Resources (for educators)

Frank, Andrew. 1995. The Birth of Black America: The Age of Discovery and the Slave Trade. New York: Chelsea House. (ISBN#: 0791022579)

Hayden, Robert. Middle Passage. http://www.cosmoetica.com/S16-DES11.htm

Lester, Julius. 1968. To Be a Slave. Illustrated by Tom Feelings. New York: Dial. (ISBN#: 0803723474) Read selected passages.

Palmer, Colin A. 1995. The First Passage: Blacks in the Americas, 1502-1617. Oxford, UK: Oxford University. (ISBN#:0195099052)

Postma, Johannes. 2003. The Atlantic Slave Trade. Westport, CT: Greenwood. (ISBN#: 031331862X) This book includes primary documents of the Atlantic slave trade (Olaudah Equiano, pp. 105-110).

Resources (for students/educators)

Informational Books

Haskins, James & Benson, Kathleen. 2004. Bound for America: The Forced Migration of Africans to the New World. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. (ISBN#: 0688102581) Short chapters, drawings, artifacts, and illustrations, timeline, and information about all of the participants: white and black slave traders, Africans, ships, slaves on board ship, and a mention or two of North American buyers.

McKissack, Patricia and Frederick L., Jr. 2004. Hard Labor: The First African Americans, 1619. New York: Aladdin. (ISBN# 0689861508) This 68-page quick read answers questions such as: Who were the first blacks to come to the Americas? When and why did they come? When did racism become a part of slavery?

Meadows, James. 2002. Slavery: The Struggle for Freedom. Chanhassen, MN: The Child's World. (ISBN#: 1567669239) 1450 through the Civil War, this book has powerful illustrations, captions, highlighted glossary words, timeline, index, and accessible text.

Meltzer, Milton. 2000. They Came in Chains: The Story of Slave Ships. New York: Benchmark. (ISBN#: 076140967X) This book provides many details of conditions on slave ships for more sophisticated readers.

Monaghan, Tom. 2003. The Slave Trade. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn. (ISBN#: 0739858025) This book contains accessible, brief paragraphs with information on all stakeholders.

Rappaport, Doreen. 2002. No More! Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. (ISBN#: 0763609846) Read author's note and use the songs as models for group composition and performance.

Informational Picture Book

Feelings, Tom. 1995. The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo. New York: Dial. (ISBN#: 0803718047) After introductions by the author-illustrator and a scholar, readers will be moved by this wordless book composed with pen, ink and tempera.

Picture Book Fiction

Myers, Dean Walter. 2003. Blue's Journey. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday. (ISBN#: 0823416135) This blues poem begins with the Middle Passage and ends in modern days.

Video

Roots. (1977). Warner. From the book by Alex Haley. Each episode is 90 minutes.

For Internet Pathfinder:

As you conduct your research, remember to search for information related to the perspective of your slave trade stakeholder: European slave trader, African slave trader, kidnapped African, slave on board ship, or slaver (ship).

Atlantic Slave Trade

Juneteenth. The Middle Passage: http://www.juneteenth.com/middlep.htm

Library of Congress. Slavery: The Peculiar Institution: The Atlantic Slave Trade: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart1.html

PBS. Africans in America - The Terrible Transformation: The Middle Passage: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p277.html

Becker, Eddie. Timeline on the History of Slavery: http://innercity.org/holt/slavechron.html

Blues Poem Support

Example by Walter Dean Myers: "Tom Fisher, 38, Blues Singer, Livery Cabbie" from Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices. New York: Holiday House, 2004.

PBS: Blues Classroom: National Blues Outreach Campaign: http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom.html

The Poetry of the Blues. Donna M. Lee. Design: Aric Attas: http://www.photonlab.com/blues/contentframe.htm

Poetry.org. Poetic Form: Blues Poem: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5768

Write Express. Free Online Rhyming Dictionary: http://www.rhymer.com/