{"id":4531,"date":"2021-04-23T12:06:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T16:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oldsite.coloredconventions.org\/boardinghouses\/?page_id=4531"},"modified":"2022-12-04T13:41:12","modified_gmt":"2022-12-04T18:41:12","slug":"k-12","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oldsite.coloredconventions.org\/boardinghouses\/teach\/k-12\/","title":{"rendered":"K-12"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Header” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Page Header” module_id=”exhibit-title” module_class=”page-header” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ text_font=”||||||||” header_font=”||||||||” header_text_color=”#073e70″ header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#5b0919″ header_2_font_size=”18px” header_3_font=”||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

What Did They Eat? Where Did They Stay? Black Boardinghouses and the Colored Conventions Movement<\/h2>\n

Teaching K-12<\/h1>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Page Intro Text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Resources” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Resources Section Header” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Resources<\/h3>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_toggle title=”Keyword Definitions” admin_label=”Keyword Definitions” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Black Boardinghouse<\/b>—Black-run residences where conventions delegates would lodge, eat, discuss, and network with each other.<\/p>\n

Conviviality<\/b>—An atmosphere of lively camaraderie and conversation, often around meals. Women\u2019s work in boarding houses made this atmosphere possible. Conviviality at boarding houses meant that conversations and connections took place even outside of the convention halls.<\/p>\n

Humility of Things—<\/b>Describes the social phenomenon of certain objects, people, and actions being confined to the background of our social lives and cultural memories. Cooking and cleaning equipment and the people who use them often appear marginally in the background of narratives while other work, such as the political activity in conference halls, takes up the foreground.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s Domestic Labor<\/b>—The work of running boradinghouses, including cooking and cleaning, was usually done by women. This labor is often \u201cinvisible\u201d and sparsely documented, but it was vitally important to the conventions and to Black political and cultural life. Women\u2019s domestic labor was not removed from the political debates at convention halls, for female hosts and chefs could use their menus for political expression, and women almost certainly participated in political conversation in their dining rooms and refreshment halls.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”People” admin_label=”People” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Thomas Dorsey<\/b><\/a>—Born a slave, became one of the most successful restaurant owners in Philadelphia thanks to his refined pallet and skills as a host and businessman<\/p>\n

Lewis Hayden<\/b><\/a>—Born a slave, went on to own a clothing store in Beacon Hill.\u00a0 His business and home were centers of Boston abolitionist activity and Black political and cultural life. Hayden was active in politics, as well.<\/p>\n

Harriet Hayden<\/b><\/a>—Ran a boarding house from the Haydens\u2019 home, which brought the Haydens into deeper contact with many influential Black figures who would stay at their boarding house where the developed existing activist and social networks<\/p>\n

Amie Long<\/b><\/a>—Ran a refreshment room out of her home near one of the convention halls. Long\u2019s menu exemplifies how female cooks could use their culinary skills as a form of political expression.<\/p>\n

The Still Family<\/b><\/a>—William and Letitia Still ran a boarding house that was also one of the most active Underground Railroad stations in Philadelphia. Their house was well known and highly regarded in the abolitionist community, and Letitia Still was especially commended for her tireless work caring for her lodgers and taking in Underground Railroad passengers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mary Ann Shadd Cary<\/b><\/a>—<\/b>The first Black woman newspaper editor in North America. A journalist and activist, she wrote endorsements and editorials about Black boarding houses, including articles calling for the prohibition of alcohol at boarding houses.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Places” admin_label=”Places” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

African Meeting House<\/b>—Also in Beacon Hill, it is the oldest Black church edifice in the United States and was one of the most active sites for the free Black community.<\/p>\n

Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachuessets<\/b>—Vibrant Black neighborhood and site of 1859 & 1865 conventions and the Haydens, whose boarding house was a center of Black political activity.<\/p>\n

Cleveland, Ohio<\/b>—Location of 1848 and 1865 conventions.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/b>—Location of the Still family\u2019s boardinghouse.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Key Texts” admin_label=”Key Texts” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Amie Long\u2019s Menu<\/b>—Advertised in the Delaware County American.<\/i><\/p>\n

Boarding House Advertisements<\/b>—Often appeared in the Black Press, especially around convention times. Advertisements tended to include endorsements from Black public figures and sometimes menu samples like Amie Long\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Contending Forces <\/i><\/b>(1900) by Pauline Hopkins<\/b>—This novel describes the experience of boarding house labor, especially cooking and cleaning.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Predominant Themes” admin_label=”Predominant Themes” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s Domestic Labor<\/b>—Care-work that women did in boarding houses, often traditionally overshadowed by the political work of men. However, the exhibit shows that domestic labor was not only vitally important, but also political.<\/p>\n

