How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

Identify commonalities and differences in Monticello and the Whitney Plantation’s approaches to conveying the history of slavery in the United States. What do the commonalities and differences tell you about the construction of historical narrative?

Angola Prison and Blandford Cemetery have different approaches to avoiding the topic of slavery. How are these approaches different, and what do they have in common? What insights does Smith gain about the reckoning with slavery from sites that actively avoid its discussion?

How do the people of Galveston conceive of Juneteenth, and what does the conception reveal about the reckoning with slavery?

Smith’s visits to New York City and Gorée Island indicate a divergence from the idea that the history of slavery is limited to the American South. How does each site broaden the reckoning to national and global dimensions?

Parallels between past and present that indicate the lasting legacy of slavery are central to Smith’s text. Discuss the parallels and what they reveal about how slavery can be reckoned with.

Identify the various educational models that Smith’s interview subjects suggest as alternatives to the current public education system and explain how/why they see those models as necessary.

What is the relationship between memory and history, and what role does Smith see memory playing in the reckoning with slavery? Use textual evidence to support your argument.

What are some key points that Smith makes about reckoning with slavery as he reflects on the experience with his grandparents?