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Review
| In Pursuit of Freedom: Teaching the Underground Railroad, by William C. Kashatus, with a foreword by James and Lois Horton. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2005. 160 pages. $18.00, paper.
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| The story of the Underground Railroad has held a prominent place in the American imagination for several generations. In this recent guide for teachers, In Pursuit of Freedom, William C. Kashatus seeks to give classroom instructors a strategy for presenting that story to their students in a captivating and productive fashion After an enthusiastic endorsement from noted historians James and Lois Horton in the foreword, the book offers a well-written overview of the historical context. It provides teachers with a step-by-step introduction to the issue of slavery and to the Underground Railroad itself. A very useful map on page 9 helps illustrate the most significant routes. An extensive section of the chapter titled "Separating Myth from Reality" seeks to debunk some of the more common misconceptions and legends surrounding the Underground Railroad. In the next two chapters, Kashatus explores different strategies for teaching the history of the Underground Railroad. Again, while lessons are specifically designed for middle school classrooms, teachers of other levels should have little difficulty making adaptations to meet the needs of their students. Chapter Two focuses on the use of primary source documents. For each category of document, Kashatus provides a full-text example, a generic list of questions that could be asked, and samples of possible student responses. In each case he gives an "average" response, as well as a "better" response. Among the document categories included here are public declarations, fugitive slave advertisements, letters, diaries, and journal entries. Teachers could base classroom lessons directly on the examples provided by Kashatus. Even better, they could use these sample lessons as a starting point for conducting their own research, finding unique primary sources, and fitting those new documents into the framework provided in this book. |
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Chapter Three features more examples of lessons containing primary source analysis. In this chapter, however, the primary sources are not documents, but rather visual images. Photographs of both famous and non-famous individuals can serve as the "raw material" for engaging lessons. Kashatus uses images of Frederick Douglass, Harriett Tubman, Passmore Williamson (a Quaker abolitionist from Philadelphia), and Gordon—who bore the scars common to runaway slaves. He also discusses the use of engravings, such as political cartoons and historical scenes. While many teachers have embraced the use of primary source documents in their classrooms, their use of primary images has been less extensive. This chapter of In Pursuit of Freedom should help remedy that hesitance, at least in terms of the study of the Underground Railroad. Chapters Four and Five present several more imaginative lesson plans for use in classrooms. The first of these chapters is devoted to lessons involving student research and writing assignments. Based on his own experience at the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society, Kashatus proposes that students research and write a paper on the Underground Railroad from a local history perspective. The details of this assignment are fully presented, including sample guidelines, hints for developing good research and writing techniques, and the author's analysis of two complete sample papers. As Kashatus noted earlier in the book, this sort of lesson provides an excellent opportunity for true collaboration between public school teachers and local historical societies. I see these proposed research assignments as excellent tools for teachers to introduce students not only to a more complex examination of the Underground Railroad, but even more importantly, to the actual work of historians in archival research and historical writing. |
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In Chapter Five, the author describes extensive in-class activities, such as simulations and student-led plays, which could be used to provide for a more creative study of the Underground Railroad. One particularly interesting activity involves the interpretation of slave songs. This allows students the additional opportunity of exploring slave culture. Two examples Kashatus gives are "Go Down Moses" and "Follow the Drinking Gourd." In addition to providing the lyrics, he also includes a line-by-line analysis to help teachers in starting discussions with their students. Another activity, called "Drawing the Line," requires students to assess various individuals who played a role in the Underground Railroad based on a sliding scale. Assessment criteria include such categories as peaceful or violent, legal or illegal, and effective or ineffective. To give the activity a more "hands-on" atmosphere, Kashatus prepared "playing cards" for each individual (p. 108-10). Teachers are granted specific permission in the book's copyright to photocopy these cards, as well as the primary source analysis guides located in the appendices (p. 138–39). |
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In Pursuit of Freedom: Teaching the Underground Railroad provides classroom instructors with a wide variety of lessons which will capture the attention of students and ensure that their study of the Underground Railroad will be something more than a bland memorization of facts. As a former teacher and the director of educational programs at a local historical society in Pennsylvania, Kashatus demonstrates a solid understanding of the historical background as well as pedagogical methods. Secondary teachers, especially those at the middle school level, who teach the antebellum period will want In Pursuit of Freedom for their reference collection. Scholars and teachers at all levels will want to read this book for insights into effective teaching strategies dealing with the Underground Railroad. Primary source analysis, student-led research, and critical thinking are among the many methodologies represented in this excellent teacher's guide. The endnotes for each section alone provide teachers with an excellent starting point for conducting their own research. |
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| Indiana Area School District, Indiana, Pennsylvania |
William E. Doody |
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