“Cincinnati 28”
The true story of 28 slaves whose strength, struggles,
and sacrifices lead them on a journey through the Ohio
River valley and beyond to freedom.
Teacher Resource Guide
Produced by Cincinnati Museum Center
Directed by Dennis Murphy
Written by Lynn and Kristin Elzey
© 2002
“CINCINNATI 28”
SYNOPSIS
“Cincinnati 28” is an interdisciplinary drama experience. The play is based on the true story of a group of
twenty-eight fugitive slaves that hired a conductor to lead them on a journey through the Ohio River valley and
finally to Canada. Through the dialogue of the professional cast, the audience will learn the dangers awaiting a
fugitive slave, the life of a slave, the pain of separation from family and friends, and the courageous roles of the
conductors and stationmasters of the Underground Railroad.
The drama promotes personalized learning and reinforces proficiency goals. It was created to enable the
audience to connect their own emotions to those enslaved, as well as to investigate the themes of courage and
change through learning, dialogue, and reflection.
It is not only important for us to tell the stories of the past, but even more important that the stories make a
difference in the lives we touch. The play “Cincinnati 28” emphasizes the importance of a compassionate
voice, the touch of a helping hand, and exemplifies the strength and unselfish sacrifices of those who gave their
lives so that others can achieve their dreams and the freedom to share their gifts.
CAST MEMBERS
Mother and Baby – A young black woman who was sold as a child on the auction block and taken away from her
parents. She now has a baby and finds slavery so oppressive that she is willing to risk her life and the life of her child in
order to seek freedom and follow her dreams.
Plantation Cook – An older black woman who has lived as a slave on the plantation since birth. She has survived
many hardships, knows the pain and torture of fugitive slaves, and feels a loyalty to her master and his family. Or does
she?
Old Joe – An older black man who picked cotton on a plantation for 40 years. He was freed when his master died, but
was then kidnapped by a slave catcher and sold back into slavery. His spirit yearns for freedom again, but he is afraid that
the journey would be too difficult.
Henry – A spirited, young black man who has been raised on the plantation. He has worked as a house servant since he
was 5 years old and is determined to seek freedom for a better life, even if he has to desert others in the group.
John Fairfield – A white man hired by the fugitives as their conductor and guide to Canada. Although raised a
southerner, he is against slavery. Some people say that he is lacking in moral principles, but he is a faithful friend to
escaping slaves.
Plantation Overseer – A white man, hired by the Plantation Master. It is his job to manage and control the slaves
working in the fields. His paycheck and reputation rely on his success at increasing production and profits, no matter
what affect it has on the slaves’ well-being. He considers slaves as human machines with no feelings or emotions.
Slave Catcher – A white man who makes it his business to catch and return fugitive slaves. He is ruthless and
considers a slave the property of his owner. He is only interested in the monetary rewards of his efforts, whether the slave
is sold on the auction block or returned to his owner.
Mr. John Hatfield – A free black man who is a Deacon at the nearby Baptist church. He and his wife risk their lives to
assist escaping slaves and organize their friends to provide food and clothing. Together with Levi Coffin, he is dedicated
to the efforts of the Underground Railroad.
Mr. Levi Coffin
– A Quaker man who as a child saw the unjust treatment of slaves.
“President of the Underground Railroad.”
He was often referred to as the
THE CINCINNATI CONNECTION TO SLAVERY
The play, “Cincinnati 28,” is a true story of a group of twenty-eight fugitive slaves that crossed the Ohio River
at Lawrenceburg, Indiana from Kentucky. They hired John Fairfield, a white man, to help them cross the Ohio
River. Fairfield was a Virginian by birth, was raised on a plantation that had slaves, but hated slavery. He
guided the group to the mouth of the big Miami River, where he knew several rafts were tied to a tree on the
bank.
Several of the men had their wives with them, and one woman had a baby with her. Crossing the river, the
boats were so overloaded that many of the escaping slaves got wet and some lost their shoes on the muddy
riverbank. Cold, hungry and exhausted, the slaves reached the Cincinnati riverbank below the Mill Creek at
daybreak. Fairfield hid them in the ravines and went to find John Hatfield to ask for help. Together, John
Hatfield, a black man and Deacon at the Baptist church, and Levi Coffin, a white man who assisted fugitives,
developed a plan of escape. The twenty-eight fugitive slaves were placed in buggies and disguised as a funeral
procession. They traveled on Colerain Pike to College Hill.
