Introduction

“The first were bought in 1619.  The last freed in 1865. In the intervening 250 years, slaves labored to make America what it is today.” From the PBS website Slavery and the Making of America.

First, look over the California State Content Standards for this time period in American history (reproduced below) to find key dates; this will save you time once your group begins your web research.

Next, visit the PBS Slavery and the Making of America website. Once there, click on “Time and Place.” There you’ll find links to web pages that focus on the events of certain years. Proceed through the time in question—1820-1865—evaluating all that occurred and taking notes of the events that might make it to your timeline. Another good PBS slavery-related website you may use is the following: African American World. Once on that website, focus your research on the “Early Days & Slavery” section. Finally, our school’s subscription database, Student Resource Center Jr. is an excellent place to find more in-depth information on the events you think should make it to your timeline. The password for the database is on the orange bulletin board in the computer lab.

Each event you choose to be on your timeline needs to contain some kind of graphic as well as a detailed paragraph explaining what happened, why, and the historical significance of the event. Divide the work fairly among your group members so that everyone has something to do; also, make sure everyone keeps sight of the whole picture; each member will need to be able to discuss the timeline and what it contains when it becomes your group’s turn to present to the class.

California State Content Standards 8.9 and 8.10

1. Describe the leaders of the movement (e.g., John Quincy Adams and his proposed constitutional amendment, John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Weld, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass).
2. Discuss the abolition of slavery in early state constitutions.
3. Describe the significance of the Northwest Ordinance in education and in the banning of slavery in new states north of the Ohio River.
4. Discuss the importance of the slavery issue as raised by the annexation of Texas and California's admission to the union as a free state under the Compromise of 1850.
5. Analyze the significance of the States' Rights Doctrine, the Missouri Compromise (1820), the Wilmot Proviso (1846), the Compromise of 1850, Henry Clay's role in the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (1857), and the Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858).
6. Describe the lives of free blacks and the laws that limited their freedom and economic opportunities.

1. Compare the conflicting interpretations of state and federal authority as emphasized in the speeches and writings of statesmen such as Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun.
2. Trace the boundaries constituting the North and the South, the geographical differences between the two regions, and the differences between agrarians and industrialists.
3. Identify the constitutional issues posed by the doctrine of nullification and secession and the earliest origins of that doctrine.
4. Discuss Abraham Lincoln's presidency and his significant writings and speeches and their relationship to the Declaration of Independence, such as his "House Divided" speech (1858),
5. Gettysburg Address (1863), Emancipation Proclamation (1863), and inaugural addresses (1861 and 1865).
6. Study the views and lives of leaders (e.g., Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee) and soldiers on both sides of the war, including those of black soldiers and regiments.
7. Describe critical developments and events in the war, including the major battles, geographical advantages and obstacles, technological advances, and General Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
8. Explain how the war affected combatants, civilians, the physical environment, and future warfare.

Your grade will be based on the thoroughness and quality of your timeline (neatness, correct spelling and punctuation count!) and your group's presentation of it.

	Unsatisfactory 1	Beginning 2	Developing 3	Accomplished 4	Exemplary 5
15-event Timeline	No timeline submitted; minimal work done on project because team members used their time and energy unwisely.	No timeline or incomplete timeline submitted; timeline  contains minimal information but doesn't convince teacher much knowledge was gained. One to four events represented.	Timeline with minimal to acceptable information submitted; timeline content acceptable;  some pride in presentation apparent. Five to eight events represented.	Timeline with lots of correct information submitted; timeline filled with illuminating information and insights; pride in presentation clearly apparent. Nine to 12 events represented.	Timeline contains all pertinent information required and perhaps more; content accurate, illuminating and at times surprising in level of insight attained. Thirteen to 15 events represented.

By completing this WebQuest you have gained a better understanding of how slavery operated in America and how it was eventually abolished. We hope you have enjoyed this experience and will return to your school library to read and conduct further research.

This WebQuest was created in April of 2005. Permission is hereby granted to use this "Focus on American Slavery, 1820-1865" WebQuest for educational purposes as long as its designers are acknowledged.

Any suggestions for improving this WebQuest should be sent to Russell Tomlin, John Muir Middle School librarian, at tomlinr@sbcglobal.net.