Tips for Teaching Black History in Your Homeschool

December 4, 2020
Written by:
Guest Author
Elementary Homeschool, Homeschool High School, Homeschool History, Homeschool Resources

This post is sponsored by YAAHA.

We are in a crucial time in the history of the United States of America and it’s time for us as a homeschool community to examine our history studies and ensure that our children get the full picture of what occurred throughout America’s history, including the history of Black Americans.

American History Texts Are Good but Often Not Enough

Though most history texts are written by well-meaning authors, the subject of Black historical contributions throughout American history hasn’t been documented in its rich and full entirety within this context. For this reason, it is vitally important for us to insure our homeschool students have a chance to know and understand the history of Black Americans in the United States. Since even the best American History textbooks available today don’t include the full story of Black historical contributions, a dedicated history text is a great way to integrate this niche study during the homeschool year.

Tips for Creating a Black History Study in Your Homeschool

Black History Awareness Cannot Be Overemphasized

Promoting awareness and preserving important forgotten information about Black Americans and their integral part in America’s history is vital to changing perspectives about Black History in America. The suggested Black History text is an inspiring and educational journey through history and if passed on to today’s children will restore the integrity of African American history. Today’s homeschool parents can make a difference in how the next generation views these forgotten chapters of American history. It’s a necessity for all Americans.

Is There Comprehensive Information About Black History in One Place?

Homeschool parents need to wonder no longer. Some tips are outlined above and here are more details. YAAHA (Yocum African American History Association) that provides the recommended online resource where families can obtain an array of educational materials free of charge is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that is dedicated to sharing educational resources about Black American history.

The YAAHA website includes not only the ready-made lesson plans, but also PowerPoints, videos, illustrations, and other resources to convey the breadth of this history. The lesson plans are divided into four 100-year sections starting with 1619 and ending with 2019. Each of the lesson plans is downloadable in PDF format and ideal for middle, high school, and college-level students. The lesson plans include such titles as Britain’s Solution for Manpower, The Roots of Slavery, Black Patriots of the American Revolution, and Black Wall Street.

On YAAHA’s website are 22 blog postings that highlight very successful Black Americans and important historical events. Titles include First Black Auto Manufacturer, 176 Year History of Party Platforms, Before Rosa Parks There Was Claudette Colvin, 1500 Freedom Fighters, and others. The nine short videos answer such questions as “Who was the first African American millionaire ten years before the Civil War?” The answer is Jeremiah G. Hamilton of New York, an entrepreneur, and Wall Street financier. Other videos include the Potato King, Junius G. Groves, as well as the founder of the Chicago Defender (America’s first black newspaper), Robert S. Abbott.

 

All educational materials are documented with original illustrations and photographs; Census Bureau records; court records; newspaper accounts; political cartoons; biographies; contemporaneous testimonials in letters and interviews; party platforms; and Congressional records, including speeches made by 19th-century Black American legislators.

 

The suggested Black History text is the book with the title Black History 1619 to 2019: An Illustrated and Documented African-American History and is available via the YAAHA website for a modest price in ebook and printed format. Based on extensive research and documentation related to the African American experience from the era of slavery until modern times, this book has garnered laudatory reviews that demonstrate how the authors who also co-founded YAAHA are making a reality of their organization’s tagline “Changing Perspectives About Black History in America.”

 

For example, Tina Howe who is an author, screenwriter, and film production company owner wrote “I just finished reading Black History 1619-2019 and am flabbergasted by the education that’s been hidden from us. This book should be used to design the curriculum for courses that should be taught from grade school through high school and college.” Also, the Midwest Book Review wrote that the book is “An ideal curriculum textbook for Black Studies and American History curriculums.”

 

For more information please visit the Yocum African American History Association website.

 

 

Other helpful articles:

African American History: Unit Studies

 

#HISTORY, #HOMESCHOOL HISTORY, #HOMESCHOOLING, #UNIT STUDIES