Liberty in Our Grasp Lessons
About Liberty in Our Grasp
Liberty in Our Grasp is a partnership between the Delaware Historical Society and The Hard History Project to utilize archival material found in the collections of the Delaware Historical Society to design lesson plans related to African American History in Delaware. All lesson plans were designed and field tested by Delaware teachers, for Delaware teachers.
Liberty in Our Grasp is an ongoing project, so check back soon for updates or for new lesson plans!
K-5
An Introduction to American Enslavement
Kirsten Campbell, Brandywine School District
This series of lessons/activities give young students an introduction to American enslavement using historical and other engaging resources. Students will: analyze, discuss, and reflect on primary sources related to enslavement in Delaware and listen to recorded interviews of enslaved men and women; learn about enslavement in Delaware and the impact the Mason-Dixon line and Harriet Tubman had on the First State; and hear a first-hand account of an experience on the Underground Railroad and learn other key information about the Underground Railroad.
All lessons meet the Learning for Justice Teaching Hard History Framework and Delaware State Social Studies Standards.
6-8
Liberty in Our Grasp: Resistance and Agency
Holly Golder, Red Clay Consolidated School District
This lesson allows students to extend their understanding about resistance and agency. By introducing students to overt and covert methods of resistance used by enslaved people, students will understand how enslaved people took control of their lives.
All lessons meet the Learning for Justice Teaching Hard History Framework and Delaware State Social Studies Standards.
In Pursuit of Freedom
Michael Feldman, Delaware Department of Education
“In Pursuit of Freedom” is an inquiry-based lesson that asks students to use primary source materials to pursue answers to two driving questions: How did national and Delaware laws combine to empower enslavers? What can runaway ads teach us about the humanity and agency of people who were enslaved in Delaware? The ultimate objective of the lesson is for students to recognize that enslaved people resisted slavery in ways that ranged from violence to smaller, everyday means of asserting their humanity and opposing their enslavers.
All lessons meet the Learning for Justice Teaching Hard History Framework and Delaware State Social Studies Standards.
The Underground Railroad Turned Upside Down
John W. Thomas, Red Clay Consolidated School District
Many students, especially at the middle school level, are unfamiliar with the second middle passage (domestic interstate and inter-regional slave trade) let alone the Reverse Underground Railroad. This lesson is meant to serve as a bridge between lessons about the Underground Railroad on one side and lessons focused on the freedom seeking enslaved on the other. The apparatus of the enslaver needs to be exposed and explored, both in its legal and non-legal components, to add even greater reverence for and understanding of those who overcame it.
All lessons meet the Learning for Justice Teaching Hard History Framework and Delaware State Social Studies Standards.
This was made possible through partnership with The Hard History Project and funding from Delaware Historical & Cultural Affairs (HCA) and M&T Bank.
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