Help end slavery and the slave trade in Washington, D.C! Use our online resources prior to your visit to explore the constitutional rights and attitudes toward slavery and abolition in 1830s New England. At the museum, students visit with Villagers and try to convince them to sign a petition to abolish slavery in the Capitol.

The program concludes with a focused group discussion moderated by a museum educator.

Participate in a Town Meeting and see how local government functions! Should the town purchase a “poor farm” to replace the “vendue” system of auctioning off the needy to the lowest bidder? Use online resources  prior to your visit to explore early methods of local poor relief. At the museum, students interview Villagers to gather different points of view, then join our costumed Town Moderator at the Center Meetinghouse to debate and vote on the issue.