SMCA Slave Simulation Day

Over the past several weeks my students and I have been studying slavery and the other events that led up to the Civil War. I really wanted my students to have a clear picture of what life was like for slaves working on plantations in the south. I ended up creating a slave simulation day in which my students acted as slaves, their parents as slaves masters, and myself as the slave trader. I remember doing an activity much like this years ago with a history co-op I was involved in. I knew that if I remembered that day so well, that my students would remember a similar one too.

In order to give the most life-like feel I dawned some leather boots, chaps, and a hat and put on a real southern accent. I then preceded to march my students out to the "auction block" where I auctioned them off to very eager parents/plantation masters. From then on, the students worked at various jobs. Some hoed gardens, others had to cook and clean, still others had to sweep and bring water to the other slaves. The parents did an amazing job acting out their parts. As I walked around to inspect I heard several parents saying they were "going to eat some cereal while I watch my slave boy work." The kids got a very real view of what slave work and life were like.

"Slaves" lined up to be auctioned

Here I am auctioning off a slave to the highest bidder

Along with understanding slave life, I also wanted my students to experience an escape on the Underground Railroad. I had it set up with a friend to use her house as a stop on the Underground Railroad. She hung a quilt outside her house as a sign that it was safe for slaves. When my students got the signal from me they were allowed to attempt an escape to the UR house where they would then get directions on how to get to "Canada".

Hoeing the garden

Getting a dipper-full of water

Many slaves attempted escape, but were caught again by the slave masters and set to do even harder work. Eventually all made it to Canada.

Slaves hard at work

The simulation day turned out to be so much fun! At the end several students thanked me for giving them the best day of school ever and asked if we could have slave day again sometime... perhaps they didn't understand the grueling aspects of slave life as well as I had hoped :)