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Educational Resources
Teacher's Guide
This 24-page teacher's guide explores the heroic contributions of women and men, black and white, as they fought against the injustice of slavery. Whether you are just beginning a unit on the abolitionist movement, or would like to add depth to what you already teach, this guide is a dynamic tool to help middle and high school teachers explore the abolitionist movement in Boston. To engage students, the guide contains a variety of primary source documents, images, and other artifacts for students to examine and analyze.
Introduction
Find out about the contents of the teacher's guide, the collaboration of the Museum of Afro-American History and the Boston Public Library, as well as tips on using the guide and a note on the use of language.
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Primary sources to download:
William Lloyd Garrison (photograph)
Using Primary Sources
This section explains why primary sources are an important and useful tool, with tips for students on how to read, view, and interpret those sources. Discussion questions and extension activities are provided for four representative items from Words of Thunder.
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Primary sources to download:
Weekly Contribution Box for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society (artifact)
Lewis Hayden (photograph)
Excerpt from the New England Anti-Society Society Record Book, 1832 (text)
Expulsion of Negroes and Abolitionists from Tremont Temple, 1860 (engraving)
The Abolitionist Movement in Boston
New England's resistance to slavery dates to 1638, the year that the first enslaved Africans arrived. This opposition eventually evolved into full-fledged collective organizations dedicated to the abolition of slavery and the attainment of equal rights for all persons of color. Boston, a focal point of the movement, was witness to many key moments in the struggle by black and white citizens against the tyranny of slavery.
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Primary sources to download:
The African Meeting House in Boston, c1885 (photograph)
Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, 1829 (text)
Account of Shadrach Minkins' Trial, 1850 (text)
Caution!! Colored People of Boston, 1851 (poster)
Ambassadors of Abolition
The Boston area was home to a diverse group of abolitionists from various racial and class backgrounds. Men, women, and children participated in meetings, rallies, fund-raising fairs, dinners, and concerts with the common goal of eradicating slavery. Narratives written by self-emancipated and freed people of color aided in educating Americans about the evils of slavery.
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Primary sources to download:
Advertisement from The Liberator for Frederick Douglass's autobiography, 1855 (text)
The above source also contains: Frederick Douglass (photograph)
Excerpt from the diary of Charlotte Forten, 1856 (text)
The above source also contains: Charlotte Forten (photograph)
Maria Weston Chapman (photograph)
"The Captive" Handkerchief (artifact)
Juvenile Garrison Independent Society Medal, 1833 (artifact)
Excerpt from Susan Paul's Letter to William Lloyd Garrison, 1834 (text)
William Lloyd Garrison and The Liberator
William Lloyd Garrison was a tireless anti-slavery crusader, publisher of The Liberator, the most powerful abolitionist newspaper in the nation, and devoted not only to the eradication of slavery but to winning equal rights for all. Black and white supporters of Garrison hailed his courage, conviction, and dedication to the cause.
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Primary sources to download:
Article, "Anti-Slavery Societies," The Liberator, 1837 (text)
Address Delivered before the Free People of Color, 1831 (text)
No Slavery! Fourth of July!, 1854 (poster)
Record of payment from James Forten to William Lloyd Garrison (text)
Masthead, The Liberator, 1838 (engraving)
The above source also contains:
Masthead, The Liberator, 1851 (engraving)
Article, "The New Head to The Liberator," The Liberator, May 31, 1851 (text)
The Power of Music and Poetry
Music and poetry played a central role at antislavery meetings, fairs, and conferences. Poems, letters, and songs were often published in The Liberator and helped to inspire and mobilize support for the cause — just as they are today.
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Primary sources to download:
"I Am an Abolitionist," song by William Lloyd Garrison (text)
"The New Year," poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1855 (text)
The Liberator banner (artifact)
The Legacy of Boston's Ambassadors of Abolition
This section explores the continuing legacy of William Lloyd Garrison and Boston's Ambassadors of Abolition, following the adoption of the 13th Amendment in 1865. In addition to information about Boston's historical walking tours (The Abolition Trail, The Black Heritage Trail, and the Boston Women's Heritage Trail), students are encouraged to discover the contributions to civil rights — past and present — of their own city or town.
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Primary sources to download:
Bronze Statue of William Lloyd Garrison, 1886 (photograph)
Resources
Use these selected books, films and television series, and Web sites resources to learn more about the abolitionist movement.
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Teacher's Guide Credits
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