Lesson Plan: Slavery in our World Today

Learning Level
These materials were written for grades six through eight however, you can adapt the information and activities provided in this packet to the appropriate learning levels of your students.

Content Objectives

Students will understand how slavery today is a very real part of their world Students will learn how they can be proponents for change

Language Objectives (for English Language Learners)

Students will be able to write a letter to their state representatives One copy of the attached worksheet. Blue books or note paper for each student.

Materials

Standards

National Council for the Social Studies IX. Global Connections Standards b, d, f X. Civic Ideals & Practices Standards b, c, d Rhode Island Department of Education Civics & Government C&G 5 (5-6)-1.a ; C&G 5 (7-8)-1.a, b; C&G 5 (5-6)-3.a,b; C&G 5 (7-8)-3.a,b Historical Perspectives HP 3 (5-6)-1.a; HP 3 (7-8)-1.a; HP 3 (5-6)-2.a,b,c; HP 3 (7-8)-2.a,b WIDA Consortium Standards for English Language Learners ELP Standard 2 (6-8): Writing: Genres and Editing, level 3&4

Lesson Plan: Slavery in our World Today

Teacher Instructions

Depending on the reading levels of the students in your class, you may choose to use the reading Slavery Today as a shared, group, or independent reading exercise. Have students complete a two to five minute talk back to each other, summarizing what they have just learned. Have students discuss the readings discussion questions in small groups or as a class. Have students research an issue or company associated with slavery today. Key words for searching information include, but are not limited to, human trafficking, modern slavery, chocolate slavery, conflict diamond, and minerals slavery Ask students to write a one to two page report based on their chosen issue Then, based on their research report, have students write a letter to their senator or representative using the worksheet guide attached

Slavery in our World Today

Although the effects of American slavery still linger in our society, today most people feel confident that at least the institution of slavery no longer exists. The truth is that various forms of slavery survive all over the world, including in the United States. Estimates suggest that close to 27 million people are enslaved today. This is the largest number of people enslaved at any point in human history, but because of overall population growth, it doesnt account for as large of a portion of the population (.0043%). When people become slaves, it is usually because they are extremely poor and are tricked into slavery with promises of education or better jobs. One of the most common forms of slavery today is called debt bondage, in which people take out loans that they can never repay because of high interest rates. They are then forced to work for the person to whom they are indebted for receiving no pay beyond basic food and shelter. Modern day abolitionists are working to put an end to slavery. This fight is very different from the work abolitionists did in the 1800s. The question of whether slavery is morally acceptable is seldom raised in the countries where slavery is most prevalent, and no country claims that its economy relies on slavery to survive. The main struggle among abolitionists is to educate people about how their economic choices make them complicit in slavery. One of the best ways for Americans to fight against modern slavery is for us to be careful consumers. Some of the products we buy today are inexpensive because the people who make them are enslaved or paid extremely poor wages. Even though we may not see individuals suffering as slaves, we are part of the economic system that supports their enslavement. It is important for us to consider where our products are coming from and who is making them. Slave labor can be used to grow or manufacture products as diverse as sugar, cotton, iron, steel, fish, wood, and electronics. Not only should we be careful to avoid purchasing products produced by slave labor and hold companies who use enslaved labor accountable, but we should make sure Tina Frundt Tina Frundt is a survivor of human trafficking (a process where people are taken from their homes and tricked into working for someone as a slave) and now works to help free others who are trafficked into the United States.

that our representatives in government offices are doing all they can to end modern day slavery. If we all do our part as global citizens, then we can rid the world of slavery. One reason that it is important for us to remember and learn about Rhode Islands experience with slavery and the Atlantic slave trade long ago is that slavery still exists today in many parts of the world. Knowing our own history will help us to learn from earlier mistakes, act now to end modern slavery, and advocate for human rights the world over. That is what sankofa means, to look to the past and to learn from it, in order to move forward.

Discussion Questions:
Using enslaved labor in the Americas helped to keep the costs of products low for consumers. People who bought cotton cloth during this time period in essence supported the slave trade. Do you think that everyone who purchased cotton cloth realized this? Does that make them bad people even if they were against slavery? Laborers in impoverished countries around the world are working for extremely low wages and live in poverty; some of these laborers are children as young as four years old. Some of the companies who manufacture products we buy, including toys and clothing, use child labor to keep the costs low. If we purchase these items, we are supporting the people who exploit child laborers. Does this make us bad people? What can we do, as consumers, to change this?

