History of the United States I / Unit 12 USH1 1670 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Enslaved as the Vanguard
Captions available
The idea
Planters abandoned fields every ten to fifteen years as the soil exhausted, and moved west to clear more.
In practice
The anchor calling enslaved people the vanguard of American expansion to the West.
Where people slip
Westward expansion is usually taught as a movement of free settlers. Its front edge was forced labour.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
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