Lesson 3: Abolitionists and
The Underground Railroad
Joshua Glover
Lesson Essential Question:
How were people in Wisconsin involved in events related to the issue of slavery and the Underground Railroad?
How did various people (slave owners, fugitive slaves, free slaves, Underground Railroad workers, abolitionists, northern citizens, etc.) view these issues?
How were people in Wisconsin involved in events related to the issue of slavery and the Underground Railroad?
How did various people (slave owners, fugitive slaves, free slaves, Underground Railroad workers, abolitionists, northern citizens, etc.) view these issues?
NCSS Standards:
MMSD Standards:
2. Explain how personal opinions and choices are shaped by one’s family and community
3. Demonstrate an ability to interact within a group while performing various group roles
4. Identify the role and status of individuals and groups in the United States, past and present
5. Give examples of the importance of multiple viewpoints for understanding people, events, and issues
UW Teaching Standards:
Materials Needed:
- Pferdehirt, J. (1998). Freedom Train North: Stories of the Underground Railroad in Wisconsin. Middleton, WI:
Living History Press.
Objectives:
Lesson Context:
Students have been discussing the division of the United States over the issue of slavery. They have also learned about the Fugitive Slave Act and discussed its impact on both the North and South. We also examined the issue of slavery more in depth and learned about it through both primary and secondary sources. In this lesson, students will learn more about how the Fugitive Slave Act and the Underground Railroad affected slaves, slave owners, and other citizens in both the North and South. We will focus specifically on Joshua Glover and the events that took place in Wisconsin.
Lesson Opening:
We’ve been learning about slavery and in our last lesson we got to hear a little bit about what life was like for actual slaves. We also talked about the Fugitive Slave Act. Today we’re going to learn about a fugitive slave named Joshua Glover. We’re going to find out how he found his way to freedom with help from abolitionists and the Underground Railroad. Although slavery was going on in the South, Wisconsin was still affected by it. Many people in Wisconsin were concerned about these issues and many people were involved in various ways. Today we’re going to talk about these differing views and roles that people had on the topic of slavery and the Underground Railroad.
Procedures:
Day 1
Closing:
Lastly I will congratulate students on completing a challenging task. It’s very hard to say things or act in ways that go against your own beliefs. But I hope you all see how many different perspectives there were about these issues, even in Wisconsin. Even though there wasn’t slavery in Wisconsin, you can see that a lot of people in Wisconsin were affected by it. People had lots of different reasons for being for or against slavery or different motivations for doing the things they did. It’s important to consider every side of a story.
Assessment:
I will informally assess students understanding and participation throughout this lesson in multiple ways. After day one, I will collect their question sheets that they filled out about their person. I will look over each students response and make note of who had thorough, well supported answers, and those who might have been off track or confused. The next day I will have these students review their responses, discuss them with me, and add more detail if needed. That way I can ensure that everyone has a similar base knowledge and understanding going into the role play. Before the wrap up discussion, I would first have students write a journal entry about their reactions to the role play- what they liked, what was difficult etc. That way I can collect these to read over responses from students who might not have verbally contributed to the whole class discussion.
Special Considerations:
I will assign students to groups so that each group is well balanced (the ELLs are spread out in different groups and put with people who can help support them, people who tend to have conflict will be separated, shy and outspoken people will be mixed up evenly, etc.)
I will go over the initial question sheet one on one with students who need more support.
- Standard 3: People, Place, and Environments
- Standard 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
- Standard 10: Civic Ideals and Practices
MMSD Standards:
- Students will:
2. Explain how personal opinions and choices are shaped by one’s family and community
3. Demonstrate an ability to interact within a group while performing various group roles
4. Identify the role and status of individuals and groups in the United States, past and present
5. Give examples of the importance of multiple viewpoints for understanding people, events, and issues
UW Teaching Standards:
- Standard 3: Demonstrates sophisticated curricular knowledge
- Standard 7: Understands and adapts to multiple forms of communication
- Standard 8: Employs varied assessment processes
- Standard 9: Manages learning environment
- Standard 10: Employs varied instructional strategies
Materials Needed:
- Books:
- Pferdehirt, J. (1998). Freedom Train North: Stories of the Underground Railroad in Wisconsin. Middleton, WI:
Living History Press.
