Understanding the Historical Impact of Slavery in America

Debates about how we teach American history are not new, but they have intensified in recent years. This course examines how slavery shaped the founding, economy, legal system, and social divisions of the United States, many of which continue to influence American life today.

Using historical documents and evidence, we will explore the decisions made by the Founders to protect and expand slavery and how those choices still affect the country. Participants will consider how differently the nation might have developed had slavery not been built into its earliest structures.

Slavery played a critical role in the nation’s founding, and its legacy still shapes the present. As William Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead; it’s not even past.”

Through historical evidence, we will also explore how “the sins of the fathers have been visited upon their children” (Ex. 34:7, Book of Exodus) and reflect on how different our national story might have been had slavery not been woven into its earliest structures.