Last updated: February 4, 2024
Lesson Plan
Choosing a Path in Freedom
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 4.SL.1, 4.SL.1.b, 8.SL.4
- State Standards:
- Maryland State Social Studies Framework
--ELA skills: RI.4.1, RI.4.3, RI.4.7, W.4.1, W.4.9, SL.4.1, SL.4.4
--4th Grade US History, Unit 2—Slavery in Maryland
--8th Grade US History—Sectional Growth, Civil War, Reconstruction - Thinking Skills:
- Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
What is the meaning of freedom? What are some ways that being free to choose for yourself can be complicated or difficult?
Objective
Students will be able to:
• Identify challenges facing newly emancipated people in Maryland in 1864
• Explain the decisions taken by individuals after emancipation
• Describe how specific skills or opportunities influenced the lives of African Americans at Hampton after emancipation
Background
Hampton National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park Service that preserves the core of what was once a vast commercial, industrial, and agricultural estate that encompassed nearly 25,000 acres at its height. Hampton is the collection of stories of the many people who came through the estate - the few who chose to be there, such as the Ridgelys (owners of the estate), the several who were there out of necessity (indentured servants and paid laborers), and the many enslaved people forced to be there. All played a vital role in the development of the estate and their stories help us to explore history from many different perspectives.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, enslaved workers at Hampton faced difficult choices. Some considered seeking freedom on their own while others chose not to take such a great risk. Even after emancipation in 1864, formerly enslaved people faced an uncertain future and needed to make difficult choices to determine what freedom would mean for their individual lives. Would it be better as a free man or woman, to leave Hampton and begin anew, or to stay at Hampton as paid workers?
Preparation
THOUGHT EXERCISE—WHO MADE HAMPTON POSSIBLE?
Broadly introduce the history of Hampton and explain its significance as one of Maryland’s largest plantations.
GROUP ACTIVITY
Divide students into 7 groups. Assign each group a different aspect of life at Hampton.
- Domestic life in the mansion
- Falling gardens and Grand Terrace
- Recreation and Sport
- Dining at Hampton
- Tending Livestock
- Farming for Profit
- Entertaining at Hampton
Ask each group to write down on a large sheet of paper, all of the jobs, skills, or tasks they think were necessary to make their assigned part of life at Hampton possible? (10—15 minutes)
Prompting Questions:
- How were meals prepared?
- What kinds of skills do you need to get a thoroughbred horse ready to race?
- What kinds of things are part of regular housekeeping tasks? Remember, there are no appliances nor plumbing, nor electricity.
CLASS DISCUSSION
As a class, discuss each group’s ideas and determine where skills/tasks overlap. (15—20 minutes)
Ask students probing questions to explain the reasoning behind their answers.
Ask students to think about:
- How many people were needed to do these many jobs.
- How skilled were these workers?
- How much do you think these people would earn? (generally based on modern standards)
- How much do you think these workers were actually paid?
Ask students to imagine what it might be like for an enslaved person to suddenly become free, and what kinds of challenges and opportunities that kind of change would present to someone’s life.
Remind students that during their visit to Hampton they will be learning about individuals who faced these questions.
Materials
This document provides lesson plan, site map, biographies for discussion, and additional reference materials.
Download Choosing a Path in Freedom Teacher Activity Book
This document includes student group worksheet and biographies.
Download Choosing a Path in Freedom Student Activity Book
This document is a pre-visit thought exercise to prepare for a site visit or in-class lesson.
Download Choosing a Path in Freedom Pre-Visit Activity
Lesson Hook/Preview
GOAL—EMPOWERING CONNECTIONS
With the recent national discussions about race and the legacy of slavery and institutional racism in the United States, connecting with the stories of Hampton's enslaved individuals provides insight into many stories of empowerment within an institution founded on oppression. Using this activity within the park or using park resources available in the classroom can help encourage students to connect with the cultural resources at Hampton and the personal narratives of those who lived and worked there. Common themes among stories of enslaved men, women, and children at Hampton focus on:
- Freedom Seekers
- Resistance
- Entrepreneurship
- Family
- Independence
- Community
Procedure
DIVIDE STUDENTS INTO TEAMS
Assign or ask students to choose each of the following roles on their team:
- Scribe—This person will take notes for the group and write up the group replies
- Speaker—This person will speak on behalf of the group during the class presentations
- Researcher—This person will find and collect appropriate resources
- Facilitator—This person will keep the group on task and make sure discussion runs smoothly and assignment is complete on time
- Challenger—This person will raise questions during the discussion and offer alternatives to further the discussion
Assign different individual or family stories to teams and distribute worksheets to teams.
EXPLORE THE STORY
- Give students time to review the individual or family biography
- Encourage students to discuss with the group what options are available to the person(s) described and decide what choice one would make in their situation. Be sure to consider:
- Resources available to the person
- Limitations
- Other things that might influence their decision
LOCATIONS TO VISIT AT HAMPTON
The following locations have direct connections with the individuals your students will discuss during this activity (see map below).
- Orangery and Ice House—Dinah Toogood (kitchen located in Mansion)
- Terrace and Gardens—Jim Pratt
- Mansion—Anne Davis Williams, Harriet Hawkins, Mark Posey
- Cemetery—Nancy Davis’ grave is located here
- Stables—Nathan Harris
- Dairy—Ellen Harris
- Lower House and Slave Quarters—Nick Toogood
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
Teams will come to a consensus on what course they would choose in 1864 based on the information in the story. The scribe assigned to each team will document the group’s choices on the worksheet and the team will prepare to present to the class. Students must provide answers to the following questions:
-
Who is your story about? Include details to help the class understand who they were.
-
What choice would you make after emancipation in 1864?
-
What are your reasons for this choice?
-
Students will present their choices and cite what influenced their decision.
THE PATH THEY CHOSE
Teacher will ask students to reveal the actual decision taken by individuals and facilitate a discussion about what influenced their decision (see story handouts below)
Sample Questions:
- Did the path chosen by this person surprise you? Why or why not?
- Why do you think he/she made this decision?
- What kinds of risks or challenges do you think this person faced in making their decision?
- What kinds of skills, characteristics, or talents do you think helped them decided what to do?
Vocabulary
- Emancipation—freeing someone from the control of another.
- Enslaved—a person held against their will to perform work for others. These people were viewed as “property” by enslavers.
- Laborer—a worker who usually performs different kinds of physical work
- Manumitted—released from slavery