Last updated: March 29, 2025
Lesson Plan
Bellringer - Culture of Enslavement
Map showing the distribution of the slave population of the southern states of the United States. Compiled from the census of 1860.
Library of Congress
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 30 Minutes
- State Standards:
- 6-8.AH.1.G.B
Essential Question
How did enslavement change the culture and identity of Missouri?
Objective
Explain how the physical and human characteristics of regions in the Americans prior to c. 1870 connect to changing identity and culture.
Preparation
Download the provided map and display on class projector.
Materials
Procedure
Look at the provided map of slavery in Missouri before the Civil War. Then, answer the following questions:
Culture & Identity: How do you think slavery affected the identity and culture of different regions in Missouri before 1860?
Connections: How might Missouri’s mix of enslaved and free populations have influenced its role in national debates before the Civil War?
Assessment Materials
Possible Answers:
Culture & Identity: Slavery significantly shaped the culture and identity of different regions in Missouri before 1860.
The areas along the Missouri River, where slavery was most concentrated, developed plantation-style agriculture and an economy heavily dependent on enslaved labor, fostering a society more aligned with the South. This created a culture that emphasized wealth, social hierarchy, and racial divisions. In contrast, northern and southern
Missouri, where slavery was scarce, had economies based more on small-scale farming, trade, and industry, leading to a more diverse and less rigidly stratified society.
These cultural differences deepened regional divisions and influenced people’s views on slavery and state identity.
Connections: Missouri’s mix of enslaved and free populations made it a key battleground in national debates before the Civil War.
The strong presence of slavery along the Missouri River tied parts of the state to Southern interests, while the free-soil influences in other areas aligned more with Northern perspectives.
This division made Missouri a deeply contested state, leading to internal conflict, political tensions, and violent clashes, such as the events of “Bleeding Kansas” and guerrilla warfare during the Civil War.
Missouri’s identity as a border state forced it to navigate between competing ideologies, making it a focal point in the struggle over slavery’s expansion.
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Tags: american civil war