For enslaved people throughout the history of North Carolina and America, freedom was not something that was simple or gained overnight. And while we often think of slavery in only a binary (that people were either enslaved or they were free) below the surface of the brutal and inhumane period of slavery, there was more complexity as well as community. From the enslaved people who sought and/or defined freedom for themselves, to those free and enslaved who assisted freedom seekers in escaping, to the rich and complex communities that were formed between enslaved and free people, a wholly accurate understanding of this period must include attention to the various ways Black people strove to experience varied concepts of freedom through their individual and collective agency, resistance, and resilience. In this lesson, students will gain an overview of the various ways freedom was sought across North Carolina by focusing on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom (NTF) sites located across North Carolina, as well as the NC African American Heritage Commission’s Freedom Roads Trail. In a rotating stations activity, students will specifically explore:

• River Runaways
• The Great Dismal Swamp
• Edenton & Colonial Park
• The Cape Fear Region
• Freedom and Resistance Through Culture, Intellect & Identity