A Teacher's Guide to African American Historic Places in South Carolina 2020

From Introduction: "African Americans have made a tremendous contribution to the growth and development of South Carolina throughout its 300-year history. Between 1492 and 1820, roughly ten to fifteen million enslaved Africans were brought to our shores as part of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. South Carolina, one of the broad exchange of goods between European nations and colonies in the New World. As a result, our state possess a rich African American heritage. ...A wealth of historic buildings, structures, and sites highlight broad themes within the Black experience such as slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, segregation, and the long struggle for equal rights. Slave dwellings, archeological sites, and rice fields remind us of the legacy of slavery. Buildings in Charleston, Camden, and Columbia attest to the contributions of free Blacks during the antebellum period. The Civil War and Black Reconstruction are remembered in places as diverse as campgrounds that once served as worship and training grounds for African American soldiers fighting for the Union and the homes of Black Reconstruction-era legislators. Buildings that housed African American schools, churches, businesses, and social and fraternal organizations represent a proud tradition of Black entrepreneurship and institution building despite Jim Crown segregation. The long struggle for civil and human rights is commemorated at the homes of prominent organizers, meeting places, and protest sites. These historic spaces remind us of the courage, endurance, resistance, and achievements of Black South Carolinians. Through their documentation and preservation, all South Carolinians can begin to more fully understand and appreciate the contribution of African Americans to the history of our state. This publication provides information on properties associated with African American history and culture in South Carolina that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, recognized as National Historic Landmarks, or commemorated with South Carolina Historical Markers.... The publication has been presented at teacher conferences, national and state historic preservation conferences, and various community meetings. We learned that while the site information in the AAHP was a valuable resource, teachers needed more prepared materials to integrate those sites into the curriculum. In 2008, A Teacher's Guide to African American Historic Places in South Carolina was created and revised in 2015 as a standards-based resource for classroom instruction that encourages the integration of African American history and culture into the social studies. ...In this revised edition we continue to emphasize historic places as opportunities for transformative education. Use of local historic sites in the curriculum makes the history we teach our children relevant and meaningful and encourages them to think critically about the past within a context they understand because it is centered in their neighborhoods and communities. These sites also provide an opportunity for students to become engaged in their communities by analyzing how the built environment served the community in the past and how it changes and continues to be utilized as time passes. It is our sincere belief that its widespread use will prepare students to become more engaged and informed citizens equipped with historical knowledge and cultural sensitivity to function in our multicultural society." Funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, Department of Archives and History, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P19AF00194).