This self-guided campus tour supports engagement with the 2017 First Year Common Reader, Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad,” by introducing students to artifacts related to slavery in UD Special Collections and Museums. Students visit three locations: Mechanical Hall Gallery to see photographs of former slaves taken in the early twentieth century, the first floor of the Library to view an exhibit on Delaware’s role in the Underground Railroad, and the Library’s Special Collections Exhibit Gallery to find a display about contemporary authors such as Whitehead who address slavery in fiction. The tour prompts students to reflect on how artists, novelists, and historians represent the legacy of slavery in the United States.
Students receive a map that guides them to each location, where they view the artifacts and access a link to listen to the following mini-podcasts by the exhibit curators.
All of the artifacts on the tour address the legacy of slavery in the United States. As you reflect on your experience viewing the photographs, books, and other objects, how do these items make you think differently about suffering, endurance, and the meaning of freedom?
Click the images below to listen to the audio segments as you complete the historical tour.
Find directions to the three tour locations here.
Representations of Slavery and Freedom
Walking Music
Continue to contemplate the ideas of suffering, endurance, and the meaning of freedom as you embark on the 9-minute walk between Mechanical Hall & Morris Library. These songs are musical selections from, or inspired by, the era of the Underground Railroad.
CREDITS
Production
Lauren Wallis – Assistant Librarian and First Year Experience and Student Success Librarian
Ashley Rye-Kopec – Curator of Education and Outreach, University Museums
Amanda Zehnder – Chief Curator, Special Collections and Museums
Curtis Small – Senior Assistant Librarian and Coordinator, Public Services
Alex Johnston – Associate Librarian and Coordinator, Books and Printed Materials
Stephen Petersen – Historian of Photography & Guest Curator
Kris Raser – Digital Content Specialist
Mark Grabowski – Head, Library Data and Server Management Department
Music
“Follow the Drinking Gourd.” American Folk Song, collected by folklorist H. B. Parks, originally published by Texas Folklore Society – 1928, God’s Greatest Hits performance by Eric Bibb, Riddle Films Productions, 2013.
“Solomon Bayley.” Interpretation of classic spiritual: “Amazing Grace” for the University of Delaware First Year Common Reader Historical Tour, Kris Raser, 2017.
“Beloved.”University of Delaware First Year Common Reader Historical Tour, Kris Raser, 2017.
“Henry Baker.” University of Delaware First Year Common Reader Historical Tour, Kris Raser, 2017.