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Slavery in America Gateway Slave Rebellion Web Resources Web site Evaluators Tracy Ajello - Dolittle School, Connecticut Tori Austin - Education Service Center, Texas Herbert Brodsky - Dodd Middle School, New York Stephanie Dorman - Columbia Public Schools, Missouri Judy Harrelson - Richmond Senior High, North Carolina Diane Hyllested - Pueblo Middle School, Arizona Laura Minnigerode - Marin Day Schools, California Susan Santoli - University of South Alabama, Alabama Susan Thurman - Henderson Community College, Kentucky Lee Weber - Price Laboratory School, Iowa Kent Willmann - Silver Creek High, Colorado Web site Reviewer and Compiler Barbara Bureker - Evergreen Internet Academy, Washington Site Ratings 1 = Poor 2 = Fair 3 = Good 4 = Excellent Famous American Trials – Amistad Trial http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/amistad/AMISTD.HTM This well-developed site is a wealth of information on the Amistad case including newspaper text on the trial, and primary source documents such as the trial record useful to students in grades 4-12. A younger student can read the introduction and look at numerous pictures to get a general understanding of the events surrounding Amistad. Yet, older students will have the opportunity to do more in-depth research with the number of primary sources available (court transcripts, letters from 1839, etc.). Overall Rating: 4 The African Diaspora: Slave Rebellions http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/DIASPORA/REBEL.HTM This site, part of an online course at Washington State University, is an “excellent resource for background on several noted slave rebellions.” A brief introduction provides some background information on the environment, both among slaves and slave owners, who contributed to rebellion. This is followed by sections describing four of the “most famous rebellions”: those of Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner, and the shipboard Amistad mutiny. Although the site was created for college students, high school students could “easily use it for research,” as the information is presented in “clear, concise order” and is “written in a language that is easily understood.” This site does not include graphics, or links to other resources, but could be “useful to teachers completing research” for their own classes. Overall Rating: 3 Dickinson, Slavery and the San Domingo Movement: Slave Rebellions http://www.unl.edu/Price/dickinson/ This site contains essays and selections from literature pertaining to two slave rebellions: the San Domingo Movement and Nat Turner's rebellion. The selections include pieces by Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Wells Brown and other writers from the mid 1800s. This could be a useful site for those "interested in integrating literature from the period with social studies content," but it does have a "scholarly focus" and may be most valuable for "college research or high school honors or Advanced Placement level" classes. There are no images, but there is a link to the home page which focuses on Emily Dickinson and the San Domingo Rebellion, and which has links to further information about this topic. While the site has a "narrow focus," it "does provide source material not readily available for most pre-college teachers or high school libraries." Overall Rating: 3 Slave Rebellions http://search.eb.com/blackhistory/micro/551/34.html This site is a part of the Encyclopedia Britannica Guide to Black History, “and it reads as such (that is, rather dryly).” It is, however, “comprehensive” and provides links to further information about the people and other topics discussed in the article. Introductory information is given about Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner, the Amistad mutiny, the Underground Railroad, and abolitionism. The information provided, while not embellished with graphics, is presented in a “simple, inoffensive manner and is clear enough” for all ages. “It would be valuable to use for creating lesson plans as well as student reports.” Overall Rating: 3 Learn About Slavery: Slave Rebellions http://www.cr.nps.gov/ugrr/learn_a5.htm This excellent site presents information about slave rebellions both inside and out of North America. It belongs to a comprehensive web page that was developed by the National Park Service, and is a part of its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. Links lead to information about other pertinent topics, including Slavery and the Civil War, The Slave Trade, Opposition, and Emancipation. "Teachers will appreciate the ease of movement through the links, the topical and sub topic breakdowns contained within each written description and the variety of search information available for student assignments." The written information is "readable from grade 6-12 although visual site explorations are available and can be used with elementary grades" as well. This is a valuable site, well worth visiting by students and teachers. Overall Rating: 3 Afro-American Heritage & History First Day Cover Collection: The Amistad Mutiny - A History of the Slave Trade and Slave Rebellion http://multirace.org/firstday/first31.htm This