Making Freedom: African American History in the Modern Era (1865 to the Present)

Persistence, triumph, ingenuity, excellence, and joy are words that exemplify the African American historical experience, but in classroom settings they can be overshadowed by a narrow content focus, limited time, and lackluster textbook resources and primary sources. This course is designed to deepen content knowledge in African American history and represent the variety of lived experience. Each session asks: How did African Americans define and fight for their own freedom? How have these historical struggles, triumphs, and creative expressions shaped our world today? We’ll begin with a framing of teaching the harder elements of history with sensitivity, before delving into a historical arc of events. Our first session looks at race and politics from Reconstruction to the Jim Crow era, with resources on the Black Codes, sharecropping contracts, economic organization, terror tactics, and art. Our second session explores the period 1900-1929, with resources on migration, cultural renaissance, and World War I through the eyes of Black soldiers and workers. The third session addresses 1930-1954, with core topics including African American experiences during the Depression, then contributions to the New Deal and the Double-V campaigns of World War II. Our final session investigates topics from 1954 to 1980, the Civil Rights and Black Power era. As the course proceeds, you’ll have opportunities to examine a diverse array of primary sources and explore pedagogical strategies for bringing them to life for your students using inquiry-centered approaches. As a participant, you will receive practical guidance and historical insight to build confidence and support successful yearlong implementation. You will also receive access to Primary Source’s full online curricular resource Making Freedom: African Americans in U.S. History. Throughout the sessions, you’ll engage in reflection and guided course activities that provide ample opportunities to identify how to integrate course materials into your own classroom.

Course Logistics

Dates Winter 2027: Wednesday, January 13 to Tuesday, February 9, 2027 Grade Levels Supported: Especially for Grades 8-12, with applicability to Grade 5 Course Format: Online, asynchronous Professional Development Points (PDPs): 22.5 PDPs Graduate Credit: 1 optional graduate credit available ($180) with credit accreditation through Southern New Hampshire University Fee: $750 (contact us at [email protected] to enroll in the course using a Purchase Order) This program provides content support for Grade 5, Units 3 and 4 of Investigating History.

Massachusetts Standards & Professional Alignment

USI: [T5.6] Consequences of the Civil War and Reconstruction; [T5.7] Long-term consequences of aspects of the Jim Crow era (1870s–1960s) that limited educational and economic opportunities for African Americans; [T7.4] Strategies of African Americans to achieve basic civil rights in the early 20th century; USII: [T2.1a,e,f ] Harlem Renaissance, racial & ethnic tensions (KKK, White supremacy, Great Migration), eugenics; [T2.5] Effectiveness of New Deal programs, and responses; [T3.8] Long-term consequences of important domestic events during WWII; [T4.4-9] Civil Rights Movement (ALL); integration through US History sequence.

Course Overview

What our Educators are Saying

Join hundreds of educators across Greater Boston (and beyond!) who trust Primary Source for engaging, high quality professional development.

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I have brought in so many resources, projects, and knowledge to the classroom because of these classes. My students have a richer, more intentional outlook on what we study.

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I have brought in so many resources, projects, and knowledge to the classroom because of these classes. My students have a richer, more intentional outlook on what we study.

About Primary Source

Primary Source educates global citizens by working with teachers to foster students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions for thoughtful and engaged citizenship. With our guidance and resources, teachers cultivate students’ civic-mindedness, cultural awareness, and global competence, preparing them for our increasingly diverse and interconnected world. We collaborate with teachers, schools, and educational organizations to offer professional development programs and resources that help make global, civics, and cultural education an integral part of every student’s classroom experience. Our engaging face-to-face and online programs, curriculum resources, and international study tours enhance global understanding, civic engagement, and cultural understanding, and help thousands of teachers every year bring the wider world to their students. To learn more, visit our homepage at primarysource.org!