Unfortunately, the fictitious funeral procession became a reality with the death of the baby from the cold, wet
conditions. After the burial, the group traveled to Hamilton, West Elkton, Eaton, and Newport, Indiana on their
journey to freedom. They traveled from station to station through Indiana and Michigan to Detroit. It was
reported that they safely arrived in Canada.
“CINCINNATI 28” CONNECTIONS TO YOUR CLASSROOM
The following questions will help you and your students connect “Cincinnati 28” to your classroom
curriculum.
1. After viewing the play, instruct your students to answer these questions in one word or one phrase:
A. What did you hear?
B. What did you see?
C. How did you feel?
2. Would you have the courage to be a fugitive slave? Explain.
3. Which cast member did you relate to the most? Why?
4. What did you learn about slavery from the play, “Cincinnati 28”?
5. Do you think slavery continues today? Where? Why?
“CINCINNATI 28” CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
It is the goal of the play “Cincinnati 28” to interweave different learning styles and engage students in a
participatory educational experience. The following curriculum connections have been designed to promote
personalized learning and to reinforce classroom curriculum through the multiple intelligences and Bloom’s
Taxonomy. The activities can apply to various grade levels and proficiency standards in the subject areas of
social studies, science, language arts, reading, math and the arts.
1. Research and create a timeline of the history of slavery in the United States. Select several significant
events and describe their affect on slavery. What would have been their affect on the life of a slave.
Describe as a journal or diary entry.
2. Use primary and secondary documents, such as diaries and speeches to research, to understand slavery in
America. Explain how politics (how a society was governed), sociology (what groups formed the society),
economics (how people worked and what they produced), religion and philosophy (what was valued and
believed at the time) influenced this time period. Write a monologue, short story, or create a visual presentation
relating your research.
3. Research the viewpoints of a plantation owner, overseer, slave catcher, conductor and slave regarding
their different feelings towards slavery. Create a newspaper article or interview to record and better
understand their reactions to this time period.
4. Research and explain how the African American community not only asserted itself in the freedom of slaves,
but has also asserted itself with the civil rights movement and given power to the human rights movement that
is important today.
5. Organize two debate teams. Team 1 will represent pro-slavery issues and Team 2 will represent antislavery issues. Each debate team should research and present their viewpoints with a clear focus and
show their understanding of the topic. The teams should be able to debate the issue and understand the
difference between fact and opinion.
6. Compare and contrast the rights and responsibilities of a slave with the rights and responsibilities of a person
living in Ohio in 1847. Create a Venn diagram with your research.
7. Read a story about a slave. Be prepared to summarize and sequence the main ideas and events. Write
your own short story, poem or song about being a slave. Include historical information, personal details
and your feelings about slavery.
8. Learn about the songs of the slaves and their messages. Investigate how the words of the songs recorded their
answers to many questions, gave directions and described their feelings. Use this information to create your
own song or poem about slavery.
9. Research the life of a slave and the dangers of escaping from a plantation. Create a monologue or story
that answers questions about who you are, where you live, when and how you are going to escape.
Include your personal feelings. Use descriptive details and vivid language to develop your character.
10. Choose a topic about slavery. Create your own questions for research and develop a plan for gathering
information. Collect information from a variety of resources including books, computers, songs, poems and
documents. Present your information to an audience. Make sure you distinguish between fact and opinion, give
the ideas and events in sequential order and show an understanding of the topic. Include a concise introduction,
body and conclusion in your presentation. Use correct communication skills by speaking clearly and using
proper pace and volume.
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“CINCINNATI 28” CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS CONTINUED
11. Use a pictograph, bar graph, line graph or tables to record the number of African Americans living in
Cincinnati from 1830-1840. Read and interpret your information. Compare this information with a
timeline of slavery in America. What conclusions can you make? Write your research findings in a brief
paragraph.
Residential Pattern
1830
1840
African Americans = 1090
African Americans = 2129
12. Identify and describe the common subjects, ideas and themes that artists have recorded in their artwork
about slavery. Create your own visual interpretation of slavery. Explain your artwork.
13. Investigate how fugitive slaves used celestial navigation to locate and travel north. Research the
constellations that would have appeared in a winter or spring sky in the Northern Hemisphere. These are
the times of year slaves were most likely to escape. Record your findings as you locate the North Star.
How does the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” relate to your research?
14. Explain one of the following important events in American history. What caused the event and how did the
event affect slavery in the U.S.? Use your written or oral presentation skills to convey your information.
1. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
2. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
3. The Dred Scott Decision of 1857
4. The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
5. Black Codes of Ohio
6. 15th Amendment
7. U.S. Civil War
15. Write a letter to a person (real or fictional) that you consider a hero of this time period. In your letter,
explain why you chose this person and what attributes they possess that you would like to develop in
yourself.
