How have abolition and civil rights activists used the postal service as a tool to educate and fight for freedom and social justice? This lesson plan supports students in exploring this question through primary and secondary sources connected to abolition, civil rights, and the mail. 

For educators, this learning lab is designed to compliment your classroom lessons, resources and assignments. You can utilize this collection to guide students through learning about the impact and work of abolition and civil rights activists through a unique postal lens. This lesson plan has a warm up, vocabulary, guided primary and secondary source analysis, a conclusion, and suggestions for learning extensions. This lesson plan is recommended for students in grades 6-12 but educators should feel empowered to adapt, scaffold, and use this collection as their own to fit the unique needs of their students. Be sure to read all image descriptions in advance of sharing the collection with students. Sometimes, an object may have more than one image associated with it, so click through the additional images. This option is in the lower right corner of each square.

For students, this is an activity that you can use to explore and learn about the topic of abolition and the mail on your own! You can use this collection to build context and practice analyzing primary and secondary sources. If you have questions, you can ask an educator or other adult in your life to help as needed. Take your time and read through each image description as you explore the objects in this collection. Sometimes, an object may have more than one image associated with it, so click through the additional images. This option is in the lower right corner of each square.