Lesson 3: Day 1 - Voices from the Archives

Google Doc for this Lesson

Activity 1: Read Aloud

Overview: In this read-aloud activity, students engage with Mysterious People in the 1838 Census to explore how historians reconstruct the lives of historical figures from fragmented archival records. Through guided discussion, students consider the power of small historical details and the challenges of recovering overlooked stories.

Time: 10 minutes

Format: Whole Group

Objective: SWBAT examine how historians use limited archival evidence to reconstruct the lives of historical figures and reflect on the significance of naming, memory, and recovery.

• Read Mysterious People in the 1838 Census (Quinones, 2023) aloud. 

• Lead students in a discussion by asking the following questions: 

• • What strategies does the writer use to piece together the lives of people listed in the 1838 census?

  • • What challenges do they face in doing so?

  • Even with limited information, how can small details—like an address, occupation, or neighbor’s name—help us imagine a fuller story of someone’s life?

Activity 2: Pine Street- One Part of the Metropolis

Overview: Students will work with a partner to read In 1838, a bustling Black city was steps away from Independence Hall (Quinones, 2023) and complete a questionnaire about historical players in the 1838 Black Metropolis. 

Time: 20 minutes

Format: Partners

Objective: SWBAT identify key historical details from a secondary source and extract evidence to complete a structured questionnaire.

• Project In 1838, a bustling Black city was steps away from Independence Hall. 

• Pair students and explain that they will work together to find and record their answers using details from the text. Here is the Pine Street- One Part of the Metropolis handout.

• • Invite students to make their own copy: Pine Street: One Part of the Metropolis- Make a Copy

Activity 3: Journal Writing

Overview: In this reflective writing activity, students draw connections between the part of Pine Street highlighted in  In 1838, a bustling Black city was steps away from Independence Hall (Quinones, 2023) and contemporary communities in Philadelphia. The journal prompt invites students to consider how Black life is mapped across time and space, grounding historical insight in personal and present-day relevance.

Time: 15 minutes

Format: Individual

Objective: SWBAT draw connections between historical and contemporary Black communities by analyzing patterns of resilience, place-making, and resistance through reflective writing.

• Ask students to write three to four paragraphs about the following prompt:

What connections do you see between the Black Metropolis of 1838 and Black communities in Philadelphia today?
In your response, consider what has changed, what has stayed the same, and how Black people continue to create space and care for one another.