Annotation, Contextualization, and the Colored Conventions Project [Sample Assignment]

This resource is part of the AHA’s Teaching with #DigHist series.

By John Rosinbum

In this assignment students will select, annotate, and contextualize a convention with transcribed minutes from the “Colored Conventions” website. These conventions did not happen in a vacuum. As African Americans in state and national conventions organized and advocated for greater rights and self-defense, they responded to a wide range of historical events that shaped their reality. The students’ task is to look at the ways that these conventions responded and influenced the events happening around them.

These conventions did not happen in a vacuum. As African Americans in state and national conventions organized and advocated for greater rights and self-defense, they responded to a wide range of historical events that shaped their reality. The students’ task is to look at the ways that these conventions responded and influenced the events happening around them. When completing this assignment follow the steps below:

1. Select a convention with transcribed minutes from the Colored Conventions list.
2. Annotate, either online or on a print out, the minutes. Look for decisive moments in the convention, moments of debate between attendees, and references to historical events or themes that you recognize. Circle, underline, or highlight them. Write short reactions to the items you annotate in the margins that reflect your historical knowledge and personal experience. Relate events in the past to those in the present.
3. After completing this assignment we will examine the ways that the issues in our chosen conventions are or are not still active. Come prepared with specific details in your annotations to facilitate the discussion.

Download the rubric (PDF)

For more about using Colored Conventions as an easy entry into digital history projects for students, see John Rosinbum’s blog post on AHA Today: “Uncovering Activism and Engaging Students: The Colored Conventions Project.”