Vocabulary
Complicit choosing to be involved in something, particularly something you know to be wrong Consumer someone who purchases goods and services produced by others Interest rates the amount of money charged for the temporary use of money, usually shown as a percentage of the amount borrowed (ex: 10% interest on a $100 loan would mean that you must pay back $110) Global Citizen - a person who considers the consequences of their actions on the world Morally concerned with a sense of right and wrong

Additional Resources
Ending Slavery: How We Free Todays Slaves by Kevin Bales (2007), Understanding Global Slavery by Kevin Bales (2005), and The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter (2009). These references offer extensive information about slavery in America and worldwide today along with tips on how to identify and report incidences of slavery. Free the Slaves. An organization dedicated to awareness of global slavery. The website offers information on the types of slavery, stories, and statistics. www.freetheslaves.net. Abolish Slavery Coalition. Also an organization dedicated to modern slavery awareness. Their website also offers stories. www.abolishslavery.org/slavery-today. Child Slavery in Modern Times by Shirlee Petkin Newman (2000). This book is written for ages 9-12 and is the last in a series of books for young readers about the history of slavery and its existence today.

Student Worksheet

Name

Date

How You Can Help End Slavery Today The best to fight against modern day slavery is to learn how to be a good citizen. You can make your opinion known not only to your representatives in government, but also to the companies using slave-tainted products. Using this guide, write a letter to your Senator or Representative on your note paper Framework for writing a letter to your Congressional Representative Senator: The Honorable (full name) (Room #) (Name) Senate Office Building United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Representative: The Honorable (full name) (Room #) (Name) House Office Building United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator ____________________, or Dear Representative _____________________, Paragraph One: State who you are, and why you are writing today Paragraph Two: Provide specific facts about your cause, state how the issue affects you and others, and if the issue is already addressed in a bill make sure you provide the title/number of that bill Paragraph Three: Conclude by saying what changes you want to see and what you want your Senator or Representative to do vote for or against a bill, or change a policy Sincerely, (Your Name) Remember, identify yourself, be polite, and be succinct!

References
(formatted in the style of the American Anthropological Association) Bales, Kevin 2007 Ending Slavery: How We Free Todays Slaves. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2005 Understanding Global Slavery. Berkeley: University of California Press. Bales, Kevin and Ron Soodalter 2009 The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today. Berkeley: University of California Press. Blackmon, Douglas A. 2008 Slavery by Another Name: The Re-enslavement of Black People in America from the Civil War to World War II. New York: Doubleday. Miers, Suzanne 2003 Slavery in the Twentieth Century: The Evolution of a Global Problem. New York: Altamira Press. Skinner, E. Benjamin 2008 A Crime so Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery. New York: Free Press.

Acknowledgements
Project Director Geralyn Ducady, Curator of Programs and Education, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology These materials were written by Geralyn Ducady; Marlaina Martin 11, Education Intern and undergraduate student at Brown University; and Jessica Unger, Education Intern and Masters Degree Candidate in Public Humanities, Brown University Edited by Barrymore A. Bogues, Professor of Africana Studies, Brown University; C. Morgan Grefe, Executive Director, Rhode Island Historical Society; Joanne Pope Melish, Professor of History, University of Kentucky, and Kevin P. Smith, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology Graphic Design and layout by Alyssa Zelman Special thanks to the following staff of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology for project support Carol Dutton, Office Manager; Thierry Gentis, Collections Manager; Rip Gerry, Photo Archivist; Steven Lubar, Director; Kathleen Silvia, Outreach Coordinator; and Kevin P. Smith, Deputy Director and Chief Curator Evaluation We thank the following Rhode Island teachers for their evaluation of these materials during the 2011 spring semester Colleen Bauerle and Sandra Makielski of Davisville Middle School, Karen Lico and Doreen Schiff of St. Lukes School, Erica Pappas Cross and Michelle-Anne Vasconcellos of St. Mary Academy-Bayview, Jane Brell and Vernon Brown, Jr. of Times2 Academy, Edward Inman and Jay Zolli of Western Hills Middle School, and Cheryl Comley and Gabrielle Sullivan of Wilbur & McMahon Schools. We welcome additional questions and comments. Teacher feedback on the use of these materials in the class room is appreciated. Please email us at haffenrefferprograms@brown.edu. Project Funding Slavery in our World Today is a lesson plan developed alongside the project Sankofa: African Americans in Rhode Island which was made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Creative Commons Attribution This publication may be copied or reproduced without prior permission when used for educational purposes. Please attribute the work to the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. 2012 The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology 300 Tower Street Bristol, RI 02809 401-253-8388 www.brown.edu/Haffenreffer haffenrefferprograms@brown.edu

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