African Americans have made a vast contribution to the history of South Carolina
throughout its over 300-year history. The African American story lies at the
very heart of our heritage. A wealth of historic buildings, structures, and
sites document the state’s African American heritage from slavery to freedom and
from segregation and political and economic disenfranchisement to the struggle
for equal rights. As a group these historic places remind us of the courage,
endurance, and achievements of black South Carolinians. Through their
documentation and preservation all South Carolinians can begin to more fully
understand and appreciate the contributions of African Americans to the rich
history of our state.
A Teacher’s Guide to African American Historic Places in South Carolina
emphasizes historic places as opportunities for transformative education. The
use of local historic sites in the curriculum makes the history we teach our
children relevant and personally meaningful. 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 they see it being
utilized in the future.
As part of the State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) continuing efforts to
encourage educators to incorporate historic places into the history and social
studies curricula, we gathered a committee of dedicated teachers from around the
state to create this standards-based resource that can be readily used in the
classroom based on one of the SHPO’s most popular annual publications,
African American Historic Places in South Carolina.
A Teacher’s Guide to African American Historic Places in South Carolina aims to
introduce teachers, parents, and students to the local history around them as
reflected in the built environment and aid educators in preparing students to
become more engaged and better-informed citizens who respect, understand, and
are equipped to function in our multicultural society.
The publication is being distributed to the Media Center in every public school
in the state. For a bound copy see your school's media specialist or download
the book in the sections below.
Publication of A Teacher's Guide to African American Historic Places in South Carolina was made possible through generous grants and assistance from the South Carolina Department of Education; The Humanities Council-SC, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities; Teaching American History in South Carolina; and the Terence L. Mills Memorial Endowed Preservation Services Fund for North and South Carolina of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Main Text
Teaching Activities and Lesson Plans
Places to Visit and Internet Resources
Standard Indicator Index
Time Period Index
Alphabetical Index
Subject Index
Coming soon:
Images from the Images Index will be placed on-line
| Staff |
