American Experience: The Abolitionists
In Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
January 8, 15, and 22nd at 8:00 p.m.
Vividly bringing to life the epic struggles of the men and women who fought to end slavery, The Abolitionists tells the intertwined stories of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimké, Harriet Beecher Stowe and John Brown. Fighting body and soul, they led the most important civil rights crusade in American history. What began as a pacifist movement became a fiery and furious struggle that forever changed the nation. Black and white, Northerners and Southerners, poor and wealthy, these passionate anti-slavery activists tore the nation apart in order to form a more perfect union.
Who are the Abolitionists? Find out in these short video clips.
Join KACV in this important television event by watching this three-part premiere.
Advisory: Episodes 1 and 2 of The Abolitionists carry a TV-PG+VL rating (parental guidance, violence, language) while Episode 3 carries a TV-PG rating (parental guidance.)
National Resources:
• Abolitionist Map of America, an interactive website that explores events, characters and locations connected to the anti-slavery movement, bringing events from the past to life and integrating them in to present-day America.
• Register for the National Youth Summit on Abolition, February 2013
The National Youth Summit will explore the abolition movement and the work of ordinary Americans, male and female, black and white, slave and free to end slavery. It will also explore issues of the history and legacy of the drive to end 19th century slavery and then examine modern issues such as human trafficking and modern day slavery.
• Coming to PBS LearningMedia February 2013: Classroom lesson plans, including video segments, background essays, teaching tips and curriculum connections
Texas Panhandle Resources:
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
African-American History Trunk
Grades 3 - 7
This traveling trunk, available for checkout, includes: Underground Railroad Quilt Sampler, Sounds of Slavery CD, objects representing the types of work done by slaves. History continues into modern day with stories about such people as Marian Anderson, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King, Jr. A trained interpreter can tell about how the artifacts were used, stories about African-American people from slavery to modern day and answer questions.
To reserve, visit the PPHM online.
Texas State Resources:
Texas State Historical Association article on Abolition in Texas
Texas Unionists and Abolitionists, Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Library and Archives Commission article on life in Texas during the Civil War