Travel and Geography<\/b>—Delegates traveled far distances to participate in conventions. This necessitated Black boarding houses where delegates could reserve short-term stays at affordable prices in a community environment.<\/p>\n

Private Spaces and Public Spaces<\/b>—We often think of the private and public spheres as separate, with the former being the location of domestic work and the latter the location of politically and economically productive labor. However, the border between private and public space is blurry if such a border even exists at all. Women cooks and hosts entered political discussions through their domestic labor in the private space of the boardinghouse. Political debate and networking did not only occur at the public space of the convention hall, but also in women-run boarding houses and refreshment rooms, with the active participation of female domestic workers.<\/p>\n

Food as Expression<\/b>—Menus at Black boarding houses were full of political and cultural meaning. Cooks like Amie Long selected specific foods in order to express Black identity, and they prepared food in ways that connected them to their ancestral past. Through food, the women who could not formally participate as delegates in the conventions found ways to enter the political discussion and claim their space in the African American tradition. Food also exposed individuals to meals that were unique to certain regions as well as\u00a0 represented status . These meals reflected the diversity amongst African Americansas well as their solidarity and commitment to one another.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Points of Interactivity” admin_label=”Points of Interactivity” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Exhibit Page Name + Link<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Data Visualization Name<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Visualization Type<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Where Did They Travel From?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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\u201cAttendees\u201d maps<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Interactive and annotated map<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Where Did They Stay?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Boardinghouse Advertisements<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Interactive and annotated map<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Where Did They Stay?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Inside the Boardinghouse<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Interactive story map<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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What Did They Eat?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Mrs. Amie Long\u2019s Interactive Menu<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Interactive story map<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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The Haydens and Boston<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Beacon Hill Neighborhood<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Interactive and annotated map<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Further Reading” admin_label=”Further Reading” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Underground Railroad: The William Still Story (PBS)<\/b><\/p>\n

William Still: An African American Abolitionist (Digitized archival material, Temple University)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Lewis and Harriet Hayden House (National Park Service)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The Harriet Hayden Albums (Digitized archival material, Boston Athenaeum)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Methods” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Methods Section Header” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Methods<\/h3>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Methods Section Intro Text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

To successfully teach these exhibits we strongly encourage teachers to explicitly teach the following methods used to tell more complete stories of African American, African Diaspora history and American:<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_toggle title=”Historiography” admin_label=”Historiography” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

1. What is <\/b>historiography<\/b><\/a>?<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Historiography can be understood as the history of history. A historiographical piece or essay discusses how history has been written over time and tracks the debates historians grappled with in a certain field.\u00a0 (Included is a link to video by Study.com; the first two [2] minutes of the video are free.)<\/i><\/p>\n

2. How can students practice historiography as they study this exhibit?<\/b><\/p>\n

3. How does historiography get written? Who gets to write history?<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>Suggested Exercise: <\/i><\/b>Have students discuss the historiographical contributions of each exhibit.<\/i><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Primary Documents” admin_label=”Primary Documents” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

1. What are <\/b>primary documents<\/b><\/a>?<\/b><\/p>\n

2. How do we <\/b>research and analyze <\/b><\/a>primary documents?<\/b><\/p>\n

3. Is there a <\/b>tool <\/b><\/a>that we can use to help us think about primary documents?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

4. What is the proper MLA <\/b>citation <\/b><\/a>practice for primary documents?<\/b><\/p>\n

Suggested Exercise:<\/i><\/b> Students must locate, review and use the following primary documents:<\/i><\/p>\n

See the <\/i>Boardinghouse Advertisements Interactive<\/i><\/a> for resources. <\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Data Visualization” admin_label=”Data Visualization” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

1. What is data visualization?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The act of showing data (information) using images such as pictures, maps, graphs, drawings. This <\/i>infographic<\/i><\/a> is a good example. (Source: Simon Rogers. <\/i>The Guardian <\/i><\/b>newspaper, International Edition. Friday, March 7th, 2014)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

2. What does digital data visualization allow you to see and analyze differently than data presented in textbooks?<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>Suggested Exercise:<\/i><\/b> Have students <\/i>create an interactive menu representing the importance of certain foods within another era or context.<\/i><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Attribution and Citation” admin_label=”Attribution and Citation” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

1. Why is it important to cite sources?<\/b><\/p>\n

2. What information does citation communicate?<\/b><\/p>\n

Suggested Exercise:<\/i><\/b> Students will learn to accurately and appropriately cite this exhibit and the works referenced within, including:\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n