Few people achieve in a lifetime what young Frederick Douglass achieved by the age of 20. Young American Heroes set out to cover his young life, based on his autobiography. The resulting TV show, classroom curriculum, graphic novel, and 2.0 website activities focus on his life from the time of his birth into slavery in Maryland through his escape to the North.

The half-hour television show, Frederick Douglass: Pathway From Slavery to Freedom, has its world premiere broadcast on CPTV Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. A re-broadcast airs Monday, February 9 at 10:30 p.m.

The TV show, curriculum and interactive online activities were produced in Connecticut in 2008 with the help of middle school students and teachers. Both website and curriculum were road-tested in three Connecticut middle schools in June 2008 as part of a week-long unit on the young Frederick Douglass.

Teachers can adapt the YAH Curriculum or use it “as is” with the Frederick Douglass TV show and interactive Online Activities. Click on What the Historians Say to find interviews with historians who are experts on slavery, abolition and resistance. Click on Online Activities and you'll find a link to Teacher Resources at the upper right of the screen. There are links to other resources on Frederick Douglass and his time period.

The Online Activities are built around a library of original and primary documents about Frederick Douglass, slavery and abolition, many available online for the first time. You and your students have easy access to these primary sources and tools for digital storytelling and other ways of interacting with the historical content. The curriculum is a five-day lesson unit on Frederick Douglass designed around key choice points in his young life and uses critical scenes from the TV show for a digital storytelling activity and Moviemaker tool that require students to review, understand and use primary documents online.

We have worked closely with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, which has particular expertise in the life and times of Frederick Douglass, to ensure the historical accuracy of all elements. Gilder Lehrman provided access to their collection of Frederick Douglass documents—the largest in the world!

To give us your comments on these materials, please email deb@palacedigital.com. Let us know how you use them and what recommendations you have for improvements!