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Old vs. New
Introduction:
Much of what students will be learning and seeing during their
visits to Stenton, Cliveden, Wyck and Johnson House concern changes
over time. Some things will be totally unfamiliar, their function
not needed in the modern world. Others will seem familiar but
somehow different from what we know today. Most change will be
viewed as an improvement, but the children might also thing about
and discuss what they see that is old that they like better.
Instructions:
Begin by telling the class that they will be visiting houses that
were built as long ago as two hundred and eighty years ago. Ask
them to think about what kinds of old fashioned things they might
expect to see in houses built two centuries ago. Some topics to
discuss:
1. Heating in winter. How did they keep warm?
2. Cooling in summer. How did they cool before electricity-powered
fans and air conditioning?
3. Lighting in the house. How did they get light before electricity?
4. Sanitation and water supply. What did they do before indoor
plumbing?
5. Cooking. How did they cook without electricity?
6. Preserving food. How did they keep foods from spoiling without
refrigerators?
7. Entertainment. What did they do before TV, movies, videos,
radios or CD players?
8. How do we know what they used to do?
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Who are the Quakers?
Many students have difficulty distinguishing between Quakers
and Amish as well as other cultural and religious groups. Divide
your class into six groups and assign each group to research one
of the peoples listed below. Have students give an oral report
to the class or act out a play depicting the history of these
peoples.
- Quakers
- Mennonites
- Puritans
- Pilgrims
- Amish
- Pennsylvania Dutch
Students should be able to answer the following questions:
- When did these people emigrate to America?
- From what country did these people emigrate and why?
- Are there still communities of these groups today?
Teacher Information
Quakers or Society of Friends
A Christian group that arose in the mid-17th century in England,
advocating direct inward apprehension of God without creed, clergy
or other ecclesiastical forms.
Quakers represent the extreme left wing of the 17th century English
Puritan Movement. The movement spread throughout England and the
colonies in the early 1600’s, eventually causing civil unrest
and persecution. The Tolerance Act of 1869 in England ended most
religious persecution but most Quakers had already emigrated to
America and Pennsylvania with William Penn years before.
Today Society of Friends groups exist worldwide. The Society
of Friends is commonly known as one of the historic “peace
churches” and Quakers have steadily insisted that war is
contrary to God’s will. The Friends have also historically
provided outspoken advocation of the abolition of slavery and
capital punishment, institution of women’s rights, temperance,
penal reform, and care of the mentally ill. Mennonites
Members of a Protestant church rising out of the Anabaptists,
a radical reform movement in Europe that began in the 16th century.
Named for Dutch priest Menno Simons, there are many Mennonite
communities throughout the world, with most in the U.S., including
Pennsylvania, and Canada. Religious persecution was severe in
Europe and continued throughout the 18th century when many Mennonites
emigrated to the U.S. Known for their missionary work, humanitarianism
and anti-war sentiments, Mennonites have been persecuted and jailed
for refusing to fight in wars or participate in the draft as recently
as the Vietnam War.
The Amish
Also called the Amish Mennonite, a conservative Christian group
found today mostly in North America. They are primarily members
of the Old Order Mennonite Church. They originated as followers
of Joseph Amman, a Mennonite preacher who caused a schism among
the congregation over the excommunication of members. Amish settlements
and congregations existed in Switzerland, Germany, Alsace, Russia
and Holland but most migrated to North America in the 19th and
20th centuries. The Amish are known for their severely plain clothing,
isolated farm communities and shunning of all modern equipment
and machinery.
The Pennsylvania Dutch
Americans of German descent who live permanently in Pennsylvania’s
southeastern counties. They are united by cultural characteristics
and a traditional language, Pennsyfaunia Deutsch, which became
the anglicized “Dutch”. The Pennsylvania Dutch are
descended from various German immigrant groups with varying religious
backgrounds including Quakers, Mennonites, Amish, Protestants,
Lutherans and Moravians.
“Plain” and “fancy” refers to two groups
of Pennsylvania Germans. The “plain” folk shun the
use of modern technology and are also known as Old Order Amish
or Old Order Mennonite. The “fancy” folk, which are
by far the more populous group, have adopted modern ways of living
but still carry on ethnic traditions in language, food and music.
Puritanism
A religious reform movement in the late 16th and 17th centuries
that sought to “purify” the Church of England from
the remnants of Roman Catholic popery. Unable to convert the government
to their own church state and causing civil unrest in the country
for years, the Puritans emigrated to America to set up an ideal
community.The largest and most successful community was the Massachusetts
Bay Colony.
