Abolition and Social Change in 19th-Century New England 

Date: Friday, February 13 

Time: 9:30-12:30 

Ages 10+ 

Meets at Museum Education 

Limit to 25 students 

Price: $18 

Through primary sources and interactive experiences throughout the Village, students will learn about the ways in which the Northern states participated in the institution of slavery in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as the ways that some people fought against this system. Focusing on the 19th-century abolitionist movement, participants in this program will piece together a larger picture of the impact of slavery in a town like Sturbridge in the 1830s. 

Students will begin with an educator-led lesson that explores Northern attitudes and complicity in the institution of slavery. In small groups, they will then visit specific sites in the Museum to look at primary sources. They will think deeply about the factors that influence their everyday choices and how they can use their own voices to create radical change. The program concludes with a guided discussion.