Warm Up: 

The class will watch this ~5 minute Biography of Ona Judge in order to gain knowledge of her family, enslaved labor at Mount Vernon, and how she escaped from Philadelphia.  

 
Activity: 

Teacher should divide the students up into groups of 3 to discuss assigned primary sources. Depending on the number of students in the class, there may be two of the same Expert Group. Tell each group that they will read their assigned documents and answer the below discussion questions for the next 15 minutes before they will share their findings/answers with the entire class. The Expert Groups are as follows: 
 

Expert Group 1: Historical Context - Enslaved Women 

Students in this group will read this historical overview of The Slave Experience: Men, Women and Gender in order to gain knowledge of the African American women’s experience under enslavement and to understand why Judge escaped to freedom.  
 

Expert Group 2: Historical Context - Slavery at Mount Vernon 

Students will view the ~ 7 min video “Lives Bound Together - Slavery at Mount Vernon” in order to gain knowledge about George Washington’s use of enslaved labor at his plantation and home, Mount Vernon. 
 

Expert Group 3: Historical Context - Slavery and Abolition in the Early Republic 

Students in this group will examine 2 links in order to gain knowledge of Abolitionism in Pennsylvania vs. the new Fugitive Slave Law of 1793.  
 

Discussion Questions for expert groups to share with jigsaw groups:  

• How did the experience of enslaved women differ from enslaved men? 

• How can we learn about individuals who did not leave a personal written record? 

• Compare/contrast laws regarding slavery. What impact did the new Fugitive Slave Law (1793) have on enslaved people? In what ways was Pennsylvania fighting for abolition? 

• Essential Question: In what ways do you think the historical context of the time period influenced Judge’s pursuit of freedom? 

• In what ways do you think her context influenced Judge’s pursuit of freedom? 

The teacher should then set up Jigsaw Groups (a model of which can be found here). The teacher should tell these Jigsaw Groups that they will have 20 minutes to share their knowledge from their Expert Group and discuss the essential questions. 

Closing for the Whole Class:  

Students will look at the excerpt from the forward of Dunbar’s Never Caught and discuss the questions that follow with their group: 

• Most American high school students are familiar with the nation’s first president, George Washington, but are unaware of stories like Judge’s. Why do you think this is the case?  

• Whose story is privileged and whose is silenced? Why?  

• Why do you believe her story is now being heard?  

• Why is it essential to learn about the history of slavery and the lives of enslaved women such as Ona Judge?