The Local and International Legacies of Nelson Hackett's Flight from Slavery, 1841-1861

FAIN: ES-281289-21

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201)
Trish Starks (Project Director: March 2021 to present)
Caree Banton (Co Project Director: July 2021 to present)

A two-week, residential institute for 30 K-12 teachers on the late-antebellum sectional crisis and the history of escaping slavery through the case of Nelson Hackett.

In the summer of 1841, Nelson Hackett made his way to Canada, where he thought he had found freedom from enslavement, but his owner successfully demanded his extradition. Hackett became the first fugitive that Canada returned to slavery. He would also be the last extradited. His return set off international protests that ensured that Canada remained a safe refuge for those fleeing bondage. Institute participants will study the story of Hackett as a way to broaden the standard narrative of the sectional crisis that led to the Civil War by adding new voices and experiences. Award-winning scholar-educators will guide participants through primary and secondary sources from digital platforms like the University of Arkansas’s Nelson Hackett Project to show the impact fugitives played in the nation’s sectional crisis. Participants will return home with introductions to free classroom resources, examples of primary research for their classes, and customized, level-specific final projects.

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