The documents in this collection introduce the story of Esteban, one of the first people of African descent to visit what today is the United States. Students will engage with a wide range of primary sources, constructing an argument based on the central question: What do descriptions of Esteban’s explorations tell us about slavery, race, and first encounters in sixteenth-century North America? Given the limited nature of these sources, what can we never know?


Students are guided in their analyses of the documents by a learning objective, central question, historical background, source headnotes, source questions, project questions and suggestions for further research. Through their work with these sources, they will gain a deeper awareness of the diversity of the American experience, a more complete understanding of the present in an historically-based context, an enhanced ability to read, interpret, assess, and contextualize primary sources, and practice explaining historical change over time.