The Pilgrims
A group of Puritans who originally emigrated to the Netherlands
from England to escape persecution and set up their own idealized
community. They raised money to finance an expedition to America
in 1620. Only a third of people on the Mayflower were Puritans,
the others were hired by the company who financed the pilgrimage
to secure the investment. These first settlers, initially called
Old Comers and later known as the Forefathers, did not become
known as “the Pilgrims” until 200 years later when
Daniel Webster made references to them during a speech and the
term became popularized.
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Stenton: Ten Logan Facts
1. As a child, Logan’s family was often homeless and without
steady income. The Quaker family, often persecuted for their religious
beliefs, was in constant fear for their safety.
2. Logan was a teacher like his father, before he came to America.
He could read and speak five languages and loved to study mathematics,
astronomy, botany and history.
3. Logan came to Philadelphia on the Canterbury with William
Penn in 1699. It took three months to cross the Atlantic Ocean
and the crew had to battle pirate attacks. Logan helped defend
the ship while Penn hid below.
4. When Penn returned to England to settle business debts, he
left Logan to oversee the administration of the colony –
collect rents, keep peace with indigenous tribes, oversee land
sales and keep track of finances. He was paid little for the demanding
job.
5. Logan proposed to two different women and was rejected both
times because he did not make enough money to support a family.
When 40, he married 18 year old Sarah Read after a four-year courtship.
They had seven children.
6. In 1706, Pennsylvania Governor Evans tried to rally the town
to build a militia against the French, who were rumored to be
invading Philadelphia. The peace-loving Quakers ignored Evans
but others threw their valuables into privy pits and fled. Logan
believed it a hoax and challenged Evans to sail down the Delaware
with him to see if the French were advancing. Logan was right,
nothing happened.
7. In 1728, while crossing his yard, Logan fell and broke his
hip and had to use crutches the rest of his life. This depressed
him and he developed a reputation for being cranky and ill-tempered.
8. Logan loved to read and acquired 3,000 books by the time of
his death. His collection, called the Loganian library, became
the basis for America’s first public subscription library.
9. Logan amassed a modest fortune in the fur trade. Every spring
and fall traders brought furs into town on wagons that Logan called
“Conestoga wagons” because the trading post was located
on the Conestoga Creek. His warehouse on 2nd Street reeked with
the smell of curing animal pelts.
10. Logan was considered a friend of the indigenous tribes, who
demanded he be present during any negotiations. In 1735 he re-negotiated
the Walking Purchase, settling a land dispute between the colonists
and the Lenni Lenape along the Delaware River above Pennsbury
in Bucks County. Under the agreement, the English would have all
the land a man could walk in a day and a half. Logan hired athletic
runners to set the boundary and acquired twice as many acres as
the original agreement.
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Cliveden: Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation
INTRODUCTION:
As American colonists grew angrier with the British government,
their protests of British taxes and laws became more and more
violent. British soldiers and government leaders who were working
in the colonies began to fear that the colonists would attack.
In Williamsburg, Virginia, Lord Dunmore, the royal governor, took
the local supply of gunpowder away from the colonists. The colonists
came after him, and he was forced to flee to a British ship. On
November 15, 1775, he made a proclamation, or public statement,
known as Dunmore’s Proclamation. A portion of the proclamation
is written below.
Instructions: Read the proclamation excerpt below and discuss
the questions that follow. By His Excellency the Right Honorable
JOHN Earl of DUNMORE, His Majesty’s Lieutenant and Governor
General of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, and Vice Admiral
of the same:
A P R O C L A M A T I O
N
As I have ever entertained Hopes that an Accommodation might have
taken Place
between Great Britain and this colony, without being compelled….to
this most
disagreeable, but now absolutely necessary Step, [because of]
a Body of armed Men,
unlawfully assembled, firing on his Majesty’s [soldiers]……..To
defeat such treasonable Purposes….and that the Peace and
good Order of this Colony may be again restored, ……I…hereby
[declare] .....Martial Law…….
I do require every Person capable of bearing Arms to report to
his Majesty’s
STANDARD, or be looked upon as Traitors to his Majesty’s
Crown and Government….
And I do hereby further declare all indentured Servants, Negroes
or others….
free.…that are able and willing to bear Arms, they joining
his Majesty’s Troops,
as soon as may be……….
DUNMORE
GOD SAVE THE KING.
Dunmore’s Proclamation
Questions
1. “Martial law” is ruling of the people
by soldiers, or the military. Why do you think Lord Dunmore put
British soldiers in charge of the local people? What were the
local people doing?
2. What did Dunmore offer to slaves who were willing
to fight for the King? What are some of the things slaves might
have to consider before making a decision to fight for the King?
