Slavery is a part of U.S history that many would rather forget. It is touched upon in schools, but the topic is not covered in much detail. Many do not feel it should be taught at all. However, slavery is a part of our history and in order to learn from it, we must know about it. Many plantation tours have chosen to incorporate slavery into their tours to better represent our history.
Research what slave life was actually like. Most people feel that slavery was all ugliness and horror. However, plenty of beautiful stories also accompany the stories of slavery. Uncovering these stories is a big part of being able to incorporate the story of slavery into plantation tours. Focus on the daily activities and family lives that the slaves had.
Create displays that show African-American culture. Learn about the origins of the slaves and the types of cultural celebrations and traditions they brought with them. Often, the slaves were allowed to carry out their native celebrations and traditions, despite their loss of everyday freedoms. Displays can show visitors to plantations that being a slave was not always hard work and tears.
Train tour guides. Many tour guides are not well-educated in slavery and its impact on society at the time. Be sure to share all you have learned with your tour guides to ensure that the slavery part of the plantation tour is properly executed. Uninformed tour guides often make mistakes, and this can reflect poorly on your tour. Education will also help the guides to feel more comfortable with the material they are to present to tourists.
Focus on the positive outcome. Slavery is long dead, but that does not mean that we should forget. Tell the story of slavery at your plantation. Just be sure you highlight the fact that slavery was in fact ended and what impact that had on your plantation. Doing so will allow visitors to absorb the facts about slavery, while keeping in mind that this is a dark part of the nation's past that was rectified and no longer exists.
