The Rhode Island Historical Society developed the lessons in this unit thanks to funding from the National Park Service’s National Underground Network to Freedom program. The grant was administered by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). More information about this little-known topic of the Underground Railroad in Rhode Island can be found on our free online source for Rhode Island History, EnCompass. Some of the included lessons are paired with the essays in that module.

The lessons are not designed to be used in lecture-style teaching or as independent homework assignments.  The lessons use collections of primary and secondary sources with guiding questions and graphic organizers to help students analyze the sources and gather their thoughts to be used as points of class discussion, either in groups or as a whole class.  Some of the questions ask students to formulate and back-up their own thinking.  As such, there may not be right or wrong answers, and students should be encouraged to listen to and consider the perspectives of their peers.

This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), funded by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASALH or the Department of the Interior