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TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF SLAVERY IN MARYLAND (Final Report) 1999/12/31 MdHR 991422 MdHR 991422, Image No: 79 Print image (41K) |
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TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF SLAVERY IN MARYLAND (Final Report) 1999/12/31 MdHR 991422 MdHR 991422, Image No: 79 Print image (41K) |
| 70 [Excerpt from Written Submission of Dr. Judith O'Brien, Education Director of Sotterley Plantation, Hollywood, and St. Mary's County, MD] The story of slavery in the United States is clearly a racial one, and the long-term impact of this period in our history is pervasive racism and white privilege. As an educator, I believe that K-12 educational programming about slavery can have a significant impact on the attitudes and beliefs of our youth. But I would add a caution. Programs on the subject of slavery must address not only the inhumane aspects of slavery, but the human ones as well. When students arrive at Sotterley they want to know about the horrors of slavery, for example, whether the master beat his slaves, why the slaves didn't kill the master and his family and run away to freedom, the inadequate food supply and shelter, and the impossible working conditions that slaves endured. But the story of slavery is also a human one, and as previous studies have shown, students come with a yearning to grasp the larger meaning of slavery—that somehow, in spite of the horrors slavery imposed, African Americans adapted, endured, and made significant contributions to the American culture. Slaves raised families, created communities, formed identities, found inspiration, |