- White board and markers
- Wisconsin Map
- Role play character descriptions
- Role play questions handout
- Discussion cards
- Name Tags
Objectives:
- Students will be able to define the Underground Railroad
- Students will be able to explain the story of Joshua Grover
- Students will be able to discuss how people in Wisconsin were involved in Joshua Glover’s life events
- Students will be able to consider and discuss issues such as slavery, The Fugitive Slave Act, and The Underground Railroad from various perspectives
Lesson Context:
Students have been discussing the division of the United States over the issue of slavery. They have also learned about the Fugitive Slave Act and discussed its impact on both the North and South. We also examined the issue of slavery more in depth and learned about it through both primary and secondary sources. In this lesson, students will learn more about how the Fugitive Slave Act and the Underground Railroad affected slaves, slave owners, and other citizens in both the North and South. We will focus specifically on Joshua Glover and the events that took place in Wisconsin.
Lesson Opening:
We’ve been learning about slavery and in our last lesson we got to hear a little bit about what life was like for actual slaves. We also talked about the Fugitive Slave Act. Today we’re going to learn about a fugitive slave named Joshua Glover. We’re going to find out how he found his way to freedom with help from abolitionists and the Underground Railroad. Although slavery was going on in the South, Wisconsin was still affected by it. Many people in Wisconsin were concerned about these issues and many people were involved in various ways. Today we’re going to talk about these differing views and roles that people had on the topic of slavery and the Underground Railroad.
Procedures:
Day 1
- I will begin by introducing the book called Freedom Train North: Stories of the Underground Railroad in Wisconsin. I will ask students if they have ever heard of or learned about the Underground Railroad before. If so, I will call on a few students to share what they know about it.
- After we form an informal class definition of The Underground Railroad, I will then read the definition provided in their book (Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story). The Underground Railroad (UGRR) was not a railroad at all, but a network of abolitionists who helped fugitive slaves find their way to free states or to Canada before the Civil War. (as a refresher, we will again define what an abolitionist and fugitive slave are)
- Then we will briefly discuss how Wisconsin was a free state and many citizens were abolitionists or helped in the Underground Railroad.'
- Then I will introduce the story: Now we are going to read a story about a real man named Joshua Glover. He was slave who worked in Missouri and he ran away to Wisconsin.
- Then I will read chapter 4, titled, Jailbreak (pg. 24-32) from the book, Freedom Train North: Stories of the Underground Railroad in Wisconsin.
- As I read, I will stop to write down each person’s name and who they were to help students keep track of the people in the story. (this will help them keep track of their roles later on) - Joshua Glover: fugitive slave - Benammi Garland: Joshua Glover’s owner - Sherman Booth: abolitionist in Wisconsin - Charles Cotton: U.S. Marshall - Nelson Turner: Joshua’s “friend” - Mrs. Kinney: Underground Railroad worker in WI - John Messenger: drove Joshua in a wagon from Milwaukee to Waukesha
- I will ask students to think about how each person in the story might feel about slavery, the UGRR and Joshua Glover. Think about why they did what they did, or what reasons they had for having certain opinions, etc.
- Next I will introduce our role play activity. I will explain that a role play is not a play where we just act out these events that happened. It requires you to think about an event through a specific person’s perspective.
- For our role play, we are going to pretend that we are these specific people living during these events in the 1850s. Each of us will have a different role- and different opinions on the topic of slavery and on the events that happened to Joshua Glover.
- I’m going to give each of you a piece of paper with the name and description of one of these people. There will be three groups of 7 people. I want you to think about how your person felt or what they thought during all of these events so that you will be able to pretend to be that person later.
- Before they begin, I will also remind students that they might not agree with the point of view of the person they receive. For example, being a person who was for slavery, does not mean you are; you are simply pretending to be that person so that you can think about how they viewed slavery and these events and how they might have behaved, thought, or felt. You might also be a different age, race, or gender from your person.
- After they have read through their person’s description, I will give them a handout with questions to guide their reflection.
- What is your person’s name?
- Who were they? (job/role)
- Are they for or against slavery? Or neutral?
- Does he/she think that Joshua Glover should be returned to his slave owner or allowed to live freely in Wisconsin? Why?
- How was he/she involved in these events? Did he/she observe or participate?
- What does your person think about the Underground Railroad?
- If students need help answering their questions, I will instruct them to read page 126 in their books (a shorter summary of Joshua Glover’s story) and to think about the events from their new perspective. I will allow students ample time to think about these questions and write down some responses.
- Before I hand back students role sheets and question handouts, I will review the story with them.
- I will write down the 7 people’s names on the whiteboard and ask students to raise there hand and tell me who each person was and what they did.
