​Slavery and Human Right
"A life without freedom is no life at all."

The lesson plan on Slavery and Human Rights highlights the interrelated histories of trans-Atlantic slavery and the emergence of human rights in four intense weeks in which different subject areas are connected to one another. Through dancing, smelling, tasting, talking and artistic productions in classes on history, geography, science, biology, etc., pupils and teachers are invited to recognize the link between the horror of slavery and the promise of human rights.

Contact person: Jordi Halfman

*The material was developed in Dutch and will be translated into English in the near future.

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Who is it for?

Interns from the Iselinge University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands together with the staff of the University of St. Martin created this lesson plan, which is based on fieldwork on the island, both in schools and in wider society.

The method ‘Slavery and Human rights’ is made for use in cycle 2 (de bovenbouw) of any primary school within the Dutch Kingdom. The method combines history, geography, arts, natural science and technology. Another important aim is social-emotional development. During four weeks, the pupils will be introduced to Trans-Atlantic Slavery and the implications it has had for the world we share today. Each week four different subject lessons are taught, one each day, and the week is closed with a lesson in which the different subjects are merged and repeated.

What is it?

Taking diversity as its starting point, this method aims to allow for different perspectives and opinions. It does so by allowing different youngsters from across the globe (St. Maarten, The Netherlands, Indonesia, Brazil, Portugal, Angola) to tell their stories about slavery and the slave trade. Each youngster relates his or her experiences from the perspective that was common throughout his or her period in history and his or her specific geographical location. The youngsters are aged between nine and twelve years old, just like the pupils this method aims to reach. Through reading and discussing the stories, the pupils will be able to understand the different experiences related to slavery and they will be able to develop their personal relation to this important period in the history of their country, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the world.

lesson material in Dutch

historical scope

The method follows a chronological order. In the first week, the pupils gain an understanding of the Caribbean region before the European conquest and the Middle Passage. During the second week students are introduced to the particularities of the slave trade and slavery. Questions addressed are: what types of work were those who were treated as slaves forced to do, and what did they do to keep their sanity and dignity? The third week discusses the abolition of slavery and the battles fought in the Caribbean. Therein different regional heroes will be discussed. The fourth week is dedicated to the 21st century. Contemporary forms of slavery are discussed and pupils are encouraged to think about the ways in which slavery might still have an impact on thoughts and feelings and rights of humans accross the globe today.