If you haven't been before, a visit to Historic Stagville in Durham is a must. I took my African-American history class there for a field trip and it was a very awe-inspiring visit. Based on our discussions the following day I think the students were really able to get a sense of the lives of slaves who lived there and contrast that with what we had read in our textbooks and other sources. There were a number of moments of great impact, but none more so than when students could see and touch the fingerprints and toeprints of slaves (and slave children, we think) that were left in the bricks (touched before being completely cool) and that were used in the chimneys. It just hit home to them how real those lives were.
1 comment:
I would think the fingerprints went on before the bricks were fired, not while they cooled. Maybe your class can investigate.
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