LANDMARKS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD:
FROM CHRISTIANA TO HARPER'S FERRY
July 13-18 and July 20-25, 2008

Dickinson College, Carlisle Pennsylvania

2008 WORKSHOP SYLLABUS
(Subject to Adjustment)

Dates

Workshop #1 July 13-18, 2008
Arrival: Sunday, July 13, check in 12pm-6pm Morgan Hall, Dickinson College;
Departure: Friday afternoon, July 18

Workshop #2 July 20-25, 200
Arrival: Sunday, July 20, check in 12pm-6pm, Morgan Hall, Dickinson College; Departure: Friday afternoon, July 25

Please note that Saturday morning departures can be arranged but require prior approval

Reading Assignment

David Blight, ed., Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory ( New York : HarperCollins, 2004).

Fergus Bordewich, Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America ( New York : Amistad/HarperCollins, 2005).

Kate Clifford Larson, Bound For the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero ( New York : Ballantine Books, 2004).

Writing Assignment

Participants should submit a written lesson plan on the Underground Railroad that uses at least some primary source documents and describes at least one actual escape story involving specific locations and real individuals. The goal of the lesson should be to convey important ideas about the nature and significance of the Underground Railroad. Lesson plans should be submitted by August 31, 2008 to pinskerm@dickinson.edu. The best lessons will be posted on the website.

Presenters

David Blight, Professor of History, Yale University
Fergus Bordewich, author/historian
Spencer Crew, President, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Jonathan Earle, Associate Professor of History, University of Kansas
Kate Clifford Larson, author/historian
John Osborne, Associate Professor of History, Dickinson College
Matthew Pinsker, Brian Pohanka Chair for Civil War History, Dickinson College

 

 

2008 Schedule

Sunday, Arrival at Dickinson College

12pm-6pm Check In - Morgan Hall
6pm– 8pm Welcome Cookout - Union Station

Monday, Day One: Dickinson College

7:15am – 8:45am Breakfast in the Dining Hall
9am - 10:30am The Underground Railroad: An Introduction
Matthew Pinsker, Dickinson College
Weiss 235
   
  Morning break (10:30am– 10:45am)
   
10:45am– 12:30pm Fugitives and the Coming War
Matthew Pinsker
Weiss 235
   
  Lunch in the Dining Hall (12:30am– 1:30pm)
   
1:30pm– 4:30pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Waidner-Spahr Library Basement

Participants will meet with breakout groups and rotate through special technology and lesson plan training sessions with Prof. John Osborne (Dickinson College), and master teachers Jeff Mummert and Todd Mealy.
   
5pm Fitness Center Orientation
Klein Fitness Center

Required orientation for anyone interested in using weight room

   
5pm - 6:30pm Dinner in the Dining Hall
   
8pm Optional Evening Activities in Carlisle


 


Tuesday, Day Two: Lancaster and York Counties

7:15am– 8am Breakfast in the Dining Hall
   
8am– 10am Travel from Carlisle to Christiana
Depart: Morgan Hall
   
10am– 12:30pm Tour of sites in Christiana
Christiana, Pennsylvania
   
12:30pm– 2pm

Lunch at Farmer’s Market
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Tour of Thaddeus Stevens law office site

   
2pm– 4pm Travel to York (via Columbia)
Lancaster to York along UGRR routes
   
4pm– 5pm Tour of Goodrich House
York, Pennsylvania
   
5pm– 6pm Travel from York to Carlisle
Cumberland County
   
6pm - 7pm Dinner in the Dining Hall
   
7pm - 12am Musical Performance
Weiss 235


Wednesday, Day Three: Dickinson College

7:15am– 8:45am Breakfast in the Dining Hall
   
9am - 10:30am Harriet Tubman
Kate Clifford Larson, author
Weiss 235
   
  Morning break (10:30am– 10:45am)
   
10:45am– 12:30pm

Inside the Historian's Study”
Fergus Bordewich, author
Weiss 235

   
  Lunch in the Dining Hall (12:30pm– 1:30pm)
   
1:30pm– 4:30pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Waidner-Spahr Library Basement
Participants meet with breakout groups and begin preparing lessons plans..
   
5pm– 6:30pm Dinner in the Dining Hall
   
6pm– 10pm

Gettysburg/Harrisburg field trips

 


Thursday, Day Four: Harpers Ferry

7:15am– 8:00am Breakfast in the Dining Hall
   
8am -10am Travel to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Depart: Morgan Hall
   
10am– 12pm

Visit Lower Town
Lower Town, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Bag lunches by the river

   
12pm– 1:15pm Guided Tour of Harpers Ferry Lower Town
   
1:15pm -1:45pm Travel to Mather Center, Camp Hill
   
1:45pm– 3pm John Brown's Raid
Jonathan Earle (University of Kansas)
Mather Center
   
3pm– 3:30pm Travel to Charles Town, West Virginia
   
3:30pm– 4:30pm Visit John Brown Trial Sites, Charles Town
   
4:30pm – 6:30pm Travel to Carlisle
Pennsylvania
   
6:30pm– 7:30pm Dinner in the Dining Hall
   
8pm Optional Dramatic Performance


Friday, Day Five: Dickinson College

7:15am– 8:45am Breakfast in the Dining Hall
   
9:30am - 11:30am Panel:Presenting the Underground Railroad ” with Spencer Crew, David Blight, and James Percoco. Moderated by Matthew Pinsker.
Weiss 235
   
  Lunch in the Dining Hall (11:30am– 12:45pm)
  Group Photograph: 12:45pm Steps of the Weiss Center
   
1pm– 3pm

Lesson Plan Presentations
Various participants from each group
Weiss 235

   
3pm – 3:30pm Conclusion
Weiss 235

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