1. Conductor
2. Harriet Beecher Stowe
3. President Abraham Lincoln
4. Harriet Tubman
5. Sojourner Truth
6. John Rankin
7. Josiah Henson
8. Levi Coffin
9. Susan B. Anthony
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“CINCINNATI 28” CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS CONTINUED
16. Select a quote from those listed below. Research the author of the quote, to whom they were speaking, and
the historical significance of the quote. Present your research as if you were a reporter for a local newspaper or
as the author giving a speech or monologue.
1. “I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I
could not have one, I would have the other, for no man should take me alive…”
-Harriet Tubman
2. “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half
slave and half free…”
- Abraham Lincoln
3. “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.”
- Abraham Lincoln
4. “The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on the coast was the sea and a slave ship...These
filled me with astonishment which was soon converted into terror.”
-Olaudah Equiano
5. “The only true remedy for the extension of slavery, is the immediate abolition of slavery.”
- Frederick Douglass
6. “I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free. There was such a glory over
everything…I felt like I was in heaven.”
- Harriet Tubman
7. “The cause of the slave brought together the friendship, diverse origin, training, habits of life,
temperament, disposition and other personal characteristics.”
- Levi Coffin
8. “I thought upon coming to a free State like Ohio, that I would find every door thrown open to receive me,
but from the treatment I received from the people generally, I found it little better than in Virginia.”
- John Malvin, 1840
9. “It has now become absolutely necessary, that slavery should cease in order that freedom may be
preserved in any part of our land.”
- James Birney
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ACTIVITY 1: FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD
In many African villages, a song leader or Griot was also a historian, reporter and communicator. People of the
village would join in the songs and listen to their message. Many slaves continued this tradition and used music
as a means of communication. Fugitive slaves shared the directions given in “Follow the Drinking Gourd” to
help others find the Big Dipper, a star constellation shaped like a gourd. The star, Polaris, or North Star, guided
slaves towards the North and to freedom in Canada.
Learn about the songs of the slaves and their messages. Investigate how the words of the songs recorded their
answers to many questions, gave directions and described their feelings. Use this information to create your
own song or poem about slavery.
When the sun comes back
And the first quail calls
Follow the drinking gourd
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.
(Repeat Chorus)
(Repeat Chorus)
(Repeat Chorus)
The riverbank makes a very good road.
The dead trees will show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,
Follow the drinking gourd.
When the great big river meets the little river
Follow the drinking gourd.
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.
The river ends between two hills
Follow the drinking gourd.
There’s another river on the other side
Follow the drinking gourd.
ACTIVITY 1: FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD CONTINUED
“Follow the Drinking Gourd” is a coded song that gives the route for an escape from Alabama and Mississippi.
Of all the routes out of the Deep South, this is the only one for which the details survived. The route instructions
were given to slaves by an old man named PEG LEG JOE. Working as an itinerant carpenter, he spent winters
in the South, moving from plantation to plantation, teaching slaves this escape route. Unfortunately, we know
nothing more about PEG LEG JOE.
The song and its translations are as follows:
When the sun comes back
And the first quail calls
Follow the drinking gourd
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.
“When the sun comes back” means winter and spring when the angle of the sun above the horizon at noon is
getting higher each day. Quail are migratory birds, which winter in the South. The Drinking Gourd is the Big
Dipper. The old man is PEG LEG JOE. The verse tells slaves to leave in the winter and walk towards the
Drinking Gourd. Eventually they will meet a guide who will escort them for the remainder of the trip.
Most escapees had to cross the Ohio River, which is too wide and too swift to swim. The Railroad struggled
with the problems of how to get escapees across, and with experience, came to believe the best crossing time
was winter. The river was frozen, and escapees could walk across the ice. Since it took most escapees a year to
travel from the South to Ohio, the Railroad urged slaves to start their trip in winter in order to be at the Ohio
River the next winter.
The riverbank makes a very good road.
The dead trees will show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,
Follow the drinking gourd.
This verse taught slaves to follow the bank of the Tombigbee River north looking for dead trees that were
marked with drawings of a left foot and a peg foot. The markings distinguished the Tombigbee from other
north-south rivers that flowed into it.
The river ends between two hills
Follow the drinking gourd.
There’s another river on the other side
Follow the drinking gourd.
These words told the slaves that when they reached the headwaters of the Tombigbee, they were to continue
north over the hills until they met another river. Then they were to travel north along a new river, which is the
Tennessee River. A number of the southern escape routes converged on the Tennessee.
