Kentucky's elementary social studies curriculum includes introductory knowledge in state and national history, providing an opportunity for teachers to include instruction on the influence of slavery on society before and after the Civil War, and sometimes on current events. For example, following the violent events in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the City of Lexington, Kentucky (with the mayor and city council in unanimous agreement) removed the city's Confederate statues from civic spaces that October. When history and current events intersect, social studies teachers often bear the responsibility of providing context and meaning to their young students. These intersections have been particularly relevant in Kentucky. The influence of the "peculiar institution" is woven throughout the state's history, but that history is often narrowly presented in the landscape of historical markers and memorials--and in lessons for school children. This gap led the to write an inquiry lesson unit of study and implement it in a fourth-grade classroom in Lexington, Kentucky. They think that many aspects of this inquiry could be replicated by teachers in other states.