New teaching kits on abolition in Vermont

Have you visited Rokeby Museum?

Rokeby Museum is one of the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country and it is here in Vermont! Rowland Thomas and Rachel Gilpin Robinson were devout Quakers and radical abolitionists, and they harbored many fugitive slaves at their family home and farm during the decades of the 1830s and 1840s. Among the thousands of letters in the family's correspondence collection are several that mention fugitive slaves by name and in some detail.

Rokeby has just created two teaching kits about abolition:

Speaking Truth to Power

A new multi-media kit presents the stirring words of America’s radical abolitionists and introduces middle and high school students to their principles, tactics, and ideas. Each of the eight speeches – recorded by professional actors – opens the door on a chapter of abolitionist history. The teachers’ guide includes historical and biographical background, text of the recordings, discussion questions, student activities and worksheets, and primary source documents. The kit also includes exhibit panels, period illustrations for student investigation, and a selection of books for further reading. Excellent enrichment for Vermont and American history, speech, and civics courses. Two-week rental is $30 (you are responsible for the cost of return) if we ship the kit; $20 if you pick it up.


Frederick Douglass in Vermont

Did you know that Frederick Douglass – the greatest African American of the 19th century – toured Vermont early in his career? The kit provides newspaper reports of his 1843 speech in Ferrisburgh, a recording of the speech (read by a professional actor), questions for classroom discussion, student activities, and 15 copies of Douglass’s Narrative. Appropriate for middle and high school courses in Vermont and American history, civics, and journalism. Two-week rental is $25 (you are responsible for the cost of return) is we ship the kit; $20 if you pick it up.

For more information about the kit, contact:

ROKEBY MUSEUM
Attn: Jane Williamson, Director
4334 Route 7
Ferrisburgh, VT 05456
Phone: 802.877.3406

e-mail: rokeby@comcast.net