In his article from Teaching History 183, Josh Garry describes his effort to refresh his approach to teaching the British transatlantic slave trade. Drawing on reading, lectures and discussions during the Historical Association Teacher Fellowship programme, Garry built a sequence of lessons designed to contextualise the trade while showing African agency and complexity. The result was a sequence that encompassed a very long time span, It focused chiefly on Benin and introduced the concept of ‘underdevelopment’ as advanced by Walter Rodney. Garry unpacks the curricular reasoning process that took him on the path towards new vibrancy, dialogue and engagement for staff and pupils alike.