Field trip for high school aged kids concerning...?

I'm a little confused. You say the mid-west, but then you say the Chesapeake Bay.

I found this website. If you scroll all the way down you will find 2 African-American historic sites.

http://www.visitchesapeake.com/articles/index.cfm?...

I also hit this site in my search but don't have the time to look over it

http://www.baygateways.net/bestgateways.cfm

Because Congress rendered slavery and indentured servitude illegal in good part of the Midwest in 1787, you may be better off studying the Underground Railroad in the area, as opposed to the rise of slavery (with the possible exception of, for example, southern Illinois, which *was* pro-slavery and not included in the 1787 ordinance passed by Congress). [for more information on the ordinance and history, see http://riverweb.cet.uiuc.edu/Archives/transactions... ]

Here are some places I found that might be of interest to you in planning field trip(s). Because I don't know exactly where you are located in the Midwest, it's possible that some of these might require overnights.

ST. LOUIS:

Underground Railroad Sites

Tour a variety of sites [that] transported people escaping slavery to freedom before and during the Civil War, including the Smith House, which was the site of many slave auctions; the Old Stone Meeting House; the Rock House, built by the Reverend Artemus Bullard a minister and an abolitionist; and other historic stops; visit the Alton Museum of History and Art - Koenig House (E. Fourth and Oak) where you can explore exhibits related to the Underground Railroad, including the Lovejoy print shop; located on the Riverfront Trail; 314-416-9930

Old Courthouse

One of America's most important historic sites because of the role it played in leading the country to Civil War; in 1847 it hosted the 1st Dred Scott trial whose outcome pitted slave state law and economics against free state law and economics; Dred Scott was born a slave and moved to St Louis in 1830, eventually Scott accompanied his owners to the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin,,,Scott, who was freed by a new owner, died in St. Louis in 1858; the last slave auction in St. Louis occurred on the Courthouse steps in 1861-- ended in anti-slavery protest by 2,000 people; today this popular visitor attraction features restored courtrooms, exhibit rooms on St. Louis history, a beautifully decorated dome, and recreations of the Dred Scott trial throughout the year; 11 North Fourth Street; 314-425-4468;

ILLINOIS:

http://www.essortment.com/all/hickoryhillill_rlag....

Hickory Hill, Illinois

One of the mansions in Illinois, Hickory Hill Plantation house was one of the only places still standing that traded slaves legally, yet sometimes not. This is a story of human misery, history and haunts....Hickory Hill Plantation became part of the infamous reverse Underground Railroad."

Slavery in Illinois

“The truth is rarely pretty or polite. When Colonial Williamsburg historians decided several years aco to add a portrayal of the real story or slaves at Williamsburg, visitors found the reenactments disturbing. Others claimed it was finally time to embrace the truth.

So, too, can we here in Illinois, admit, acknowledge, and accept the truth: Illinois, at least in live southern counties (St. Clair, Gallatin, Randolph, Edwards and Pope), did indeed embrace slavery as an institution..."

http://www.illinoishistory.gov/lib/AfAmHist.htm

African Americans in Illinois

Many Africans came to the new world as Part of explorers’ crews, as servants, and as slaves. The first Africans arrived in 1720 when Illinois was part of the French colony of Louisiana (Illinois would not become a state until 1818). A Frenchman, Phillipe Renault, put slaves to work in saline (salt) mines near the French-built Fort de Chartres in Randolph County. The mines were unsuccessful, and Renault sold his slaves to settlers in the area. By 1763, when the French surrendered control of Illinois to the British, the slave population was nearly six hundred…."

CHICAGO AREA:

http://www.state.il.us/hpa/iam/Directory...

Wheaton Historic Preservation Council, Center for History

PO Box 373

Wheaton, IL 60189-0373

DuPage, Region: 5

315 West Front St

M-W, Sa 10-5pm, Th, F 12-8pm, Su 1-5pm. $7.50 Ages 9 and up.

Local history featuring exhibits on golf history from the 1890s to the 1940s and the Eastland Disaster in 1915. Education programs on slavery, abolition, and the Underground Railroad.

Alberta Adamson, President/CEO

630/871-6601

630/871-6602

info@wheatonhistory.org

www.wheatonhistory.com

INDIANA:

http://www.waynet.org/levicoffin/default...

Levi Coffin House

113 U.S. 27 North

P.O. Box 77

Fountain City, IN 47341

“A part of the legendary Underground Railroad for fleeing slaves of pre-Civil War days, this registered National Historic Landmark is a Federal style brick home built in 1839.

Levi and Catharine Coffin were legendary in helping many former slaves escape to freedom in the North. Levi is often referred to as the President of the Underground Railroad….”

Lesson Plans: The Levi Coffin House

http://www.waynet.org/levicoffin/quiz/de...

"An Underground Railroad Station:

It was a dangerous journey for slaves escaping to freedom. They had to hide during the day and travel quietly at night. Often the journey to freedom was several hundred miles. Some people who opposed slavery helped the runaway slaves travel to Canada, where they would be safe. The name for the road to freedom was the Underground Railroad. Houses on the Underground Railroad were called stations, and the people who ran the stations were called conductors. Levi Coffin was an important conductor for the Underground Railroad. He helped over 3,000 slaves escape.

What to Expect:

Groups that visit the Levi Coffin House State Historic Site may expect to meet the following objectives:

*Understand how the Underground Railroad operated.

*Review part of Indiana and American history.

*Gain an understanding of culture and architecture from the 19th century.

*Recognize some leaders of the Underground Railroad and identify their contributions.

*Learn the dangers of being a runaway slave.

Conner Prairie

http://www.connerprairie.org/events/foll...

Located in Fishers, Indiana, just six miles north of Indianapolis on Allisonville Road (exit 5 from Interstate 69). Museum Center parking is free.

Follow the North Star

April 3, 4, 17, 18, 24 & 25, 2009

November 5-7, 12-14, 19-21, 2009

7:30–8:30 pm*

“Leave the comfort of the world you know...

Become a fugitive slave on the Underground Railroad. Will you find safety and freedom? Will you be captured by the slave hunters? Every moment is filled with uncertainty.

After several years of research, Conner Prairie has developed one of the most dramatic, interactive programs available at any museum. Your experience will stay with you for days, weeks, possibly years.

Play the role of runaway and encounter a slave sale and a wide range of people, including a belligerent transplanted Southerner, a reluctantly helpful farm wife, a slave hunter motivated by financial rewards, a Quaker family and a free black family. This glimpse into our shared past will jolt and affect you in ways that reading a book or watching a movie about this painful part of America's history cannot. Perfect for groups and schools!...”

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/und...

Aboard the Underground Railroad: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary introduces travelers, researchers, historians, preservationists, and anyone interested in African American history to the fascinating people and places associated with the Underground Railroad. The itinerary currently provides descriptions and photographs on 64 historic places that are listed in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, America's official list of places important in our history and worthy of preservation. It also includes a map of the most common directions of escape taken on the Underground Railroad and maps of individual states that mark the location of the historic properties.

MIDWEST:

For a list of Underground Railroad sites in the Midwest (including Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan), see:

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/und...

I hope I understood your question well enough to have provided information you were looking for. Wishing you luck on your adventures!

Your the teacher not us.