Excerpts from original 1785 newspaper, the American Mercury that reports on a news item in another paper, The Hudson Gazette, detailing the formation of the Manumission Society
JHC Archives
The names of several Africans owned by the Jays at their home in
Rye are known, and some of their manumission papers have been located.
Their stories, along with the Jay family's involvement in slavery
and its abolition, make the Jay Heritage Center an ideal location
for consideration of these issues.
Program I – Classroom Visit
Document Based Questions
A Jay Heritage Center educator will visit your classroom for a discussion
of slavery in the North and resistance to it. The anti-slavery efforts
of John Jay will be revealed as students examine primary source
documents.
Fee: $3.00 per student
Program length: 1 class session
Program II – Museum Theater
Your class will come to the Jay Heritage Center where your students
will participate in an interactive theater presentation performed
by a professional cast followed by a discussion period. Set in 1813,
Striving for Freedom examines the lives of two sisters, Clarinda
and Mary, who were enslaved and owned by the Jay family. The program
includes tours of the site-orientation exhibit, the 1838 Peter Augustus
Jay House, and grounds. Teachers receive pre- and post-visit materials.
Fee: $5.00 per student
Program length: ½ day
Both programs are appropriate for grades 4 and up and meet the
following learning standards for Social Studies: 1.1, 1.2., 1.3,
and 1.4
We can accommodate groups as large as 130 students.
How to schedule a program –
Contact:
(914) 698-9275
JAYHC@earthlink.net
Performances are typically scheduled on Fridays.
Lunch space is available.
When signing up for Program II, teachers are encouraged to
schedule Program I as a pre-visit at a reduced rate.
Fee: $6.00 per student
Please note: A $50 non-refundable deposit is required for
groups scheduling Program II.
The deposit must be received 2 weeks before your visit and
will be deducted from amount billed.
Subsidies:
A reduced rate may be available for qualified students.
The Jay Heritage Center thanks Con
Edison and the Citigroup Foundation
for their support of these programs
and New York State Council on the Arts for its support of the programs'
development and original production.
Read what people are saying about these exciting programs:
"…many times students are told slavery was in the South.
Though this may be true, it was in many other places as well. This
is our history, our families' history."
- 7th grade student
"I loved having the privilege to come such a special place…Thank
you for helping to preserve some of our nation's history."
- 7th grade student
"I feel very strongly that the Striving for Freedom program
had a major impact in the lives of our students and renewed their
sense of purpose and value in education. I recommend this program
for students and adults of all ages." – 11th grade teacher
