National Park Service

Description

This project will use documentation, inventory, research and study/evaluation to produce a special history of "Slave Stampede: The Underground Railroad on the Missouri Borderlands." The special history will examine the Underground Railroad in Missouri and Illinois through the lens of “slave stampedes” from 1845-1861. The project will establish a systematic approach for looking at the phenomenon, using a geographical area and history that connects to two National Park units, JEFF and LIHO. The project will seek to understand this phenomenon more fully through examination of these escapes, in detail, researching primary sources (mainly newspapers and legal records), ascertaining where they occurred, when they occurred, who was involved, and results (escapes that resulted in freedom vs. those that resulted in capture) etc. While the project is regionally focused, it will provide a context for looking more broadly at such incidents, helping to better understand slavery and freedom. This cooperative agreement provides for the preparation of a special history study, on "slave stampedes," which will help develop a more complex understanding of the Underground Railroad, the nation's first Civil Rights Movement. This project will add to the public's understanding of slavery and freedom. In addition to a written monograph that will be made available, the project will also result in a digital platform that will be accessible to the public. The information gained through the project can be used at NPS sites that relate to this history to expand interpretation and thus ways for the public, especially diverse audiences, to engage with these sites. Also can be used as a model by other border states, including National Park units in these areas that relate to this history, to stimulate further research and examination of this important but understudied aspect of history.

Who can apply

• Private institutions of higher education

Contact

Noel Miller <br/>Grants Management Specialist <br/>Phone 402-661-1658
noel_miller@nps.gov