Beyond Myths and Legends: Teaching Harriet Tubman and Her Legacy of Activism

Intended Audience: secondary and college students in American history, African American history, women’s history, and social studies

Recommended Class Times: Although these lesson plans are designed primarily for sixty-minute class periods, the classroom activities may need to be extended to provide students with ample time to interpret, discuss, research, and understand the material.

Overview: This lesson plan uses the life and experiences of Harriet Tubman as a prism through which students can fully explore American enslavement, the early women’s rights movement, and the meanings of freedom and equality. In order to fully understand this lesson, students should be familiar with or have mastered the indicators covering colonization; the legalization of American enslavement and the steps America took to become a “slave nation”; the Civil War and the contributions of black soldiers; the involvement of women in the antislavery movement; the development of free black communities; and the life and legacy of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Susan B. Anthony.

Scope and Sequence: The lesson begins with a broad conceptualization of Harriet Tubman’s life and her role in the antislavery and women’s movements in an effort to interpret the historical context of the time period. Students will examine videos, photographs, audio sources, and texts to interpret the historical context of this time period. With this context in mind, students will then engage in a close reading of her life as a way to reconstruct a more accurate narrative that details her legacy and her contribution; this is designed to move them beyond the discussion of myths and legends.

National Standards for History¹

Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation

1. A. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and institutions by identifying likenesses and differences.

2. B. Consider multiple perspectives of various peoples in the past by demonstrating their differing motives, beliefs, interests, hopes, and fears.

3. H. Hold interpretations of history as tentative, subject to changes as new information is uncovered, new voices heard, and new interpretations broached.

4. J. Hypothesize the influence of the past, including both the limitations and opportunities made possible by past decisions.

Common Core State Standards²

This lesson plan is designed to meet the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts Standards: History/Social Studies for grades 6–12.

History/Social Studies » Grade 6–8

• • CCCSS.ELE-Literacy.RH.6-8.1

  Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

• • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2

  Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

  History/Social Studies » Grade 9–10:

• • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9–10.1

  Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

• • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9–10.2

  Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

• • CCCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9–10.3

  Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

History/Social Studies » Grade 11–12:

• • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11–12.5

  Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.

• • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11–12.6

  Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.

Objectives

Upon completion of the lesson, students will be able to

1. 1. Interpret and evaluate primary and secondary sources and use them as tools to reconstruct history;

2. 2. Analyze the ways in which Harriet Tubman worked for social justice and equality;

3. 3. Explain some of the reasons why Harriet Tubman’s life and story have been mythologized;

4. 4. Compare...