Hello! My name is Lydia Mardin, and I am a sophomore at Keene State College. I’m dual majoring in History and Political Science and am looking to continue at Keene State to get my master’s degree in History and Archives. I also aspire to get my Doctorate in History someday, too. When I am not studying, I am a member of Student Government, “The Equinox” (the newspaper at Keene State), the history honors society, Phi Alpha Theta, and I work at the College Archives. I also love reading, eating sushi, and playing card games with my friends.

For my research project I wanted to look more into the politics behind the Underground Railroad, specifically in New England, but focusing on New Hampshire. The Fugitive Slave Laws and the Personal Liberty Laws are going to be my main focuses. To help me learn more about this topic I will need to look at newspapers and other written works surrounding the highly politicized ideals of the North and South within the context of slavery. In addition, I would like to examine the ways in which these policies challenged the slaves as they traveled North and how the people who harbored them responded to these new precedents.