Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Describe, through reading and interpreting newspaper articles from 1778, how difficult it was for Afro-Americans to escape slavery.
2. Through interpreting descriptive clues, describe the conditions and clothing of two escaped slaves.
3. Understand that black men, slave and free, participated in America’s struggle for "Liberty" during the revolutionary war.

Materials

Student handout (included), paper and writing utensil

Making Connections

Relating the history of the region and the significance of Salem County to the Revolutionary War, students can begin to realize the important role that the region played in the development and formation of our country and our state. Realizing the dilemma of two escaped slaves will assist students in looking back in time within the historical context of the region called Down Jersey.

Background

Not everyone who lived in Salem County in 1778 enjoyed freedom. Some African-Americans worked as slaves and did not have the freedom to live as they chose. Also, a number of white men, women and children were "indentured servants." This meant that they worked without pay in exchange for being taught a skill or trade until they reached a certain age or until they paid off their ship passage to come to America. ?Indentureships? (as they were called) sometimes lasted as long as 15 years. Unlike slavery, however, an indentureship did come to an end.

People who are not free usually are not happy, and during the American Revolution many enslaved people and indentured servants tried to escape and seek freedom. The British, in fact, encouraged enslaved African Americans and indentured servants to join the British army in exchange for freedom — a promise that they did not always keep.

Additionally, approximately 5,000 black men, slave and free, fought on the side of the American colonists in the Revolutionary War. Some of these African-Americans who fought for American "Liberty" were from New Jersey.

Procedure

Warm Up
Edward Bird and Harry were two of these people who tried to escape to freedom. The two advertisements offering rewards for returning them to their masters are from Philadelphia newspapers. While you read the advertisements, see how much you can learn about these two men.

The Activity

1. Distribute the handout to each student. Have them read the newspaper advertisements.
2. Each student should then answer the questions.
3. In small groups, or individually, students should choose one of the men and then write the conclusion to their story. What happened after this advertisement appeared? Where they captured and returned to their masters? Did they successfully escape? Where did they go? What did they do? Did they have families?, etc.

Wrap Up
Discuss the answers to the questions as a class.

Have students share their completed stories with the class. They could also illustrate them.

Assessment

Participation in discussions and completion of questions.

Extensions

Research other stories about runaway slaves. Investigate the level of success that was realized. Did most “make it” to freedom, or were most recaptured?

Please download the PDF for the complete Lesson Plan.

Resources Salem County Historical Society 79-83 Market Street Salem, New Jersey 08079 (609) 935-5004 or visit their website at http://www.salemcounty.com/schs/ See related activity "Finding Your Way on the Underground Railroad" Historic Themes and Resources Book, pages 34 and 143