When the great big river meets the little river
Follow the drinking gourd.
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.
This verse told the slaves that the Tennessee River joined another river. They were to cross that river (which is
the Ohio River) and on the north bank, meet a guide from the Underground Railroad.
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ACTIVITY 2: UNDERGROUND RAILROAD ROUTES
http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/Map.htm
Activity 2
1. List all of the free states in 1860.
2. List all of the slave states in 1860.
3. What states would a fugitive slave travel through to reach a free state?
4. Which rivers would a fugitive slave travel to escape from Louisiana to get to Pennsylvania?
5. Why were there so many railroad routes running from the Ohio River Valley to the north in 1860?
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“CINCINNATI 28” GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Abolitionism
A movement in which participants refuse to accept the existence
of slavery in the United States and actively worked to end it.
Abolitionist
A person who believed in or worked for the end of slavery.
Black Codes
First enacted in Ohio in 1803, these laws made it illegal for
African Americans to vote, to hold civil or military office, and
to participate in public institutions such as schools and
hospitals. The code also charged employers 50 cents a day for
hiring a runaway slave and charged each Ohio resident a $500
bond (to be used in support of the person if he/she could not
support him/herself).
Conductor
One of the people working on the Underground Railroad who
helped transport people from station to station.
Fugitive
An escaping slave.
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
A law requiring everyone to help in the recapture of fugitive
slaves that was strongly resisted in many northern states.
Freedom Train
A term used to describe the Underground Railroad.
Heaven
A code word for Canada, where escaped slaves could be safe.
Northwest Ordinance
A document created in 1787 which prohibited slavery from
existing in the Northwest Territory.
Northwest Territory
An area of the United States that makes up Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin (called this before they
became states).
Slave Catcher
A person who made a living by tracking down fugitive slaves.
Station
A stop on the Underground Railroad, frequently the house of
one of the Conductors.
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TIMELINE OF SLAVERY
1565
African slaves arrive in North America at Spanish colony of St. Augustine
1619
First Africans arrive in Jamestown, Virginia initially identified as Indentured Servants
1755
All 13 colonies legally recognize “chattel” (slavery)
1770s
Slave labor becomes vital to Southern economy because of growth of rice, tobacco, sugar and indigo
plantations. Northern economy increases because of the development of small farms and industry
1793
Invention of cotton gin, a machine that separates the fibers of cotton from the seed, increases the
importance of slavery to the Southern economy.
1793
Canada’s only anti-slavery law passed.
1793
First Fugitive Slave Law passed
1803
First Black Codes (Black Laws) enacted
1804
Free blacks must register certificate of freedom and pay 12 ½ cents for each family member
1805
African Slave Trade supposedly forbidden
1808
Cincinnati passes local laws to reinforce Black Codes
1829
Isabella Van Wagener changes her name to Sojourner Truth and begins preaching her abolitionist beliefs in
the North
1829-1830
First petition campaign against Black Codes
1830
Use of the train as a means of transportation increases, and the term “Underground Railroad” is first used to
describe the movement of runaway slaves
1833
British Parliament passes Emancipation Act, which frees all slaves and outlaws slave trade
1835
James G. Birney, future owner of the The Philanthropist, an abolitionist newspaper, arrives in Cincinnati
1836
The Philanthropist becomes the official newspaper of the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society
1836
Angry mobs attack the printing press of The Philanthropist
1838
Blacks banned from public schools
1839
Ohio passes state Fugitive Slave Act
1847-1863
Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and escaped slave, publishes newspaper, The North Star
1849
Black Codes repealed
1849
Harriet Tubman, escaped slave, begins to help over 300 slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad
1850
Second Fugitive Slave Law passed
1851
Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Toms Cabin
1857
Dred Scott case
1858
Slave ship Wanderer arrives; she delivers probably last cargo of slaves to America
1861
Civil War begins
1863
Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation
1865
Civil War ends
1865
13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits slavery in America
1866
14th Amendment gave citizenship to African-Americans (men only)
1870
th
15 Amendment gave the right to vote to African-Americans (men only)
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ACADEMIC BENCHMARK STANDARDS 4-8: Social Studies
Grade
People in
Societies
Citizenship
Rights and
Responsibilities
Skills
and Methods
History
Geography
Government
Obtain information
about state issues from
a variety of sources
4
Use primary and
secondary sources to
answer questions about
Ohio history
Describe the cultural
practices and products
of various groups who
have settled in Ohio
over time
Identify main ideas
and supporting details
from factual
information
Explain the reasons
people came to Ohio
Distinguish between