3. According to a Philadelphia newspaper written in December 1775,
news of Dunmore’s Proclamation reached enslaved Africans
in Philadelphia a week after Dunmore announced it. Why do you
think the news traveled so fast, and how?
4. How do you think enslaved Africans in Philadelphia felt about
the Proclamation? What are some of the choices they could make
after learning about it? How do you think white slaveowners in
Philadelphia felt?
5. Research ideas: Many enslaved Africans did join the British
Army after learning of Dunmore’s Proclamation. Many African-Americans
fought on the side of the patriots, as well, and served bravely
in the battles and encampments in Pennsylvania. Using the internet
and references in your library, research and write a short report
on a famous Revolutionary War soldier of African descent.
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Cliveden: Patriots or Traitors: Post-Visit
Activity #1
“Images of War: Using Art to Study History”
Objectives:
- Examine how different people
might describe the same event or situation in diverse ways,
citing reasons for the differences in views.
- Learn how to describe
and interpret a visual image such as a painting or photograph.
- Explore
the ways in which other disciplines such as art can be used
to study history.
Materials:
Copies of two historic paintings
in Cliveden’s collections:
c.
1790, “The Storming of the Chew House,” artist unknown, produced
in Britain
c.
1876, “Cliveden in the Battle of Germantown,” E.L. Henry, produced
in the United States
Introduction:
To
understand past events, historians use a variety of sources.
Many are written, like the newspapers and letters described in
this program’s pre-visit activities. Others are material,
such as the officer’s clothing and equipment in “Revolutionary
Laundry.” But historians also use visual images, like paintings,
sketches, and photographs, to fill in the gaps that the writers
of documents may have overlooked either because they did not
want to record them or because they were so commonplace that they
were taken for granted. Historians and museum professionals
call this “reading” the artifact.
But
reading an artifact like a painting is not like reading a
book; it is a special kind of skill that takes practice.
Part of the process is figuring out what motivated a painter to
paint his or her picture.
-
What did they choose to paint?
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Did
they see it themselves or hear about it from others?
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How
close to the event did they decide to record it and would
this have affected what details they chose to emphasize?
Activity:
This
activity asks students to compare two versions of the 1777 Battle
of Germantown that happened on the Cliveden grounds. The
attached activity sheet asks a series of questions; some are descriptive
while others require more interpretation and imagination.
Students can either work individually or in pairs or small groups
in completing this project. Teachers may wish to highlight
the following:
Painting
#1:
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Painting
#2
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c. 1790
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c. 1876
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Completed 13 years after the Battle of Germantown
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Completed 100 years after the
Battle
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Anonymous British painter
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E.L. Henry, a noted American painter
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The reason why this painting was done is not known.
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Commissioned
as part of the Chew family’s celebration of the Centennial,
the 100-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
from Britain
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Wyck: Fever 1793 Reading
Activity
Fever
1783 by Laurie Halse Anderson (Aladdin Library
paperbacks, New York: 2002.)
Literature enrichment [Wyck]
Suggested independent reading selection or classroom read-aloud
Introduction:
The Haines family of Wyck played a big part in helping the sick
during the terrible yellow fever epidemic that struck Philadelphia
in the summer of 1793. Unlike many other Philadelphians who fled
to Germantown and the countryside, they were willing to stay in
the hot and contagion-filled city to help those who were suffering.
Sadly, their own family paid a dear price for coming to the aid
of others: both Reuben Haines I and his wife Margaret caught the
fever and died.
Student Instructions:
The book Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson paints a very
good picture of what life was like that summer in Philadelphia.
As your teacher reads it to you in class, try to put yourself
in the shoes of the main character Mattie Cook, and others that
you will meet. Then explore together the author’s website:
www.writerlady.com
and discuss the questions in small groups.
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Johnson House: An
Underground Railroad Math Trail
[excerpt]
What was the Underground Railroad? Well, it wasn’t made
with tracks and railroad cars with an engine. Instead, it was
a network of trails leading from the South to the North on which
slaves traveled to escape to freedom. Many people along the way
helped the slaves on their journey by hiding them in their homes,
barns and other places on their properties. Homesteads where the
slaves were hidden and helped became known as “stations”.
People who worked towards ending slavery were called abolitionists.
It was dangerous for both the escaping slaves and the people helping
them.
In our area of the country, there were many stations on the Underground
Railroad. We will visit some of those sites today. While we are
at each site, we will learn about how it was important to our
history, and we will be solving some math problems there as well.
Be sure to look and listen carefully, not only to learn about
what happened there, but also to have enough information to solve
the problems.
