The junior “slaves-for-a-day” hastily move the wood from one pile to another. This task was the first thing the slaves were commanded to do upon arrival to their new “masters.” The masters stood aside and watched, constantly berating the slaves for not going fast enough and for not putting the logs down correctly. When the pile toppled over, the slaves were forced to start over.
The junior class took a field trip to Connor Prairie to take part in “Follow the North Star,” a program that allowed students to experience the humiliating, dangerous, and unpredictable life of a slave in the year 1836. During this 90 minute program, the students, role-playing runaway slaves, traveled the Underground Railroad attempting to reach freedom. The slaves encountered both friends who helped them on their journey and enemies who threatened their lives along the way. The interpreters, those playing the part of citizens in 1836, gave the students a very eye-opening and realistic view of the life of a slave.
The runaway slaves listen to the enraged Jacob Williams--all the time looking to the ground in respect. Jacob Williams, a poor white Southerner, moved to Indiana to find work. Resentful of the perceived economic threat from free blacks moving into Indiana, he saw the slaves as job stealers. Williams saw this encounter with the slaves as an opportunity to make some money by selling the fugitives back into slavery.
The student’s first encounter was with their new masters, who put them in their place as slaves. The students learned right away that slaves were expected to always look down to the ground and never up at their masters. They also learned that the use of manners was not a question-they were expected to address their masters as “sir” or “ma’am” at all times. The masters first inquired as to what kind of work each slave could do, and harshly criticized each person, letting them know how worthless they all were. After their masters left the area to fetch a whip, the slaves decided to run away and travel the Underground Railroad. The group of slaves journeyed through town and came across a poor white Southerner named Jacob Williams, who tricked them into coming into his barn to “rest.” There he threatened to tie them all up and take them to Kentucky to sell them back into slavery. The slaves were able to escape, however, and came across an elderly couple of Quakers. The students learned that they could trust Quakers, who were avid proponents of the Underground Railroad. But although the Quakers wanted to help, they knew that they could not harbor the slaves for long without being caught and, after giving them some money, they sent the slaves on their way to the next “stop” of the Underground Railroad. Just when they thought they were safe, the fugitive slaves walked into yet another trap. Benjamin Cannon, a locally notorious slave hunter, saw the slaves walking outside and, seeing them as a chance to earn a profit, he invited them into his house. After taking the money received from the Quakers, he sent the group on their way, keeping back three of the slaves to accept punishment for lying about the money. The captured slaves overtook Ben Cannon and returned to their group. At the last station of the program, the students came to the Golden Eagle, a local inn in town. Here they listened to a free black woman who gave them advice about traveling on the Underground Railroad. One piece of advice was that they should travel at night in small groups of about three or four (not in their large group of twelve.) They also got warnings of even more possibilities of danger along the way and were led to realize that not all of them would survive on their rigorous journey to freedom.
Overall the students’ experience was a very unforgettable one. It was definitely an important lesson to learn. The students agreed that taking part in programs like “Follow the North Star” is important in order to remember that period of history and not repeat the same mistakes.
by Katie Bartlett, ICA Junior
