Summary: Students will be able to explain the existence of slavery in New Jersey during the colonial and antebellum periods; analyze efforts to abolish slavery in New Jersey during the colonial and antebellum periods; compare political and religious arguments made by NJ Quakers against slavery; explain why New Jersey provided an Underground Railroad route for slaves; identify important figures in the New Jersey Underground Railroad and finally, describe the risks and routes taken and many sites in New Jersey.
Overarching Questions:
- CIVICS: Have the concepts of liberty, justice and/or equality changed during the time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
- CIVICS: Have individuals and groups influenced public policy during this time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
- NEW JERSEY: How have changes in New Jersey during this time period influenced U.S. history?
NJ Student Learning Standards for Social Studies:
- 6.1.8.CivicsHR.3.c: Construct an argument to explain how the expansion of slavery violated human rights and contradicted American ideals
- 6.1.8.CivicsHR.4.a: Examine sources from a variety of perspectives to describe efforts to reform education, women’s rights, slavery, and other issues during the Antebellum period.
- 6.1.8.HistoryCC.4.b: Explain the growing resistance to slavery and New Jersey’s role in the Underground Railroad
- 6.1.12.CivicsDP.3.a: Compare and contrast the successes and failures of political and social reform movements in New Jersey and the nation during the Antebellum period (i.e., the 1844 State Constitution, abolition, women’s rights, and temperance).
Links to Lesson: Slavery and the Underground Railroad in New Jersey