On their way from the South, the slaves who were escaping through
our area moved north from stations in Maryland and Delaware. Some
traveled through Philadelphia, some through New Jersey, and some
through Chester County. Our first stop today is a house on Germantown
Avenue in Philadelphia. It is called the Johnson House. Here,
many escaping slaves found a safe place to stay while they rested
before the next part of their journey north.
The Johnson House, located in the Germantown section of Philadelphia,
was built in 1768. John Johnson owned the house. His family members
were important Quakers in the city. They believed slavery was
wrong and they worked hard to abolish this institution.
DO THE MATH:
1. How many years ago was the Johnson House built?
2. A decade is ten years. About how many decades ago was the house
built?
3. A century is one hundred years. About how many centuries have
passed since the house was built?
Conductors on the Underground Railroad were brave, determined
and resourceful individuals. They faced grave dangers helping
runaway slaves reach freedom. Pennsylvania was among many of the
northern states that did not require the return of runaways until
the Compromise of 1850. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 imposed
harsh penalties on individuals who assisted runaways. Those caught
could be fined up to $1,000 per slave, an excessive amount for
that time.
DO THE MATH:
4. If the Johnson family helped ten runaway slaves every two weeks,
how many did they assist each month?
5. At this rate, how many runaways did they provide help to in
a year?
6. If the Johnsons were caught helping runaway slaves, and were
fined for all those they helped in a year, then how much money
would they have been fined?
ANSWER KEY:
1. 235 years
2. 23 decades
3. two centuries
4. 20 runaways each month
5. 240 runaways in a year
6. $240,000
[source: Johnson House education department]
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Johnson House: Petition Declaring Your
Intentions as the Enemy of Slavery
Whereas, At the late session of congress, a law was passed, making
it obligatory on all citizens to assist in restoring the fugitive
slave to his master, we, a few of the citizens of Philadelphia
county, Pa. deem it our duty to peaceably assemble and declare
the following sentiments:
1. Resolved, That we believe in the self-evident truths set forth
in the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are born
free and equal, and endowed with certain inalienable rights, amongst
which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
2. Resolved, That the first being true, this government, which
derives all its authority from the governed, has no power to enslave
a human being guilty of no crime.
3. Resolved, That therefore all laws enslaving a portion of the
human family, who have no voice in making them, is contrary to
the principles of this government.
4. Resolved, That any law that makes it obligatory upon us to
enslave a human being, is not binding on us, and we will treat
all such laws with contempt, as we cannot become instrumental
in enforcing them.
5. Resolved, That we will hold up to public contempt any man
that will accept the office of commissioner, marshal or deputy
marshal, or in any way aid in the return of fugitives from slavery.
I do solemnly swear to follow the mandates of God and not those
of my flawed brethren who, blinded by greed, seek to profit from
the subjugation of their fellow human beings.
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Johnson House: Text of the Emancipation
Proclamation
Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation
was issued by the President of the United States, containing,
among other things, the following, to wit:
That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves
within any state, or designated part of a State, the people whereof
shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be
then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government
of the United States, including the military and naval authority
thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons,
or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual
freedom.
That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid,
by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if
any, in which the people therof respectively shall be in rebellion
against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the
people therof, shall on that day be in good faith represented
in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto
at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such
State shall have participated, shall in the absence of strong
countervailing testimony be deemed conclusive evidence that such
State and the people therof are not then in rebellion against
the United States.
Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States,
by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief of the
Army and Navy of the United States, in time of actual armed rebellion
against the authority and government of the United States, and
as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion,
do on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose
to do so, publicly proclaimed for the full period of 100 days
from the day above mentioned, order and designate as the States
and parts of States wherein the people thereof, respectively,
are this day in rebellion against the United States the following,
to wit:
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana (except the parishes of St. Bernard,
Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James, Ascension,
Assumption, Terre Bonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and
Orleans, including the city of New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia
(except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia,
and also the counties of Berkeley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth
City, York, Princess Anne, and Norfolk, including the cities of
Norfolk and Portsmouth), and which excepted parts are for the
present left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.
And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do
order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said
designated States and parts of States are, and henceforward shall
be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States;
including the military and naval authorities thereof, shall recognize
and maintain the freedom of said peoples.
And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to
abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defense; and
I recommend to them that, in all cases where allowed, they labor
faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make known that such persons of suitable
condition will be received into the armed service of the United
States to garrison forts, positions, stations and other places,
and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice,
warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, I invoke
the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of
Almighty God.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the
seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington, the first day of January, in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three,
and of the independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State
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