- After our list is complete, I will explain to them how the role play will work. My expectations
- Everyone should be pretending to be their person during the discussion
- Everyone should be given a chance to speak
- This is to be a discussion, not an argument or debate
- Everyone needs to listen to each others point and respond when appropriate
- I will pass back students sheets so that they form three groups of 7 people
- I will tell students that they are now to ‘take on their character’ and be in their role for the discussion. They need to speak in the first person, (say “I”) because they are pretending to be that person.
- Each person will fill out and put on a name tag so that others can remember who they are during the discussion.
- When everyone is ready, I will tell them to pretend that it is the year 1854 right after Joshua Glover has been broken out of jail and is hiding out on the Underground Railroad. For our role play discussion, we are going to pretend that everyone has come together for a state meeting to discuss what should be done about the situation. (Remind students, that these people and events are all real, but our mock meeting is pretend and never actually happened)
- I will serve as the meeting facilitator. I will ask them to discuss these topics and questions: (each group will have a Discussion Card with these questions on it for them to refer to if needed)
- As students discuss in groups, I will walk around to help facilitate their conversations. I will ensure that my expectations are being met and help manage time. I will make an announcement to move onto the next discussion topic or questions when I feel that most students are ready to do so.
- After everyone is done, I will conduct a brief wrap up discussion about the role play by asking the following questions.
- What did you think of the role play? Give me a thumbs-up if you liked it, down if you didn’t like, or in the middle if you thought it was just ok. Anyone want to share why they did/didn’t like it?
- What was challenging about this activity?
- Did you agree or disagree with your person’s opinions and actions?
- If you didn’t, was it hard to pretend to be that person?
- Did people in your discussion group mostly agree or disagree with each other?
- Did this activity help you to understand more about how your person was involved, why they thought or believed certain things, or why they might have felt the way they did?
Closing:
Lastly I will congratulate students on completing a challenging task. It’s very hard to say things or act in ways that go against your own beliefs. But I hope you all see how many different perspectives there were about these issues, even in Wisconsin. Even though there wasn’t slavery in Wisconsin, you can see that a lot of people in Wisconsin were affected by it. People had lots of different reasons for being for or against slavery or different motivations for doing the things they did. It’s important to consider every side of a story.
Assessment:
I will informally assess students understanding and participation throughout this lesson in multiple ways. After day one, I will collect their question sheets that they filled out about their person. I will look over each students response and make note of who had thorough, well supported answers, and those who might have been off track or confused. The next day I will have these students review their responses, discuss them with me, and add more detail if needed. That way I can ensure that everyone has a similar base knowledge and understanding going into the role play. Before the wrap up discussion, I would first have students write a journal entry about their reactions to the role play- what they liked, what was difficult etc. That way I can collect these to read over responses from students who might not have verbally contributed to the whole class discussion.
Special Considerations:
I will assign students to groups so that each group is well balanced (the ELLs are spread out in different groups and put with people who can help support them, people who tend to have conflict will be separated, shy and outspoken people will be mixed up evenly, etc.)
I will go over the initial question sheet one on one with students who need more support.
Role Descriptions
Joshua Glover
You are a slave who escaped from Benammi Garland’s farm in Missouri in March of 1852. You traveled 350 miles north to Racine, Wisconsin. You worked there as a free man for two years. But in March of 1854, Benammi Garland (your owner) and US Marshal Charles Cotton came to arrest you and brought you to a jail in Milwaukee. Sherman Booth, and other abolitionists, surrounded the jail, broke down the doors, and set you free. Then you were sent on the Underground Railroad to find your way to freedom in Canada.
Sherman Booth
You are a white abolitionist living in Wisconsin. You heard about Glover’s arrest and knew that he would not have the right for a fair trial. So you rode through Milwaukee gathering people to support Joshua Glover and help to set him free. You gave a powerful speech to a crowd of abolitionists and encouraged many people from Racine to come to Milwaukee. You and the crowd surrounded the jail, broke down its doors, and rescued Joshua Glover. Later you were convicted of breaking the Fugitive Slave Law for helping Glover escape and fined $2,460.
Charles Cotton
You are a white U.S. Marshal who helped Benammi Garland arrest Joshua Glover. You helped Benammi Garland find Glover in his home in Racine, Wisconsin in 1854. Together you and Garland captured Glover and brought him to a jail in Milwaukee. After Sherman Booth and other abolitionists broke Glover out of jail, you continued to hunt after him.
