This virtual journey explores the complexities of slavery and freedom in antebellum Savannah through the lens of the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters. Students can learn about the connections between the institution of slavery and the global economy and discover how one city can teach us about society and culture before the Civil War. Key concepts are presented through interactive elements like primary source letters and images, navigable maps, videos, and a virtual walking tour.

3D Walking Tour

VR/360° Videos

Slave Quarters- Upstairs

 

Slave Quarters- Downstairs

 

Children's Bedroom

 

Drawing Room

 

Family Dining Room

 

Library

 

Master Bedroom

 

Southwest Bedroom

 

Cellar

 

Formal Dining Room

 

Scullery

 

Garden

 

Upstairs Hallway

Social Studies

SS8H4.c

Explain how technological developments, including the cotton gin and railroads, had an impact on Georgia's growth.

SS8H5.a

Explain the importance of key issues and events that led to the Civil War; include slavery, states' rights, nullification, Compromise of 1850 and the Georgia Platform, the Dred Scott case, Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860, and the debate over secession in Georgia.

SSUSH2.b

Describe the Middle Passage, the growth of the African population and their contributions, including but not limited to architecture, agriculture, and foodways.

SSUSH7.d

Explain how the significance of slavery grew in American politics including slave rebellions and the rise of abolitionism.

SSUSH9.a

Explain the importance of the growing economic disparity between the North and the South through an examination of population, functioning railroads, and industrial output.

  • GPB Education. Telfair Museums. The Imlay Foundation.
  • Learning Objectives

    • Explore the hidden lives of domestic servants enslaved by the Owens and Richardson families.
    • Examine first-hand accounts of how enslaved people resisted efforts to dehumanize them and, in the process, attempted to form their own culture.
    • Analyze primary documents detailing the different enslaved experiences and how they varied throughout the region.
    • Engage in critical thinking with discussion questions that probe enduring understandings in social studies.
    • Navigate coastal Georgia’s economy to learn about the life of an elite slaveholding family and the labor of their enslaved workers.
    • Connect innovations like the cotton gin to the increased demand for enslaved labor and its effect on Georgia’s economy.
    • Investigate Savannah’s complex and interconnected society as well as the surrounding legal system.
    • Assess agricultural and structural systems of the time while creating models of cultural activities.

  • More Ways to Watch

    More Ways to Watch

    Find this Virtual Field Trip and more resources on the App Store, Google Play, and Oculus store.