The Fire of Jubilee

A Study Guide for Stephen B. Oates'

The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion

Ron Briley

Sandia Preparatory School

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|THE SUBJECT OF SLAVERY is a difficult one for many teachers of American history, who, seeking to avoid controversy and |1 |

|contemporary racial antagonism, sometimes give less than satisfactory attention to this central chapter of the American | |

|past. Slavery may be shortchanged in favor of Civil War battlefield heroics as teachers attempt to avoid the phone call from| |

|a parent who is concerned that dredging up this dark chapter of American history will exacerbate racial conflict among | |

|students and provide them with a negative image of the United States. Some white teachers and students suggest that studying| |

|slavery only stirs up resentment by black students and guilt by young whites who have nothing to do with slavery. However, | |

|this very argument demonstrates why the institution of slavery must be at the core of the history curriculum, for the shadow| |

|which slavery continues to cast upon American society and race relations raises serious questions about the American dream | |

|which young people must address as they become active participants in a democratic society. The aftermath of Hurricane | |

|Katrina in New Orleans underscores this point only too well. | |

|      If we accept the study of slavery as a given, then what should be covered in this curriculum? Certainly, the role |2 |

|played by slavery in the political debates leading to the Civil War deserves attention, but the institution of slavery and | |

|the issues of racial control accompanying American slavery must remain the focus of the curriculum. Consequetly, American | |

|history courses in the schools must address topics such as the introduction of slavery into the Americas and Colonial |...