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Riding the Train to
Freedom: New Bedford’s Role in the Underground
Railroad |
 Disciplinary
Focus:
Art, Music, Math, English/language arts and Social
Studies Curricula
Grade Level:
Grade 8
This interdisciplinary module asks students in grade
eight to consider issues of social action that are
central to a cultural community:
- What does it means to take a stand and exercise a
sense of responsibility?
- Why is it important to develop a sense of
understanding and empathy for those who have endured
oppression?
- How can we appreciate the efforts of those who
helped the oppressed?
- How can we understand creative expression in the
face of injustice, to be inspired and to pay tribute
to those whose stories need to be remembered?
- How can we can learn from this history and make a
difference in the world today?
New Bedford was an important destination in the
Underground Railroad. Thus embedded in the local
history of this community we find opportunities for
students to confront larger issues of humanity and
social action. We hope this module can serve as a
point of departure for exploring local history in
other places in combination with the important
issues found within its people and places through an
interdisciplinary process that enriches learning and
deepens understanding.
The Underground Railroad is a symbolic term
descriptive of the concealed (underground) actions
of those who escaped slavery, those who assisted
them, and the routes and “stations,” or places of
hiding, along the way. The symbolism inherent in the
term Underground Railroad inspires in this module a
quest to seek out visual metaphors for ideas such as
freedom, hope, safety, and courage. Thus works of
art and the use of metaphors are an integral part of
the learning process. |
