Black History month: Industrial revolution and slavery

Lesson title: What fuelled the industrial revolution?

L.O.s

• To describe how imperial trade impacted industry in Britain
• To explain why this was so profitable for Britain

This lesson explores the links between the productivity of the industrial revolution and the exploitation of enslaved labour. The main activity involves map annotation using an original resource detailing the role of British companies such as Wills tobacco in the slave trade. This is the first lesson of a three-part mini enquiry entitled ‘Why did Colston fall?’ that links the legacy of empire and slavery to modern debates around statutes and memorialisation, including the Black Lives Matter campaign. The rest of the enquiry is available on my shop in a bundle, but it can work as a standalone lesson.

It is a great inclusion if you are looking to update your teaching of the Industrial Revolution, make links between the study of empire and industry, improve links to contemporary issues - especially in time to mark Black History Month.