Social Studies - Music through time - Slavery unit

SOCIAL STUDIES - SLAVERY

This term in Social Studies we started off by learning and discovering about Slavery. Slaves is a human being who is the property of another person. When Africans were captured and shipped to the new world they were enslaved for their entire lives their children also were enslaved. By 1600 Europeans had many plantations in the new world, to exploit their new riches they needed workers. In turn they could get slaves in exchange for guns and textiles 

LIFE IN THE PLANTATIONS:

• Most slaves work as Field hands
• The average lifetime of a slave was 25 years
• Many slaves lasted only 7 years in the plantation
• Field Hands work the hardest working 16 hours a day, six days a week while being supervised by their overseer
• Field hands work longer than any other slave clearing land, planting and harvesting below the sun
• Their job was to pick cotton. 
  
  
  

FAMILY LIFE:

Slaves were forced to live together in small cabins away from their owners house. 

Families would live in a one room shack that had no furniture, plumbing, or electricity.

Most houses were simple wooden huts and some had little gardens

After the slave trade was abolish owners encourage family life 

Slaves could be separated from their families when they were sold.

Coded Songs

• The codes of the first enslaved spirituals are often related with an escape to a free country. 
• Home = a safe place where everyone can live free (sometimes mean heaven)
• Chariot/Train = these were ways in which escaping slaves could get to a free country
• Moses = the nickname for Harriet Tubman who helped many slaves escape on the Underground Railroad
• Glory = closer to freedom
• Darkness = in slavery
• Wade in the water = advice to slaves to how to escape being tracked by hounds
• Steal away to Jesus = a warning than an escape would be happening soon

Sweet Chariot

Swing low, Swing chariot,      

Comin' for to carry me home! 

I looked over Jordan and what did I see?

Comin' for to carry me home!

A band of angels comin' for me, 

Comin' for to carry me home!

Codes:

Swing low = come down from the north (where there was no slavery)

Sweet chariot = the "Underground Railroad"

Home = freedom

Jordan = The river 

Angels = workers on the Underground Railroad

Coming after me = helping me to reach the North

Who is Harriet Tubman and what is the Underground Railroad?

Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist. She was born into slavery and started working at the age of 5 as a house servant. Harriet had escaped slavery and went back to sneak other slaves out of slavery using the Underground railroad. she knew she risked her life to do this. She was known as the moses of her time because she led her people out of slavery into their promise land, Harriet also sang songs that were in code and only other slaves knew what she was saying. 

The Underground Railroad is not a real Railroad! The underground railroad helped slaves from South get to freedom in the North. Slaves ran on the Underground Railroad to stay safe while escaping. Sometimes they got help to hide but sometimes they had to hide alone. The station masters made the slaves comfortable whey they were there. They disagreed with slavery. The Station Masters let them sleep and fed them. The railroad workers and conductors led you to the next station. This is how slaves got freedom. Slaves would have to hide somewhere for days or maybe weeks or even months before they could come out of their hiding spot. The slaves would need a signal so they know it was safe to go and they have help. Slaves would face dangers like getting caught and wild animals. 

Link to Map