Lesson: A Journey to Freedom via America’s Birthplace (An Intricate Connection Among Conductors, Passengers, and Stations)
Source: Philadelphia World Heritage Tool Kit
Created by: Stacia Parker, Roosevelt Elementary School
Subjects: English, Language Arts, American History
Grade Levels: 7-9
View or download this Lesson Plan.
Overview: This lesson is designed to put emphasis on Philadelphia’s role as a central component in the Underground Railroad network that enabled hundreds of enslaved Africans to realize freedom in America. Additionally, since Philadelphia birthed two seminal documents—the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution,– while serving as the nation’s capital. An in-depth study of these documents should activate this lesson. The final phase of this multidisciplinary lesson is intended for students to gain insights about World Heritage Sites and Cities, locally and internationally.
Objectives: Students will be able to articulate and demonstrate the rich cultural history of Philadelphia as a World Heritage Site and City by introducing new forms of tourism to the Philadelphia Tourism Bureau and international visitors. Students will be able to read and comprehend the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States by analyzing the structure and language which supported enslaved Africans’ right to be free. Students will learn to synthesize the information from Independence Hall, the Declaration of Independence, and the Underground Railroad sites to establish Philadelphia as an international city.
The Philadelphia World Heritage Tool Kit
This lesson is one of 29 lessons (K-12, all subjects) in the Philadelphia World Heritage Tool Kit. The goal of the Tool Kit is to help educators and their students develop a transnational analysis in their classrooms by using complex themes of world heritage as a framework to understand global regions across disciplines. These themes include shared architectural, cultural, economic, environmental, political, recreational, religious, and social heritage features. Real teachers created these lessons and based their work on “best practices” that reflect student collaboration and the broad goals of young people in ways that support care and understanding of others who may be very different in background and history.