Landmarks of the Underground Railroad: From Christiana to Harper's Ferry

Description

During this workshop, "site visits integrated with documentary evidence will push participants to broaden their understanding of what did - and did not - constitute an Underground Railroad escape. Participants will discover that fugitives and the northerners who protected them were often as likely to fight as flee when confronted by slave catchers in the 1850s. Study of two nearby historic sites, Christiana, Pennsylvania, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia will provide new insights into the aggressive operations of the Railroad and help frame the story of the coming of the Civil War. By the end of the workshop teachers will draft lesson plans that incorporate both episodes and offer a fresh approach to the study of the Underground Railroad."

Contact name
Mellen, Elaine
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
National Endowment for the Humanities
Phone number
1 717-245-1521
Target Audience
Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Start Date
Duration
Six days
End Date

Landmarks of the Underground Railroad: From Christiana to Harper's Ferry

Description

During this workshop, "site visits integrated with documentary evidence will push participants to broaden their understanding of what did - and did not - constitute an Underground Railroad escape. Participants will discover that fugitives and the northerners who protected them were often as likely to fight as flee when confronted by slave catchers in the 1850s. Study of two nearby historic sites, Christiana, Pennsylvania, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia will provide new insights into the aggressive operations of the Railroad and help frame the story of the coming of the Civil War. By the end of the workshop teachers will draft lesson plans that incorporate both episodes and offer a fresh approach to the study of the Underground Railroad."

Contact name
Mellen, Elaine
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
National Endowment for the Humanities
Phone number
1 717-245-1521
Target Audience
Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Start Date
Duration
Six days
End Date

Race & Place: African Americans in Washington, D.C. from 1800 to 1954

Description

This workshop will investigate "four crucial periods of African-American history -- slavery, emancipation, reconstruction, and segregation -- through the lens of the experiences of African Americans in the District of Columbia." Specific topics will include "The Landscape of Urban Enslavement," "Resistance to Slavery in the Nation’s Capital," "Emancipation and Civil War Washington, "Institutions of Reconstruction: The Freedman’s Bureau and the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company," "Frederick Douglass and the Politics of Reconstruction, "Community, Activism, and Desegregation: 1900-1954," to be explored through visits to historic landmarks, lectures, teaching resource sessions, and curriculum project development.

Contact name
Queeny, Hart
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
National Endowment for the Humanities
Phone number
1 202-842-0920
Target Audience
Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Start Date
Contact Title
Operations Manager
Duration
Six days
End Date

Race & Place: African Americans in Washington, D.C. from 1800 to 1954

Description

This workshop will investigate "four crucial periods of African-American history -- slavery, emancipation, reconstruction, and segregation -- through the lens of the experiences of African Americans in the District of Columbia." Specific topics will include "The Landscape of Urban Enslavement," "Resistance to Slavery in the Nation’s Capital," "Emancipation and Civil War Washington, "Institutions of Reconstruction: The Freedman’s Bureau and the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company," "Frederick Douglass and the Politics of Reconstruction, "Community, Activism, and Desegregation: 1900-1954," to be explored through visits to historic landmarks, lectures, teaching resource sessions, and curriculum project development.

Contact name
Queeny, Hart
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
National Endowment for the Humanities
Phone number
1 202-842-0920
Target Audience
Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Start Date
Contact Title
Operations Managaer
Duration
Six days
End Date

Lovejoy Memorial

Description

The Lovejoy State Memorial commemorates abolitionist newspaper editor Elijah P. Lovejoy, who was killed by a mob while defending his printing press at Alton on November 7, 1837. Lovejoy's grave is located nearby.

Website contains no specific information about interpretative services offered at this site.

Marais des Cygnes State Historic Site

Description

On May 19, 1858, proslavery men killed five free state men and wounded five others in a ravine that is now listed as a National Historic Landmark. The shootings shocked the nation and became a pivotal event in the "Bleeding Kansas" era. A few months later, abolitionist John Brown came to the site and constructed a fortified cabin. Visitors to the site can learn more about free-staters and border ruffians and their stories.

Website provides no specifics about services offered at this site.

Governor Coles Memorial

Description

Edward Coles was the second governor of Illinois. A former slaveowner from Virginia, Coles became an abolitionist and won the 1822 gubernatorial election as the candidate of the anti-slavery forces. He helped defeat a call for a constitutional convention to consider the legalization of slavery in Illinois. The memorial, which stands at Valley View Cemetery, was erected in 1928 and 1929 and contains a square bas-relief bronze portrait of Coles, sculpted by Leon Hermant. Coles is buried in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Website contains no information about interpretation services available at the site.

Frederick Douglass, Part Two

Description

Professor Lucas E. Morel examines the life and views of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, especially his views of the U.S. Constitution and of the condition of African Americans and the fight for civil rights both before and after the Civil War, as revealed in his writings and speeches. This lecture continues from the lecture "Frederick Douglass, Part One."

Emigrationists

Description

Professor Diana Schaub looks at the views of free blacks (prior to the Civil War and emancipation) who supported emigration of free blacks and freed slaves to Africa or elsewhere away from the U.S. She considers why they believed emigration was the best choice for African Americans.