fact and fiction
5
Describe the cultural
practices and products
of various groups who
have settled in Ohio
over time
Describe the
experiences of African
Americans under the
institution of slavery
Explain the significance
of the rights that are
protected by the First
Amendment
Obtain information
about state issues from
a variety of sources
Analyze information
from primary and
secondary sources in
order to summarize,
make generalizations
and draw conclusions
6
Explain reasons for
the creation of
governments such
as protecting lives,
liberty and property
Describe historical
events and issues from
the perspectives of
people living at the
time in order to avoid
evaluating the past in
terms of today’s norms
and values
7
Compare multiple
viewpoints and frames
of reference relating to
important events in
world history
Describe and explain
the social, economic
and political effect of
stereotyping and
prejudice, racism and
discrimination
8
Analyze the economic,
geographic, religious
and political factors
that contributed to the
enslavement of
Africans in North
America and
resistance to slavery
Show the relationship
between participating in
civil and political life
and the attainment of
individual and public
goals including the
Underground Railroad,
the abolitionists
movement/abolition of
slavery
Evaluate the role of
historical figures and
political bodies in
furthering and restricting
the rights of individuals
Compare accuracy and
point of view of fiction
and nonfiction sources
about a particular era
or event
Construct a historical
narrative using
primary and secondary
sources
Explain causes of the
Civil War with
emphasis on slavery,
states rights, and
different economies of
the north and south
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ACADEMIC BENCHMARK STANDARDS 9-12: Social Studies
Grade
9
People in
Societies
11
Skills
and Methods
History
Analyze the
perspectives that are
evident in African
American art, music,
literature and media
and how these
contributions reflect
and shape culture in
the United States
Geography
Government
Explain how
political and
economic
conditions,
resources,
geographic
locations and
cultures have
contributed to
cooperation and
conflict
Analyze the results of
political, economic
and social oppression
and the violation of
human rights
Describe how the
perspectives of
cultural groups helped
to create political
action groups such as
NAACP
10
Citizenship
Rights and
Responsibilities
Analyze historical and
contemporary examples
of citizen movements to
bring about political
change
Analyze one or more
issues and present a
persuasive argument to
defend a position
Identify causes of
prejudice and
demonstrate ways in
which legal
protections (including
constitutional
amendments and civil
rights legislation)
prevent and reduce
discrimination
Explain how the U.S.
has been affected
politically,
economically and
socially by its
multicultural diversity
Identify the
perspectives of diverse
cultural groups when
analyzing current
issues
12
Analyze ways
countries and
organizations respond
to conflicts between
forces of unity, and
forces of diversity
Challenge arguments
of historical
inevitability by giving
examples of how
different choices could
have led to different
consequences (choices
made during the Civil
War)
Analyze primary
source material to see
if a historical
interpretation is
supported
Identify and
analyze an issue
related to domestic
policy in the U.S.
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KENTUCKY STUDENT PERFORMANCE STANDARDS 4-12
Goal 1: Communication Skills
•
•
•
•
1.3 Students make sense of the various things they observe.
1.4 Students make sense of the various messages to which they listen.
1.14 Students make sense of ideas and communicate ideas with music.
1.15 Students make sense of and communicate ideas with movement.
Goal 2: Apply Core Concepts and Principles
Social Studies
• 2.14 Students understand the democratic principles of justice, equality, responsibility, and
freedom and apply them to real-life.
• 2.15 Students can accurately describe various forms of government and analyze issues that relate
to the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy.
• 2.16 Students observe, analyze, and interpret human behaviors, social groupings, and institutions
to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and among groups.
• 2.20 Students understand, analyze, and interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and issues to
develop historical perspective.
Arts and Humanities
• 2.22 Students create works of art and make presentations to convey a point of view.
• 2.26 Through the arts and humanities, students recognize that although people are different, they
share some common experiences and attitudes.
Goal 5: Think and Solve Problems
5.1 Students use critical thinking skills such as analyzing, prioritizing, categorizing, evaluating,
and comparing to solve a variety of problems in real-life situations.
• 5.3 Students organize information to develop or change their understanding of a concept.
• 5.4 Students use a decision-making process to make informed decisions among options.
• 5.5 Students use problem-solving processes to develop solutions to relatively complex problems.
•
Goal 6: Connect and Integrate Knowledge
•
•
•
6.1 Students connect knowledge and experiences from different subject areas.
6.2 Students use what they already know to acquire new knowledge, develop new skills, or
interpret new experiences.
6.3 Students expand their understanding of existing knowledge by making connections with new
knowledge, skills, and experiences.
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