Last updated: January 13, 2022
Lesson Plan
Seeking Sanctuary on the Underground Railroad
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 6-8.RH.2, 6-8.RH.3, 6-8.RH.4, 6-8.RH.5, 6-8.RH.6, 6-8.RH.7, 8.RI.1, 8.RI.2, 8.RI.3, 8.RI.4, 6-8.WHST.1, 6-8.WHST.1.a, 6-8.WHST.1.b, 6-8.WHST.1.c, 6-8.WHST.1.d, 6-8.WHST.1.e, 6-8.WHST.2, 6-8.WHST.2.a, 6-8.WHST.2.b, 6-8.WHST.2.c, 6-8.WHST.2.d, 6-8.WHST.2.e, 6-8.WHST.2.f, 6-8.WHST.3
- State Standards:
- SS.8.A.1.3
SS.8.A.1.6
SS.8.A.2.3
SS.8.A.2.7
SS.8.A.3.16
SS.8.A.4.2
SS.8.A.4.3
SS.8.A.4.4
SS.8.A.4.8
SS.8.A.4.11
SS.8.A.4.17
SS.8.A.4.18
SS.8.A.5.1 - Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
How did St. Augustine's Fort Mose and Castillo de San Marcos play a vital role in the Underground Railroad?
Objective
Students will examine events and people in Florida history as it relates to the Underground Railroad.
Background
-
Read about Colonial African Americans in St. Augustine.
-
Explore the NPS Underground Railroad collection.
Preparation
Explore these lessons and consider using before/after the Seeking Sanctuary lesson.
- The Role and Status of Africans in Spanish St. Augustine
- African Americans Settle in Fort Mose
- African Americans at Fort Mose
Lesson Hook/Preview
Watch Seeking Sanctuary, a 5-minute ranger video on the story of free and enslaved Africans in colonial Florida and St. Augustine.
Procedure
1. Engage students with a warm-up question, e.g., What does "freedom" mean to me?
2. Watch Seeking Sanctuary. Afterwards, have students recall and recognize main ideas from the video.
3. Have students complete:
- Underground Railroad Junior Ranger Booklet
- Junior Ranger Lost in Disguise National Underground Railroad
4. Create a Venn Diagram with the left circle labeled "Underground Railroad to Florida," and the right circle labeled, "Underground Railroad to Canada." Identify the similarities and differences between the Freedom Seekers' experiences on these two escape routes. Use the classroom textbook, or the Junior Ranger materials listed under #3, to work as a class to fill in the diagram.
5. Draw a chart with three columns. Label the columns: Routes, Individuals, Governments. Describe the escape routes, actions by individuals (e.g., freedom seekers, abolitionists, political activists), and laws/policies by foreign governments that helped protect Freedom Seekers. Use the classroom textbook, or the Junior Ranger materials listed under #3, to work as a class to fill in the chart.
6. Display the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Listings Map. There are over 650 sites, programs, and facilities in over 35 states that are part of the Network, including Fort Mose and Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.
Host a class discussion: How do historic sites play a role in sharing the diverse legacy of the Underground Railroad across boundaries and generations?
Vocabulary
-
Freedom Seeker - an African American who seeks to escape slavery (terms used in the past include "fugitive slave" or "runaway slave")
-
Underground Railroad - a network of routes Freedom Seekers used to travel to leave areas with slavery to free areas
-
Fort Mose - the first legally sanctioned free black settlement in what would become the United States
Assessment Materials
Thematic EssayWrite an analytical essay that richly supports the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
Theme: Freedom Seekers in North America
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes established in North America. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free areas. Some of the very first Freedom Seekers escaped British slavery in the south by an early route to Spanish Florida. The later network, now commonly known as the Underground Railroad, were routes in the United States that led enslaved African Americans to free states or free countries. Escaping did not guarantee freedom, but many Freedom Seekers found refuge and protection through the actions of individuals, organizations, or governments.
Task: Identify the efforts and effects of the Underground Railroad.
- Compare/contrast two escape routes, e.g., the route to Spanish Florida, the routes to free states or territories, the route to Canada.
- Describe at least three actions taken by an individual, an organization, or a government to protect Freedom Seekers.
- Evaluate one effect of the Underground Railroad.
Supports for Struggling Learners
Work with your exceptional student education or special education teachers to modify the lesson to meet the specific needs of your students with different abilities.
Enrichment Activities
- For more on sites and resources connected to St. Augustine, explore lesson plans on Resilience: Black Heritage in St. Augustine.
- For more on NPS sites, explore lesson plans on African American History (Teaching with Historic Places).
Additional Resources
Explore other Castillo de San Marcos Lesson Plans.