History in Their Hands: Teaching Inquiry-Based U.S. History Through the Lens of Black Agency: Teachi

Inquiry-based lessons and primary source activities for middle and high school

History in Their Hands helps teachers transform U.S. history into active investigations. Built around primary sources, the book provides ready-to-use lessons that invite students to analyze evidence, ask meaningful questions, and develop their own interpretations of the past - from before 1619 to the present day. Students don't just receive information - they engage directly with documents, images, and multimedia sources. In doing so, they become historians, developing a deeper understanding of American identity, potential, and patriotism.

Centering Black Agency

Too often, traditional U.S. history courses present Black Americans primarily as victims of oppression or reduce the story to a handful of familiar figures. This book takes a different approach - centering the ways Black Americans resisted, led, created, and expanded the meaning of freedom in the United States.

Students investigate questions such as:

• How did enslaved people resist, and why don't we hear more about it?
• When Black Americans took up arms in the Civil War, what were they really fighting for?
• What did Reconstruction promise, who killed it, and what was lost?
• From sit-ins to social media, how has the fight for freedom reinvented itself?
• How did Black artists remake the American story, at home and around the world?

Through these investigations, students come to understand that Black history is essential to understanding the American story.

What the Lessons Include

Each chapter features a complete, ready-to-implement inquiry lesson built around primary sources. Every lesson includes:

• Opening hooks that spark curiosity and launch discussion
• Carefully selected primary sources for student investigation
• Guiding questions and teacher notes to support discussion
• Structured opportunities for students to analyze evidence and debate interpretations
• Flexible assessments that help students synthesize their conclusions

Chapters trace the arc of Black history - from the Middle Passage and resistance to slavery through Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement, and contemporary activism. Teachers can use individual chapters or the book as a complete curriculum.

Companion Website

Every primary source used in the book is available on the companion website at historyintheirhands.com, along with glossary lists and additional readings. Every document is ready to project or share with students - no prep required.

For Middle and High School Teachers

History in Their Hands was written by Beth Krasemann, a history educator with decades of classroom experience and author of Teaching the Holocaust by Inquiry. Written for U.S. History, African American History, AP, and middle school Social Studies teachers, as well as curriculum designers and educators interested in inquiry-based learning.