Nelson Turner
You are Joshua Glover’s friend. You were at Joshua Glover’s house the night that Benammi Garland and U.S. Marshal Charles Cotton came to arrest him. You betrayed Glover by unlocking the door and letting the men in. You received a $100 reward for helping Benammi and Cotton arrest Glover and take him to jail.
Mrs. Kinney
You are a white woman who lives with her husband in Racine, Wisconsin. You help hide fugitive slaves in your house that is part of the Underground Railroad. After Joshua Glover was arrested and then broken out of jail, you helped hide Glover in your house. You and many other Underground Railroad workers helped him to find his way to freedom in Canada.
Benammi Garland
You are a white farm owner from Missouri. You are the owner of Joshua Glover. Joshua ran away in 1852 and you discovered him in Racine, Wisconsin in 1854. You and U.S. Marshal Charles Cotton found Glover and gave him a warrant for his arrest and took him to a jail in Milwaukee. You wanted to keep Glover locked up there until you could travel back to Missouri with him. After Sherman Booth and other abolitionists broke Glover out of jail, you continued to hunt after him.
John Messenger
When Joshua Glover was freed from jail in Milwaukee, you picked him up and hid him in the back of your wagon. You drove out of Milwaukee with police officers, US Marshal Charles Cotton, slave catchers, and Benammi Garland chasing after you. You got away, and drove Joshua Glover to Waukesha where he then joined the Underground Railroad and traveled to freedom in Canada.
You are a slave who escaped from Benammi Garland’s farm in Missouri in March of 1852. You traveled 350 miles north to Racine, Wisconsin. You worked there as a free man for two years. But in March of 1854, Benammi Garland (your owner) and US Marshal Charles Cotton came to arrest you and brought you to a jail in Milwaukee. Sherman Booth, and other abolitionists, surrounded the jail, broke down the doors, and set you free. Then you were sent on the Underground Railroad to find your way to freedom in Canada.
Sherman Booth
You are a white abolitionist living in Wisconsin. You heard about Glover’s arrest and knew that he would not have the right for a fair trial. So you rode through Milwaukee gathering people to support Joshua Glover and help to set him free. You gave a powerful speech to a crowd of abolitionists and encouraged many people from Racine to come to Milwaukee. You and the crowd surrounded the jail, broke down its doors, and rescued Joshua Glover. Later you were convicted of breaking the Fugitive Slave Law for helping Glover escape and fined $2,460.
Charles Cotton
You are a white U.S. Marshal who helped Benammi Garland arrest Joshua Glover. You helped Benammi Garland find Glover in his home in Racine, Wisconsin in 1854. Together you and Garland captured Glover and brought him to a jail in Milwaukee. After Sherman Booth and other abolitionists broke Glover out of jail, you continued to hunt after him.
Nelson Turner
You are Joshua Glover’s friend. You were at Joshua Glover’s house the night that Benammi Garland and U.S. Marshal Charles Cotton came to arrest him. You betrayed Glover by unlocking the door and letting the men in. You received a $100 reward for helping Benammi and Cotton arrest Glover and take him to jail.
Mrs. Kinney
You are a white woman who lives with her husband in Racine, Wisconsin. You help hide fugitive slaves in your house that is part of the Underground Railroad. After Joshua Glover was arrested and then broken out of jail, you helped hide Glover in your house. You and many other Underground Railroad workers helped him to find his way to freedom in Canada.
Benammi Garland
You are a white farm owner from Missouri. You are the owner of Joshua Glover. Joshua ran away in 1852 and you discovered him in Racine, Wisconsin in 1854. You and U.S. Marshal Charles Cotton found Glover and gave him a warrant for his arrest and took him to a jail in Milwaukee. You wanted to keep Glover locked up there until you could travel back to Missouri with him. After Sherman Booth and other abolitionists broke Glover out of jail, you continued to hunt after him.
John Messenger
When Joshua Glover was freed from jail in Milwaukee, you picked him up and hid him in the back of your wagon. You drove out of Milwaukee with police officers, US Marshal Charles Cotton, slave catchers, and Benammi Garland chasing after you. You got away, and drove Joshua Glover to Waukesha where he then joined the Underground Railroad and traveled to freedom in Canada.
Role Play Planning Sheet
After students have been assigned their role, they will fill out this planning sheet that will help them think deeper about the opinions, motivations, and actions of their person. It is necessary that everyone completes this planning step well in order to have a good role play discussion.
