Freedom is written in the stars

Abstract

This project produced a documentary about the Underground Railroad in the state of Indiana. Including interviews with historians, and slave narratives recorded as autobiographies or direct interviews, the documentary’s narrative structure was told from both the perspective of the fugitive slaves as they escaped freedom to the north, and by the researchers studying it. Although there are various materials that can inform about the Underground Railroad in general and Indiana’s in particular, many of them can seem inaccessible to the general public due to the way content or language are used. In this day and age, digital storytelling can have an immense impact on people, sharing information easily and making an immediate impact through its visual elements. A documentary telling a story of the Indiana Underground Railroad can only compliment the information that already exists about this anti-slavery movement, and contribute to the social educational process of the general public. Moreover, it can be a powerful tool that can contribute to the general knowledge of the history of the state of Indiana.