Key questions: 

• How did enslaved labor contribute to the development of the United States?
• How did the institution of slavery change over time and across geography?
• How can primary documents reveal the individuality and agency of both enslaved and free Black people in the 17th and 18th century?

Researching individuals who labored in slavery and freedom is a valuable way to engage students’ curiosity about life in the American colonies and early Republic. The following individuals were chosen for their wide variety of experiences, changes that they witnessed in the colonial era and emerging Republic, their own personal agency and fortitude, and surviving evidence. One video and article has been provided below, however students should also feel free to complete their own research. After researching and taking notes, students compose two scenes for their lives— one in slavery and one in freedom— in the style of a graphic novel.