Home >
Classroom

Classroom

HARRIET TUBMAN: VISIONS OF FREEDOM and BECOMING FREDERICK DOUGLASS are companion documentary films that accurately depict how enslaved African Americans proactively pursued emancipation, for themselves and others. Demonstrating that no race, gender or social class has a lock on activism, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass masterfully facilitated nationwide societal change. In fact, Tubman and Douglass were fighting the same war, just on different battlefields. Their efforts were undergirded by powerful personality traits the two abolitionists possessed in abundance – Courage and Strength – and ultimately, have created an enduring Legacy for generations of modern students to explore and study.

Use this collection of standards-aligned, media-rich learning interactives and self-paced lessons to:

Support student learning in middle and high school classrooms, specifically grades 6-10.
Build connections between the past and present, and promote student discovery.
Develop historical empathy, historical thinking skills, and social emotional competencies using primary source analysis.
Promote self-awareness among students, and build a foundation for taking informed action to address societal inequities.

Understanding the Life and Times Analyzing the Images and Words Exploring Activism and Change Teacher Resources

Understanding the Life and Times

Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass were both born close to 1820, an era in Maryland’s history when many White farmers created wealth using the labor of enslaved African Americans. It was also a time when Black and White abolitionists were becoming increasingly vocal in their efforts to end slavery.

Use these classroom resources to understand the life and times of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass in relation to historical and cultural events in 19th-century America.

Analyzing Primary Sources [Learning Module]

SELF-PACED LESSON

Analyzing Primary Sources: Insights and Inquiry
Discover details about the lives and times of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass in this self-paced lesson. Make personal connections with the past through primary source analysis.

INTERACTIVE

Multimedia Timeline
Use this interactive timeline to explore important events in the lives of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Take a deeper dive through historical primary sources and documentary film clips.

INQUIRY MODULE

BECOMING FREDERICK DOUGLASS "Young Frederick"
View the film clip and analyze primary sources to understand how literacy provided a “gateway” for Frederick Douglass as an enslaved child in Baltimore.

INQUIRY MODULE

HARRIET TUBMAN: VISIONS OF FREEDOM "The Original Abolitionists"
View the film clip and analyze primary sources to understand why the work of Harriet Tubman and the “first abolitionists” was so vital to the Abolitionist Movement.

Analyzing the Images and Words

Frederick Douglass was one of the most photographed, and quoted, U.S. citizens of the 19th century. This was not by accident. He understood how important it was to capture the humanity of a man many of his countrymen viewed as subhuman. Frederick Douglass’s skillful manipulation of photography and writing – the Instagram and Twitter of his day – speaks to the importance of media literacy and how it connects with personal identity.

Use these classroom resources to raise awareness and think critically about issues of identity in historical and contemporary media.

Media Literacy and Identity [Learning Module]

SELF-PACED LESSON

Media Literacy and Identity
Explore the role that media plays in shaping identity in this self-paced lesson. Discover how understanding identity is important for understanding yourself and the world around you.

INTERACTIVE

Close Reading - “A Letter to Harriet Tubman” by Frederick Douglass
Conduct a close read and examine how Frederick Douglass contrasts his point of view from Harriet Tubman.

INQUIRY MODULE

BECOMING FREDERICK DOUGLASS "The Abolitionists"
View the film clip and analyze primary sources to understand how Frederick Douglass used his brilliant oratorical skills and autobiography to shape his own identity.

INTERACTIVE

Frederick Douglass Gallery Walk
Take a virtual gallery walk to analyze Frederick Douglass portraits and excerpts from his speech, "Lecture on Pictures," which examines the social influence of photography.

Exploring Activism and Change

Harriet Tubman was a central figure for creating social change in 19th-century America. She believed in freedom, self-determination, and liberation for Black people. She also demonstrated great courage despite personal risk and sacrifice. Harriet Tubman took action in service of her values through her work on the Underground Railroad and during the Civil War. As a suffragist and humanitarian, she was undaunted in her commitment to equality and her vision of freedom for others. Harriet Tubman not only believed in social change but she lived her life by her values.

Use these classroom resources to make connections between social activism in the past and the ways students can take informed action today.

Note: The social change resources below are based on the Social Change Ecosystem framework and map created by Deepa Iyer at the Building Movement Project. For more information, please visit socialchangemap.com.

What's Your Role in Creating Social Change? [Learning Module]

SELF-PACED LESSON

What’s Your Role in Creating Social Change?
Learn about social change in this self-paced lesson as you identify your values, roles, and skills using the Social Change Ecosystem Map created by Deepa Iyer.

INTERACTIVE

Map Your Role in Social Change
Use this interactive resource to reflect on your strengths as you discover your North Star. Learn ways to support the causes you believe in using the Social Change Ecosystem Map by Deepa Iyer as your guide.

INQUIRY MODULE

HARRIET TUBMAN: VISIONS OF FREEDOM "General Tubman"
View the film clip and analyze primary sources to understand Harriet Tubman’s role as a social justice activist during the Civil War.

INTERACTIVE

Create Your Action Plan

Use this tool to create your Social Change Action Plan. Think about what you can do to become an informed and engaged citizen in your community. Identify the roles you can take based on your values and interests.

"There are no two people more important to our country’s history than Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. Their remarkable lives and contributions were a critical part of the 19th century, and their legacies help us understand who we are now as a nation. As a filmmaker, it is an honor to share their stories with a country that continues to grapple with the impact of slavery and debate notions of citizenship, democracy and freedom.

I think that both Frederick Douglass’ and Harriet Tubman’s stories represent courage. First, to escape from enslavement but then, to fight against the enslavement of others. Harriet Tubman had an incredible will and strength, as did Frederick Douglass, through his leadership and his writing. There exists a legacy from both Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass that we all need to know. And we are all made better by knowing."

- Stanley Nelson, Filmmaker