After Topic 2.7: Slavery and american Law

Turing Point for Black IDentities: Freedom, Race, and the War of 1812

LO 2.7.A Explain how American law affected the lives and citizenship rights of enslaved and free African Americans between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries.

“The War of 1812 represented a major dividing line in the history of American race relations…By the early nineteenth century it appeared that slavery as an institution was fragile…The War of 1812 halted all progress…Black dreams of freedom and equality in the United States virtually disappeared after the War of 1812…the Deep South was born.” - Historian Dr. Gene Allen Smith

Objectives:

1. Students will evaluate the extent that the War of 1812 transformed race relations in the United States

2. Students will analyze why some Black American chose to support the British, while others decided to support the United States in the conflict

Notes

Of course, students in AP African American Studies are not required to understand the complex politics of the War of 1812, but this era of the “long Revolution” was foundational for the development of U.S. society and the formation of identities at the start of the Republic. This lesson helps to breathe life into a major theme of the course: the intersection of identities. From the CED: “AP African American Studies examines the interplay of distinct categories of identities including race, ethnicity, class, and nationality… African Americans and Black communities throughout the African diaspora are not a monolith, and the course emphasizes the various ways categories of identity operate together to shape individuals’ experiences and perspectives.”

This lesson also helps support our continuous goal of refuting the misconception that the history of race, citizenship, and enslavement in the U.S. was dynamic, not static. Examining the experiences of four Black men during the War of 1812 can add depth and meaning to this concept.

As the War of 1812 began to develop, there was some reason to believe that the war might lead to a new burst of freedom, similar to the way the Revolution had led many northern states to abolish slavery. Clinging to this hope, many free Black men took up arms to defend the Constitution of the United States. Sadly, the War of 1812 led to an opposite outcome. It created the Deep South, emboldened enslavers, and led to a large expansion of human trafficking within the United States. However, during the conflict, about 5,000 Black Americans were able to use British protection and the chaos of the war to seize freedom.

HOw I use these materials

I assign the slides and handout as homework for the night after we cover the War of 1812. The assignment should take students 15 mins. Then I start the next day with 10 minutes on the material with a brief overview and discussion based on the “key questions.” After the discussion, I share a synopsis of Historian Dr. Gene Allen Smith research and end with a brief note/story about the extra verses of the Star-Spangled Banner that pertain to this content. This is always a powerful and memorable moment for my students.

That being said, this material can be used in a variety of ways. There is enough content here to use this as a full class lesson with options for a short jigsaw activity. As always, its all Google forms/slides so make a copy and edit/delete however works best for you and your students!

(The final discussion question on “American Identity” will work very well for discussion surrounding the 2022 APUSH DBQ if you plan to use that for practice for your students.)