Purpose of activity: The purpose of this activity is to help students gain insight into the reasons for and power of social customs as they pertained to the institution of Slavery as it was practiced on plantations in the southern parts of Colonial America.

Content area: Social Studies  Colonial America

Grade level: 5th

Materials needed: 10 5x8 index cards, pencils or pens, 4 group identity cards with a different group of slaves, originating from different tribes and area of West Africa profiled on each card, atlases.

Students will meet with their team and decide on the important customs that will characterize their group. These customs can/will include foods, clothing, men’s work, women’s work, ways of raising children, marriage customs, language, religious observances, daily rituals, etc. These customs can be based on actual research into actual tribes that made up groups of slaves, or students can make up their cultural group. This decision is based on time constrains and maturity of the group. One group will represent plantation owners who want to run a successful, profitable plantation that raises a cash crop to be sold for a profit.

Teacher: We read in our chapter on the Southern Colonies that plantation owners often outlawed African customs in an attempt to wipe out African culture. You have been divided up into 4 groups, each group representing a group of slaves from an area of West Africa. Four of you will represent plantation owners trying to run a successful and profitable plantation.

Phase I A

(Teacher passes out cards with teams and team member’s names already assembled and assigns one plantation owner per team as an observer to learn of their customs. An effort should be made to mix up abilities on each team. Teams meet together to work out their cultural identity and select a spokesperson.)

IB Teacher addresses the entire class: We will begin with each group giving us a brief resume of their customs. The representatives then present to the whole class the customs of each tribal group. The teacher leads the class in a discussion of the similarities and differences among the customs of each tribe.

Teacher: Okay what similarities do you see across each team?

  What are the main differences?
 

Following this discussion she asks the class:

Okay, now let’s imagine that you want all of the people from these four tribes to work efficiently together, how well they think that a plantation will operate if they tribes retain all of their customs?

The teacher helps the group to focus on customs or practices that are in conflict.
 

Phase II A

The four students acting as plantation owners decide together for about 10-15 minutes what customs and practices they will not allow and what they will replace them with. This can be done as a homework assignment, or in group in class while the other students work on other issues.

Phase II B

The teacher brings the class together.

Teacher: Now the plantation owners will tell us how they want to run the plantation and what customs they want to eliminate.

(Teacher gives each group a chance to respond not only to the plantation owners edicts, but to each other. The teacher’s job will be to moderate the discussion and to guide the ensuing dissension.)

  How do you feel about having your customs eliminated or changed?

  What affect does this have on your society?

  How will it affect your children?

To the plantation owners:

Why would you plantation owners not want slaves to follow their customs?

To the class:
What would be the problems if you had four different cultures on your plantation?

Why would plantation owners want to replace with customs they decide on?

Is it fair?
 

Now let’s think a minute. This actually happened in history. What impact do you think that it has had on the people who were slaves and their descendants?

Suppose this were to happen to you now, do you think that you would completely give up your customs? Would it matter to you?

How would you hang to them if you wanted to?

Do you think that any customs or practices from the Africans survived?