Slavery and Freedom 8th Grade Program
Telfair Museums’ Slavery and Freedom 8th Grade Program offers eighth graders in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) the opportunity to tour the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters as part of their core Georgia history standards.
Tours at the historic house focus on the art, architecture, and history through the lens of slavery in an urban setting. As students explore the property, they learn about the lives of the wealthy white families and enslaved laborers of African descent who lived and worked here.
While also addressing Georgia art standards, students take part in hands-on art activities facilitated at the Telfair Academy that creatively build on materials and themes explored in their tour, as well as engage and analyze 18th and 19th century American and European art by using Visual Thinking Strategies.
This unique experience promotes active engagement, exploration, and appreciation of history and the arts in our community.
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Sign in front of the Telfair Academy shot by Calvin Wayne Photography.
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Butler's Pantry at the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters shot by Adam Kuehl Photography.
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Scullery at the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters shot by Adam Kuehl Photography.
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Slavery & Freedom Educator Guide
To prepare students for their trip, learn more about the history of the site and its broader connections to Georgia and U.S. history through this educator guide.
*If you would like to be granted access to this digital guide, please contact kelliherr@telfair.org to receive the password for download.
Activity Lesson Plans
These extended worksheets and lesson plans allow further exploration of key concepts introduced during tours of the historic house and can be brought into a classroom setting. Explore James Oglethorpe’s plan for the city of Savannah, learn hands-on about early coastal building materials, and more!
After examining primary source materials to learn about the founding of colonial Savannah, Georgia, students will create their own version of a city plan from scratch.
Image: Gordon, P. (1734) A view of Savannah as it stood the 29th of March. [S.l] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97683565/.
Students will construct a building material similar to tabby to better understand engineering and cultural knowledge during the pre-Civil War period coastal Georgia.
Students will learn about techniques used to design early-American pieced quilts by creating their own unique quilt block that will be used in the Class Quilt everyone will make together.
Image: Mary Ann Walker Bostick (1806 – 1887); Pieced Quilt, 1830 – 1860; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bostick Darling; 1984.12.1
Students will closely examine primary source documents and create an interpretive map to better understand the connections between westward expansion, the Dahlonega Gold Rush, the Trail of Tears, and the expansion of slavery prior to the Civil War.
Image: Williams, W. T. & Sherman & Smith. (1849) Bonner’s map of the State of Georgia with the addition of its geological features. [Savannah Ga] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/77696014/.
