Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Slave Life and the Underground Railroad Homepage"

America's New Birth of Freedom: Documents from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:02:05 GMT

Through the use of downloadable images of the original documents and 4 brief videos using Lincoln's words to answer questions about the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, students will learn how Abraham Lincoln struggled with the same questions that many Americans had about the causes and costs of the bloodiest struggle in American history. This online exhibition features a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and 10 letters expressing Lincoln's views on emancipation and the conclusion of the Civil War.

The Dodge Family and Chance: Seeking Freedom in the Revolutionary War

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:38:06 GMT

Students can learn about the Dodges, Chance and life at the time of the American Revolution by investigating a room from their house, a will from 1786, and artifacts from the period. By the 1770s, Abraham and Bethiah Dodge and many other Americans were willing to risk everything for independence, and African Americans such as Chance, their slave; asked white patriots to live up to their ideas about liberty. The Dodges and Chance are one group of people that lived in the Ipswich, Massachusetts house which is the focus of Within These Walls, an online exhibition.

The Civil War

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:22:31 GMT

From 1861-1865, Americans battled over preserving their Union and ending slavery. The Civil War is the focus of this section of The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, an online exhibition. This pivotal and complicated period of American history is divided into sections that allow students to focus either on a specific aspect of the war, or the conflict as a whole. The sections included are: John Brown, Fort Sumter, the Battle of Bull Run, major turning points, the war at sea, Wilderness to Appomattox, political leaders, military leaders, soldiers in blue and gray; battles and casualties and Reconstruction and the legacies of the war. A non-flash version of this site is available: The Civil War.

John Brown's Legacy

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:19:53 GMT

In this lesson, students will examine primary sources to understand John Brown’s actions in Harpers Ferry and will develop a creative project on his legacy. This resource was produced to accompany the exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Full Steam to Freedom

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:14:43 GMT

Robert Smalls was born a slave in South Carolina, but made a daring escape to freedom on the ship CSS Planter and joined the Union in fighting to end slavery in America. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring one aspect of the Civil War. Focused on actively reading Seven Miles to Freedom, an illustrated biography of Robert Smalls, this module also includes links to a related outdoor game, classroom-based newspaper investigation and online exploration.