New York and Slavery: Time to Teach the Truth

by Alan J. Singer

Challenges readers to rethink the way we view the nation’s past and race relations in the present.Blending historical narrative with ideas for engaging young people as historians and thinkers, Alan J. Singer introduces readers to the truth about the history of slavery in New York State, and, by extension, about race in American society. Singer’s perspective as a historian and a former secondary school social studies teacher offers a wealth of new information about the past and introduces people and events that have been erased from history.New York, both the city and the state, were centers of the abolitionist struggle to finally end human bondage; however, at the same time, enslaved Africans built the infrastructure of the colonial city. The author shows teachers how to develop ways to teach about this very difficult topic. He shows them how to deal with racial preconceptions and tensions in the classroom and calls upon teachers and students to become historical activists, conduct research, write reports, and present their findings to the public.Alan J. Singer is Professor of Secondary Education in the School of Education and Allied Human Services at Hofstra University. He is coauthor (with Maureen O. Murphy and S. Maxwell Hines) of Teaching to Learn, Learning to A Handbook for Secondary School Teachers and Social Studies for Secondary Teaching To Learn, Learning To Teach, Third Edition.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[IC · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I read New York and Slavery: Time to Teach the Truth in my Anthropology class this year and my professor is the one who wrote this book.

Many of us did not know that there was slavery in New York state, but it very much was. Slavery was not as severe as in the South. But there was still a significant amount of enslaved Africans.

Alan is a Social Studies teacher who is trying to bring light to the fact that New York state had slaves, they were not only known for Abolitionists.

He also points out the fact that teaching about slavery is very difficult topic and he offers ways to deal with "racial preconceptions and tensions in the classroom."