Here Are 5 Times Slavery Was Taught Wrong, And How It Should Be Taught

by N/A, 8 years ago | 2 min read

Learning about slavery and the Underground Railroad is a crucial part of American history - which is why it's nauseating that slavery history has been taught in despicable ways.

These are the five worst ways slavery has been taught that are guaranteed to make you cringe - but then comes along a new TV show called "Underground" that will change how you look at slavery in a truly groundbreaking way.

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1. This history textbook that described slaves as "workers."

A Texas high school student texted his mother a picture of a description in his textbook that referred to slaves as "workers from Africa." His mother posted the photo, which went viral as people were outraged over this representation of slavery. The book was published by McGraw-Hill Education, and it's not the first Texas textbook to be a source of controversy over their portrayal of history - particularly African-American history.

2. The Follow the North Star program that reenacts slave runs by treating participants like runaway slaves.

The Conner Prairie program outside of Indianapolis allows participants to literally relive slavery. The program recreates the struggles and dangers fugitive slaves faced escaping through the Underground Railroad. Guests act as slaves brought north by their owner, who sell them in an illegal nighttime auction in the woods. While no vulgar language is used, participants are forced out of their comfort zones by being dehumanized the way slaves were. Anyone 12 and up is welcome to participate.

3. This textbook that claimed "the majority of slave holders treated their slaves well."

Another textbook, another misrepresentation of slavery.

A Christian textbook published by Bob Jones University Press claims: "A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well."

This is a horrific downplay of slavery's cruelty. Historian Edward Baptist notes that large numbers of slaves were killed during slavery and severely tortured.

4. Any teaching that neglects the North's role in slavery by portraying it as if it only existed in the South.

Children are taught that slavery just existed in the South and that the North had no role in it. Massachusetts was surprisingly the first colony to legalize slavery in 1641, where slaves worked in tobacco fields. New England played a huge role in slavery trade as early as the 1640s. Some areas in the North even had higher rates of slaveholding than the South.

5. A middle school class field trip that had kids pretend to be slaves while instructors acted as masters and name-called them.

A Connecticut school faced backlash in 2013 after a highly controversial 7th-grade class field consisted of an Underground Railroad reenactment. Students were called the "n-word" and had to pretend to pick cotton with their heads down like real slaves while not making eye contact with their "masters." The field trip, organized by the award-winning Nature's Classroom, traumatized students so much that parents testified against the program.

So now that these awful teachings have sent chills down your spine, it's time to look forward to the right way to teach slavery.

WGN America's upcoming TV show "Underground" portrays slaves not as victims, but as heroes.

It's the story of a group of slaves escaping to freedom, highlighting the brave and badass slaves that were determined to break free.

The series is executive produced by John Legend, and stars Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Alano Miller and Christopher Meloni, to name a few.

We can all learn a thing or two from the real heroes of the past.

"Underground" premieres on WGN America on March 9.