site is part of the larger InterRacial Connection site and provides information about people and events that have been commemorated on American stamps. This particular page offers a brief background of Slave Rebellions and the Amistad Mutiny. It is “fairly well organized and comprehensive, but the depth of learning is limited.” Links lead to further information about the slave trade as well as essays about various people important to African American history. “Students could use this site as a beginning point for research,” but “unfortunately, the content and even links do not provide much additional content than that normally found in classroom textbooks.” It is written at a level that “middle school students and strong readers in the upper elementary grades could easily understand.” Overall Rating: 2 Slave Rebellions http://www.common-place.org/vol-01/no-04/ Scholarly debate, book reviews, and essays focused on slavery in the United States can be found on this site. The resource, appropriate for teachers and high-level students, provide background information on the topic. The site contains "political arguments" and involves discussion on a sensitive topic that some readers may find as a strong liberal or conservative bias. There are no teacher resources on the site and one reviewer suggested "not including this site as one of the links." Overall Rating: 2 Education World Search: Slavery http://db.education-world.com/perl/browse?cat_id=1343 This Education World site contains 255 links to sites about slavery and slave rebellions. Some of the linked sites are valuable, including lesson plans, primary documents, and public library collections. Other links are broken or lead to sites that don't appear to be of value. "If someone has the time, this might be a site worth browsing through, but patience is necessary." Overall Rating: 2 The History Guy: Slave Uprisings and Rebellions in the United States http://www.historyguy.com/slave_rebellions_usa.htm This site is part of a larger “The History Guy” web site, which offers general information about a variety of United States history topics. The Slave Uprisings site offers a short introduction and descriptions of nine of the most well known uprisings. The information is brief and general, but it does “accurately discuss the rebellions” and might have value for students looking for basic facts. It “seems appropriate for junior high students as well as for those who are older.” This site does not provide links to primary documents or other resources, or suggestions for classroom instruction or activities. Overall Rating: 2 Listmania! Slavery and Slave Rebellions by Michael R. Michau, Graduate Student http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/2BEMJNL2NG60X/ref=cm_aya_av.lm_more/ This is a graduate student’s suggested list of books on slavery and slave rebellions. The list is “interesting” and includes both primary source material that has been collected and published recently as well as contemporary history books. Since it is an Amazon.com page, the books can be purchased, and some of the listed books are linked to readers’ reviews. “While there are some potential uses of the site” as a bibliography, “it is somewhat limited as a resource for teachers, and isn’t recommended for students.” Overall Rating: 2 The Reader's Companion to American History: Slave Rebellions http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/rc_079304_ivslaverebel.htm This site is a part of Houghton Mifflin's American History database for college division U.S. History texts. This Slave Rebellions section is a brief discussion of some of the slave revolts that occurred in the U.S. from 1712 to 1831. "The information is short on details and style." It might be helpful for "somebody who is just starting their research and just needs to get some small bits of information." Overall Rating: 2 Zanj Revolt http://www.raceandhistory.com/historicalviews/slaverebel.htm This site, part of the large RaceandHistory.com site, describes a slave rebellion that took place in 6th century Iraq, known as the Revolt of the Zanj. It is as much a commentary on the message this revolt represents as it is a recounting of the events. “The weak point of this site, and potential problem lies in the underlying implication that a violent uprising is justified when humans are denied basic rights;” however, “this provocative point of view may be worth exploring with older students.” It “could also serve as an introduction to the study of African slavery throughout the world.” It would be most useful for World History or American History classes, particularly with 11th and 12th graders. A somewhat anti-mainstream European culture bias is evident throughout much of the main site as well, and without careful monitoring may be difficult for younger students to work with. Overall Rating: 2 Remembering Slavery http://apushcchs.homestead.com/files/Slavery.ppt This PowerPoint presentation focuses mainly on slavery in the United States, and is probably "not a great site for other than a summary or student review." The slides include "some details and figures but no graphics." It could be used as a "sample outline," or as a "starting point" for further research. Overall Rating: 2