ABSTRACT
Abolition, just beginning to move into the broader public consciousness with the publication of William Lloyd Garrison’s antislavery newspaper Liberator, gained greater attention from both those in support of and in opposition to its message. This chapter formalizes, through discussion of the design, implementation, and evaluation of this lesson in classroom, the skills necessary to shift the focus of history instruction away from simply memory and toward engaging the past in a manner more consistent with that of historians. Skinned, dismembered, and vilified by many, Turner allows students to see that much about the American story can be learned not just from those who were on the winning side, but those who were considered criminals, dissidents, and troublemakers. The lesson begins with students confronting a series of images of Nat Turner. In some venues teachers challenge the notion of a student placing any spin on their interpretation of Nat Turner.
