My Field Work

Journal

The Black Heritage Trail

and
Museum of African American
History

December 19, 2011

Dedicated to preserving, conserving and
accurately interpreting the contributions of
African Americans in New England from the
colonial period through the 19th century.

Introduction:
The first Africans arrived in Boston in February of 1638, eight
years after the city was founded. They were brought as slaves,
purchased in Providence Isle, a Puritan colony off the coast of
Central America. By 1705, there were over 400 slaves in Boston
and the beginnings of a free black community in the North End.

Site 13 and 14: Abiel Smith School and The African

American Meeting House
Choose one artifact on display that you find interesting.
Sketch a picture of it, and then explain why you think it
is historically important.

The American Revolution was a turning point in the status of

Africans in Massachusetts. At the end of the conflict, there were
more free black people than slaves. When the first federal census
was enumerated in 1790, Massachusetts was the only state in the
Union to record no slaves.
The all-free black community in Boston was concerned with
finding decent housing, establishing independent supportive
institutions, educating their children, and ending slavery in the rest
of the nation. All of these concerns were played out in this Beacon
Hill neighborhood.

Learning Targets:
1. I can describe the different roles that African
Americans played in fighting against slavery.

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2. I can explain the historical importance of the

locations that we visit.

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3. I can show respect for the historical sites that we

visit.

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4. I can ask polite questions to our tour guide.

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Sites 8-12: Smith Court Residences

Site 1: Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment

Memorial

Several well-known abolitionists lived in this apartment

complex. What is one interesting thing that you learned
about someone who lived here or something that
happened here?

According to the inscription on the back of the

monument, what were two extra challenges that African
American soldiers faced in the Civil War?

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Site 2: George Middleton House

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George Middleton was a soldier in the Revolutionary

War. How was life as an African American soldier in
that war similar or different to being in the 54th
regiment?

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Site 3: The Phillips School

Site 5: Charles Street Meeting House

How was being a student at the Phillips school different

than being a student today?

How did events at this site lead to the foundation of the

first integrated church in America?

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Site 4: The John J. Smith House
What role did John J. Smith play in the Boston
abolitionist movement?

Site 6: Lewis and Harriet Hayden House

This house was a station along the Underground Rail
Road. Who are some of the fugitive slaves who passed
through this location? How did the Haydens ensure the
safety of the slaves who they helped?

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