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At the last BASA meeting on the new National Curriculum it was decided to begin discussion on an alternative that could build on what currently exists but present an alternative to the removal of African and Caribbean presence in British history proposed by Gove. The aim was to encourage everyone to contribute to developing this alternative through a discussion on jiscmail. The document below has been produced for that purpose - it is an initial draft to which everyone should suggest additions and amendments. The BASA Alternative Curriculum We wish to retain the following key statements and concepts from the 2008 curriculum: History ... encourages mutual understanding of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, and helps pupils become confident and questioning individuals. …Understanding the diverse experiences and ideas, beliefs and attitudes of men, women and children in past societies and how these have shaped the world .... Pupils should explore cultural, ethnic and religious diversity and racial equality. Diversity exists within and between groups due to cultural, ethnic, regional, linguistic, social, economic, technological, political and religious differences ….All pupils should be taught aspects of history, including ... the impact through time of the movement and settlement of diverse peoples to, from and within the British Isles … All pupils should be taught aspects of history, including ... the impact through time of the movement and settlement of diverse peoples to, from and within the British Isles. …. the development of trade, colonisation, industrialisation and technology, the British Empire and its impact on different people in Britain and overseas, pre-colonial civilisations, the nature and effects of the slave trade, and resistance and decolonisation. ….Explore the ways in which the past has helped shape identities, shared cultures, values and attitudes today And, expanding on this section of the current curriculum: the development of trade, colonisation, industrialisation and technology, the British Empire and its impact on different people in Britain and overseas, pre-colonial civilisations, the nature and effects of the slave trade, and resistance and decolonisation[1] Pupils should be taught about: 1. Ancient Egypt and other great African civilizations: e.g. Kingdom of Ghana, est. c.400; Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu (modern-day Chad) est. c.784; Zimbabwe est. c. 1100; Kongo, est. c.1350, etc. 2. Africans in Roman Britain - The numerous Maurorum Aurelianorum (c.100-c.400), Hadrian’s wall; - Emperor Septimus Severus (145 – 211), Quintus Lollius Urbicus and other African-born Romans. 3. Medieval images of Africa: Mandeville’s Travels, Maps, etc. 4. Africans in Early Modern Britain i) Africans at the Scottish court of James IV, 1501-1513. ii) Africans in Tudor England iii) African characters in early modern literature 5. The Imperial project: colonization and empire. -Exploration, early trading and first colonies under Elizabeth I and James I 6. The Slave Trade 7. Africans in 18th Century Britain: Olaudah Equiano, Ignatius Sancho, Phillis Wheatley, Ottobah Cugoano, Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, William Ansah Sessarakoo, Francis Barber. 8. Slavery and the Law- to include the Somerset case, Joseph Knight vs. Wedderburn, the Zong. 9. Abolition: the struggle 10. Resistance i) Small-scale daily resistance ii) Haitian Revolution iii) Maroons 11. The rise of pseudo-“scientific” racism 12. Africans in 19th century Britain William Cuffay Robert Wedderburn William Davidson Mary Seacole Ira Aldride Samuel Coleridge Taylor 13. Africans in 20th century Britain Pan-Africanism and the ‘Black’ press Henry Sylvester Williams, Dusé Mohammed Ali, John Archer 1919 ‘Race riots’ Key organisations: League of Coloured Peoples, WASU, International African Service Bureau, Pan-African Federation Key Figures: Harold Moody, Ladipo Solanke, George Padmore -African servicemen and women in the World Wars -The Windrush generation 14. The Civil Rights Movement in the UK; The Campaign for Racial Equality, ‘Black Power’ Sources: D. Dabydeen, J. Gilmore, and C. Jones, eds.,The Oxford Companion to Black British History (Oxford, 2005). P. Fryer, Staying power: the history of black people in Britain (1984). Guardian black history timeline: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactive/2008/oct/13/black-history-month-timeline Black History 4 Schools website [http://www.blackhistory4schools.com] Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain, 1500-1850 The National Archives, Exhibitions and Learning Online [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/] 2008 National Currciculum: https://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/secondary/b00199545/history [1] The development of trade, colonisation, industrialisation and technology, the British Empire: This includes studying how the development of trade, colonisation, industrialisation and technology affected the UK. There should be a focus on the British Empire and its effect both on Britain and on the regions it colonised, as well as its legacy in the contemporary world (eg in Africa, the Middle East and India). Recognition should also be given to the cultures, beliefs and achievements of some of the societies prior to European colonisation, such as the West African kingdoms. The study of the slave trade should include resistance, the abolition of slavery and the work of people such as Olaudah Equiano and William Wilberforce. Links could be made to emancipation, segregation and the twentieth century civil rights movement in the USA. https://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/h/history%202007%20programme%20of%20study%20for%20key%20stage%203.pdf -p.116.