13 Jul Research, Research, Research!

The weeks of this internship have been flying by! I have been learning and absorbing anything I can.  The process of creating the Jr Ranger book continues in full force. I have been doing a lot of research and talking to different site managers and coordinators that are dedicated to Underground Railroad education. I am now at the point of deciding which significant stories should be told in the Jr Ranger packet. It is nearly impossible to narrow them down! All are significant and worth telling. The positive side is that the Harriet Tubman National Monument will be a functioning museum in 2017 and provide a wealth of knowledge to those interested in learning more about this topic. A difficult part is learning and utilizing the Standards of Learning for Maryland in the Jr. Ranger book.  It is important for kids to know the history of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad however, it is necessary for students to understand and relate to it.  I want to make it as interesting as possible but at the same time keep it historically accurate.  I want them to be able to be so interested in the history that they pass on what they have learned to their friends. I was lucky enough to meet and listen to Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, discuss her efforts to recognize Harriet Tubman’s courageous acts through the national monument opening in 2017. Senator Mikulski has even received the 2012 Harriet Tubman Lifetime Achievement Award. She also discussed her efforts in pushing for Tubman to be on the $20 bill. She said that because of the new watermarks that were just put into the current $20 bills, it is unlikely they will reprint more with Tubman. She is hopeful however, that Tubman can grace the $10 instead. We are very hopeful that the little town of Cambridge, MD will receive recognition for the significant part in history the town has played in the beginnings of Tubman’s life.  

I also got a chance to visit the Library of Congress to do research. I picked up a researcher card that is required to do any research at the library.  The collection is so extensive and the atmosphere of the library was very classic and unique. I highly recommend this as a stop for other fellow history/research nerds like myself. P.S. Don’t take pictures inside the library. . . they’ll catch you -_-