Topic: SLAVERY: POPULATION GROWTH IN ARKANSAS

Grade Level: Eighth

Ark. History Frameworks: 3.1.12, 4.1.11

Objectives: Students will use research and math skills to examine the growth of slavery in Arkansas from 1820-1860. This lesson is an attempt to show one way we may collaborate our curriculum. This lesson incorporates math skills, research, reading, and history. The lesson should be done following other lessons regarding slavery, such as, why slavery existed, life of slaves, geography of slavery, etc.

Set: Why do you think Arkansas and many other Southern states have a high population of African American (Blacks)?
Why do you think the Delta region of Arkansas has a high population of Blacks compared to the Northwest part of the state?
Review what has been previously learned about slavery in Arkansas.

Materials: Negro Slavery in Arkansas, Orville W. Taylor; U.S. Census Information (many textbooks have this information).

Key Terms: Population, census, decade

Activities: Using material provided by the teacher (or at least where they might find it). Students will answer the following questions.

Note: Students will be making graphs throughout the lesson.

Be sure: each graph has a title vertical & horizontal axis are labeled students write a short paragraph explaining the finding of the graph

Questions:
*Students will create a chart showing the number of slaves in each period.

1. Find the number of slaves in Arkansas in each census period: 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, & 1860.
A. How often are census taken?
B. When was the first U.S. census?
C. What was the purpose for setting up census?

2. How much was the increase in the number of slaves in each census period?
1820-1830
1830-1840
1840-1850
1850-1860

Why do we not have a count of slaves in the 1870 census?
*Students will create a bar graph showing the increase in numbers of slaves in each census period.

3. What was the percentage of increase in the number of slaves in Arkansas in each decade?
Why can we use the terms "decade" and "census period" interchangeably?
*Students will create a graph-figure graph showing the percentage of increase in each decade.

4. What was the total population (both slave and white) of Arkansas in each census period?
Compare that to the total population of Arkansas today. Allow students to make the comparison in some visible way of their choosing.

5. What was the percentage of slaves in the total population of Arkansas in each decade from 1820-1860?
*Students will create a graph showing the total population of Arkansas in each time period and the slave population, noting the percent of slaves to the total population.

6. If slavery had not ended, what would the make-up of the population (slaves compared to whites) of Arkansas have looked like in 1900?
*The charts/graphs may be done individually or in groups.

By Lawrence A. Sanders