In 1841, Nelson Hackett, an enslaved man, fled both Fayetteville and bondage and made his way to Canada, where he thought he had found freedom. But his owner found him and successfully demanded his extradition to Arkansas, making Hackett the first fugitive that Canada returned to slavery. Hackett, though, would also be the last extradited. His return set off international protests that ensured that Canada remained a refuge for those fleeing bondage.
In this two-week, intensive workshop, award-winning scholar-educators will guide participants through primary and secondary sources from digital platforms like the UAHC’s Nelson Hackett Project to emphasize the impact fugitives like Hackett played in the nation’s sectional crisis and the century-long process of abolition and emancipation.
Participants will return home with enriched understandings of American history, research experience, introductions to free classroom resources, ideas about how to incorporate primary research into their curriculum, and customized, level-specific final projects incorporating free online resources.
The institute allows 30 K-12 educators to study a humanities topic with a team of experienced scholars. Because this larger format emphasizes the range of perspectives that can be brought to a topic, an institute typically has more and longer meetings per week than a seminar. Project leaders and participants mutually explore connections between scholarship and teaching, and some time is provided for work on individual or collaborative projects.