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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Running for Freedom: The FUgitive Slave law and the Coming of the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 10th
In order to understand the complicated nature of slave laws during the Civil War, learners compare and contrast an abolitionist poster and a runaway slave ad. They use an attached worksheet to consider each primary source document, then...
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Activity
Library of Congress

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Fugitive Slave Act

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
From the time of its publication, Uncle Tom's Cabin has been controversial. To better understand the debate, class members first examine a broadside decrying the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and then two newspaper reviews of the novel...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Oh Freedom! Sought Under the Fugitive Slave Act

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Using the harrowing story of the Crafts, a couple enslaved in the South who escaped to freedom, young historians trace the story of the Fugitive Slave Act. After examining documents, including affidavits and arrest warrants for the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Underground Railroad Before and After the Fugitive Slave Law

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students consider the impact of the Fugitive Slave Law on the activity of the Underground Railroad. In this slavery lesson, students examine primary documents that describe the role of the Underground Railroad during the fight for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Underground Railroad (Fugitive Slave Act of 1850)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and discuss the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. They listen to the story of Reverend John Rankin, a reverend who openly broke the law to help free escape. They evaluate and debate the morality or immorality of breaking the...
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Worksheet
Reading Through History

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Why was the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 so important? The reading in the resource discusses how the act affected Southerners, Northerners, and the slaves themselves. Scholars complete the reading as a form of direct instruction while...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Runaway Slaves in Alabama: Individual Freedom Fighters in the 1800s

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Class pairs examine eight runaway slave advertisements from the mid-1800s to develop an understanding of the conditions slaves faced and of race relations.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Decision Making: Who Was Right?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
Help your class explore the question "Is it ever right to disobey a law?" With a strong base of knowledge about the Civil War, anti-slavery movement, and Underground Railroad, your class explores civil disobedience in Marshall, Michigan...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landmarks of the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore the impact of the Underground Railroad. In this slavery instructional activity, students read slave accounts and discuss the details of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. Students consider the impact of anti-slavery efforts...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history lesson, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on YouTube about the...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama Slave Codes in 1833: What They Can Teach Us About Slaves Themselves

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
After viewing a short PowerPoint about Nat Turner's rebellion, class groups examine Alabama's 1833 slave codes. Individuals then develop a mini-legal brief arguing against one particular slave law.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students take a closer look at the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. In this slavery lesson, students examine an image and read excerpts from Uncle Tom's Cabin as well as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Students discuss their analysis of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landmarks of the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore the impact of the Underground Railroad. In this slavery lesson, 9th graders read about the Shadrach Minkins case and discuss the details of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Students consider how the Underground...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Petition about Slavery

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Practice analyzing primary sources in a thought-provoking lesson on the impact of slavery. Young historians read a petition regarding the Fugitive Slave Law and answer a series of questions to understand the importance of the document....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rights and Responsibilities, Is It Breaking the Law?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate the life and trial of Rev. John Mahan who was involved with the illegal Underground Railroad. The issue of breaking the law to help slaves escape is examined in this activity.
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PPT
Curated OER

The Antebellum South

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Your history students will be on the edges of their seats during this fascinating presentation, which details the abolition movement and slave life during the Antebellum period in the American South. Students will be left agape at the...
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Activity
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Harriet Beecher Stowe Sends Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Victoria and Albert, 1852

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Harriet Beecher Stowe's plea for abolition is not only laid plain in her acclaimed novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, but in her written correspondence as well. High schoolers read a letter written by Stowe to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria to...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Slavery and Civil Disobedience: Christiana Riot of 1851

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
When is it a moral obligation to disobey the law or to fight back? Using primary sources that document the "Christiana Riot" of 1851, learners consider these questions. The firsthand accounts tell the story of the riot, which happened...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Fugitive Slave Law and Migration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the Fugitive Slave Law as a motivating factor for slaves to emigrate outside the United States. After discussing the relationships between fugitive slaves and North American and Caribbean countries, they write essays...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad Newspaper

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders write an Underground Railroad Newspaper. In this writing lesson students collaborate with their classmates to create an Underground Newspaper. Students each write a different portion of the paper: ads, feature articles,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Underground Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars explore the Underground Railroad routes. In this map skills and Civil War lesson, students use map and globe reading vocabulary and skills to track the routes the slaves followed from the Bahamas to the United States and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeking Liberty Lesson Plan: Runaways' Emigration Out of the United States

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read the narrative, Runaway Journeys, and examine other countries' policies towards fugitive slaves from the U.S. They research the laws from various countries, and write a five-paragraph essay.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fugitive from Labor Cases:

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the cases of Henry Garnett and Moses Honner, both of the 1850s. Students analyze the political climate building up to the Civil War through the lens of these similar cases with different outcomes.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planning an Escape

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students plan their escape as though they were an 18th century slave. In this slavery history lesson, students use the Internet to research runaway slaves, then create a plan for escape in the form of a short story or journal entry.