History · Year 13

Active learning ideas

British Imperial Expansion in Africa

Active learning works best for this topic because it forces students to confront the complexities of strategic choices made under oppression. By debating, investigating primary documents, and analyzing ideological differences, students move beyond simplified labels to understand the lived realities of Washington and Du Bois.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level: History - The British Empire, c1857–1967
• A-Level: History - Imperialism and Colonialism

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 50 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: The Atlanta Compromise

Divide the class into supporters of Washington and Du Bois. They must argue whether Washington's 1895 speech was a necessary survival strategy or a dangerous surrender of civil rights, using contemporary evidence of racial violence.

Analyze the economic and strategic factors driving the British Scramble for Africa in the late nineteenth century.

Facilitation Tip

During the Structured Debate, assign roles clearly so students focus on evidence rather than personalities.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'To what extent were economic factors the primary driver of British imperial expansion in Africa compared to strategic or ideological ones?' Ask students to support their arguments with specific examples from the late 19th century and evidence discussed in class.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Niagara Movement

Groups examine the original manifestos of the Niagara Movement and the NAACP. They identify the specific points where Du Bois directly challenged Washington's leadership and present their findings on a shared digital board.

Evaluate how the Berlin Conference (1884–85) influenced British colonial policy and the partition of the African continent.

Facilitation Tip

For the Collaborative Investigation, provide a graphic organizer with guiding questions to keep groups on task.

What to look for

Provide students with a map of Africa pre- and post-Berlin Conference. Ask them to identify three major changes in borders and write a brief explanation connecting these changes to the conference's outcomes and British policy.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Talented Tenth vs. Industrial Education

Students read excerpts from 'The Souls of Black Folk' and Washington's 'Up from Slavery'. They discuss in pairs which educational model was more viable for racial uplift in 1900 and how these views might have changed by 1915.

Explain the legal and moral justifications used by Britain to legitimate imperial expansion into Africa.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share, circulate to listen for misconceptions that need immediate correction before pairs share out.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one specific example of a legal or moral justification used by Britain for its expansion in Africa. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining why this justification is problematic from a modern perspective.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by centering primary sources, particularly Washington’s Atlanta Exposition Address and Du Bois’s Souls of Black Folk. Avoid framing the debate as a simple ‘good vs. bad’ choice; instead, highlight how both strategies responded to the brutal realities of Jim Crow. Research shows that students grasp nuance when they analyze the context of violence and legal disenfranchisement that shaped these leaders’ decisions.

Successful learning looks like students who can articulate the arguments of both leaders, identify the historical context for their positions, and evaluate the consequences of their strategies. They should also recognize how these debates shaped later civil rights movements and still influence justice work today.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Structured Debate, watch for students who dismiss Washington as a 'sell-out' without considering his behind-the-scenes legal work.

  Ask debaters to consult Washington’s private correspondence (provided in the debate packet) to identify examples of his secret funding of lawsuits against segregation.

• During the Collaborative Investigation of the Niagara Movement, students may assume Du Bois’s 'Talented Tenth' ignored the masses.

  Have students review the NAACP’s founding documents to find evidence of how the Talented Tenth advocated for voting rights and anti-lynching laws that benefited all Black Americans.

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Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share