may tell about their friends and relatives; or a grade card that shows how well the student achieved in school at that time.
   
   
   
   2. Have each student share their personal document in the next class and explain what type of document it is, what the date of the document is, and what the document says about their personality, family, culture, or the era in which they live.
   
   
   
   3. Explain to the class that documents can give us evidence of facts, values, and cultural practices for different times in history. For instance, a driver’s license tells us that a person with that name, birth date, face, and address lived in a particular state during a specific time in history. However, given that documents can also contain false information, for instance when people lie about their weight and hair color on a driver’s license, students must also analyze documents for false information, biases, and persuasive opinions.
   
   
   
   4. Walk students through an analysis of a written document by displaying or handing out the document and having them answer the following questions:
   
   
   • What kind of document are they looking at: a newspaper, telegram, map, patent, advertisement, etc.?
   
   
   
   • What does the document look like? Is it a partial document? Is it handwritten? Are there any physical characteristics that may tell us about how authentic it is?
   
   
   
   • Does the document tell us any facts, such as who wrote it, what date it was written, or who the reader of the document is supposed to be?
   
   
   
   • What is the important information that is relayed on this document?
   
   
   
   • Why do they think the document was written? What lead them to this conclusion?
   
   
   
   • Do they suspect deceit, bias, or persuasion in the document? Why?
   
   
   
   • What does this document tell them about the era in which it was written? What does it tell them about the person who wrote it?
   
   For a Written Document Analysis Worksheet, go to:
   http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/analysis_worksheets/document.html
   
   
2. Analyzing Cartoons
   
   When they look at a cartoon, make sure the students first understand that there are hidden meanings in every political cartoon: that nothing is as it seems. You can lead students through an analysis of symbols following these steps:
   
   
   1. Have the students list people or items they see in the cartoon.
   
   
   
   2. Ask them to decide which items could be symbols and have them write down their interpretations of those symbols.
   
   
   
   3. Have students look at what is written in the cartoon and answer these questions: Is there a title? Is there a caption? Is there conversation? Are there numbers?
   
   
   
   4. Tell students to write down the important words on their paper and make notes next to words that may have a double meaning.
   
   
   
   5. Have them list possible emotions that the characters may have.
   
   
   
   6. Ask students to describe what the characters in the cartoon are doing.
   
   
   
   7. Then, have them explain the cartoon based on the symbols and words in the cartoon.
   
   
   
   8. Ask students to identify the target of the cartoon.
   
   
   
   9. Finally, have them identify and discuss the various emotions that different groups might experience upon viewing this cartoon.
   
   
   For a Cartoon Analysis Worksheet, go to:
   http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/analysis_worksheets/cartoon.html.
   
   
3. Analyzing Sound Recordings
   
   Interviews with former slaves can further humanize the subject of slavery. To hear these voices gives us another avenue to explore and another way to analyze the concept. To get the students ready for a sound recording, tell them whose voice they will be hearing and the date and place of the recording. Next, have them answer these questions:
   
   
   • What three things did you learn from listening to this recording?
   • Why was this recording made? How do you know?
   • Who was this recording made for?
   • What does this recording tell you about the United States?
   • If you could ask a question of the person speaking, what would it be?
   
   For a Sound Recording Analysis Worksheet, go to:
   http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/analysis_worksheets/sound.html.
   
   
4. Assessment for General Document Analysis:
   
   In assessing students’ process skills and abilities, you might want to consider the following. Can students:
   
   
   • List important items in a picture or written document?
   • Evaluate by making a judgment based on evidence and supporting it?
   • Illustrate to show bias, opinions, or culture?
   • Show relationships between concepts?
   • Justify by citing evidence to support their statements?
   • Predict what happened when the document was published?
   • Examine the information with a critical eye?
   • Paraphrase the important information in a document?
   • Summarize important information?
   • Interpret the meanings of the symbols or symbolism of a document?

Conclusion

History is not just a set of dates, activities, and facts. History happens to humans. Humanity brings in feelings, biases, and opinions. Slavery happened to people. It was an activity that affected an entire country. By using analytic methods, students can learn to look at images, documents, and artifacts or listen to sound recordings, and observe what was happening. They can learn to identify what they see or hear before they must interpret and draw conclusions. By recognizing the biases of the culture in the documents, the students become better able to identify their own biases.

Mickey Ebert is a teacher at Sunny Pointe Elementary in Missouri.