Teaching Kids About Abolitionists Through Picture Books

Picture books about abolitionists have led our reading for several months now. Deep dives. I never learned about them in school, and I’m determined that my kids will know more than I do. . . We started with the founding fathers which led to Jefferson to Sally to slavery as a whole to the Underground Railroad to abolition to women’s rights to civil rights... Its just a constant flow from one to the other but all still connected to not treating people the way we should. Far from perfect, but every step is a start. . . On our history trips in the fall, slavery was everywhere. Sally Hemings walked these halls under Monticello. Slaves built the University of Virginia. Slave quarters at Georgia farmhouses. Black soldiers riding into battle for their freedom. Our eyes are opening more and more so we see it. . . Maybe it’s just this life in the South in Georgia, but it’s affirmed to me why it’s so important to teach my kids. To remember to be different. If we forget the past, we’re doomed to repeat it right? . . New on the blog is our approach to learning about the abolition of slavery including a timeline and great picture books for the big four whose lives intermingled to work to end slavery: John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass. Hope it helps you approach this topic with a bit more confidence. Link in profile.