Underground Railroad quilts: Fact or folklore?

In this lesson, students explore the controversy surrounding a book entitled Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, which was published as a non-fiction account of fugitive slaves sending coded messages through quilt patterns. Students evaluate numerous sources and assess the validity of each in an attempt to determine if the quilt codes are fact or folklore.

A lesson plan for grades 8–12 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies

By Abby Stotsenberg

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Related topics

• Learn more about African American history, American history, Underground Railroad, crafts, facts, folklore, history, information literacy, inquiry, non-fiction, quilts, research skills, and social studies.

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In the late 1990s, a book entitled Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad was published. This book, published as non-fiction, describes a secret code of quilt blocks and patterns that aided fugitive slaves as they traveled on the Underground Railroad. Since then, several other authors have published children’s books (as historical fiction) that include the role of secret quilt codes in assisting slaves as they escaped to freedom.

The notion of a secret code in quilts has made its way into current American culture: One author of Hidden in Plain View was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, there was a plan to incorporate a coded quilt into a memorial to Frederick Douglas in New York City’s Central Park, and some teachers have begun to teach this concept as historical fact. Many historians, however, question the validity of the claims made in Hidden in Plain View, and some even call it a hoax. This lesson allows students to evaluate several print and non-print sources as well as fiction and non-fiction sources to determine if the concept of a secret quilt code is fact or folklore.

Learning outcomes

• Students will understand that it is important to question and investigate the validity of sources, including published works.
• Students will understand that historians tend to look for at least three pieces of evidence (e.g. eye-witness accounts, documents, and artifacts) to confirm historical claims.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

Two class periods (Longer if you must also address the concepts listed under “Pre-activities” below.)

Materials needed

• Copies of the following books:
  • Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard
  • Show Way, by Jacqueline Woodson and Hudson Talbott
  • Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson
• Student computers with internet access (students can work in pairs or in small groups)
• Student worksheet: Underground Railroad Quilts: Fact or Folklore?

Pre-activities

• Students should understand and be able to identify examples of facts and folklore.
• Students should understand the concept of historical fiction.
• Students should have experience in evaluating the quality of print and non-print sources.

Activities

1. Read aloud, describe, and/or provide students with access to the books listed under “Materials” above.
2. Explain to the students that two of the books are considered to be historical fiction and that one book is considered to be non-fiction. Have the students briefly discuss the difference between the two genres and why each genre is important.
3. Pose this question to students: “Based on what we’ve read, do you believe the concept of an Underground Railroad quilt is a fact? Why or why not?” Allow time for discussion.
4. Talk about the concept of research triangulation: Historians usually want at least three separate forms of evidence (examples include eye-witnesses, documents, and artifacts) before accepting something as fact.
5. Explain that the class will investigate whether or not there is enough evidence to support the existence of the quilt.
6. Provide students with the assignment worksheet and explain the process and time frame for completion. Offer the following websites to get students started. These are from sources that are commonly accepted as reputable. Students will need to dig deeper for other sources and determine if they are trustworthy:
   • “Did Quilts Hold Codes to the Underground Railroad?” from National Geographic
   • “History’s Tangled Threads” from The New York Times
7. Once they have completed their investigations, allow students (or groups of students) to report their findings and conclusions.

Assessment

Assess by students’ completed worksheets:

• Did the student follow the directions on the worksheet?
• Did the student accurately assess the validity of sources?
• Did the student provide evidence for his or her conclusions?

Websites

• “Did Quilts Hold Codes to the Underground Railroad?” from National Geographic
• “History’s Tangled Threads” from The New York Times