the underground railroad - Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District

2
Can you imagine being a slave? Can you imagine
doing grueling, back-breaking, physical work
from sunrise to sunset, day in and day out?
Can you imagine having to work even if you
were sick? Can you imagine being beaten for no
reason? Can you imagine being sold and
separated from your family? Watch the short
movie (4min 51 sec) below to learn more about the slavery in the United States.
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/slavery/
(Username: oncoma Password:ocmsls)
Do you think you would want to escape from slavery?
What if you decided to try? How would you do it? You
have no money. You have no food. You have nothing.
Who can you trust to help you? What would you feel
like wandering around in a dark swamp at night trying
to escape chasing dogs and bounty hunters? Imagine
being guided on how to escape by only a song entitled
“Following the Drinking Gourd” (http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/Music/3-
Foster,AlexAndMichelLarue.FollowTheDrinkingGourd.mp3).
Imagine being 24 years old and having what is
equivalent in today’s money to a 5000 dollar bounty
on your head. Harriet Powell who escaped slavery in
Syracuse, NY had just that on her head! Imagine
hiding in a cupboard of a Skaneateles kitchen.
Harriet Powell did just that! Read more about
Harriet Powell by clicking on the link below.
http://library.syr.edu/digital/exhibits/u/undergroundrr/case1.htm

3
Purpose: The United States was founded on the principle of “all men are created
equal” and “liberty for all.” Yet, the first US Census of 1790 showed almost seven
hundred thousand people lived under slavery in the United States. Thousands of
slaves would run from the South every year, many of them heading North using the
vast network known as the Underground Railroad involving conductors, agents,
pilots, stations, stockholders, and the drinking gourd. One estimate has as many as
one hundred thousand slaves “lost” between 1810 and 1860. For those who chose to
seek freedom, the journey was uncertain and required much endurance as well as
spirit. These freedom seekers traveled thousands of miles at night under the cover
of darkness guided by “drinking gourd” eluding slave catchers. The intricate complex
system that took the brave North became known as the Underground Railroad. The
Underground Railroad includes a network of individuals, black and white, that put
their lives on the line for freedom. It is a compelling example of people battling
injustice and seeking to improve the lives of themselves as well as others. A study of
the Underground Railroad is certainly important to anyone interested in US History.
Goals/Objectives: Upon completion of this unit of study, you will be able to define
the Underground Railroad and explain how slaves used it to reach freedom. You will
also understand its significance as well as understand its utilization. Finally, you will
be able to identify at least TWO significant participants on the Underground
Railroad.
Materials Needed: Computer with internet access
Directions: This unit of study is designed around three lessons. Each lesson
requires you to read, watch, look/think, and review. Follow the prompts.

Table of Contents
4
Lesson 1-Introduction to the Underground Railroad 5-7
Lesson 2-The Journey on the Underground Railroad 8-11
Lesson 3-People of the Underground Railroad 12-14
Course Evaluation 15
Glossary (words in bold can be found in the glossary) 16-17
Additional Resources 18
Correlation to the New York State Standards 19

Lesson 1
Introduction to the Underground Railroad
5
Guiding Question: What was the Underground Railroad?
I. Read
When you hear the word “railroad” what do you
think of? Tracks? Steam? Loud engines?
Screeching stops? A conductor? What about
when hear the term Underground Railroad? Do
you think of a subway? Well, the Underground
Railroad was NOT an actual railroad nor was it a
subway. It was a network of people!
People who opposed slavery created the informal
system of secrecy to help slaves escape to
freedom. The Underground Railroad began towards the end of the 1700s and was
labeled “The Underground Railroad” after the then growing US railroad network.
Stationmaster, conductor, pilot, and agent are all terms that refer to people who
helped slaves escape to freedom. The Underground Railroad helped as many as
100,000 slaves escape to freedom.
II. Watch
There is a link to a short movie (4min 18sec) below.
The movie will serve as an introduction to the
Underground Railroad. Answer the questions that
follow in YOUR OWN WORDS. Watch the movie as
many times as you need. Take the “quiz” that follows:
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/undergroundrailroad/ (username:
oncoma password: ocmsls)

A. What was the Underground Railroad?
6
B. How did escaped slaves travel on the Underground Railroad?
C. Identify a significant individual mentioned in the movie. How did he/she
contribute to the Underground Railroad?
III. Look/Think
Look at the maps that show the various routes of the Underground Railroad. What
do you notice? From where were the slaves escaping? To? Anything surprise you?
\

IV. Review
7
http://www.quia.com/pop/534807.html?AP_rand=143282266
Goals/Objectives: You should now be able to define the Underground Railroad as
well as explain how slaves used the Underground Railroad to escape freedom!! If
you can’t, go back and start over!

Lesson 2
The Journey on the Underground Railroad
8
Guiding Question: What was it like traveling on the Underground Railroad?
I. Read
African Americans challenged slavery in a number of ways-- through mischief,
rebellion, and seeking freedom. By word of mouth, coded song (“wade in water”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER2b21X8dMM) and fable, enslaved people
learned of the free North. For those who chose to seek freedom, the journey was
uncertain and required much endurance as well as spirit. These freedom seekers
traveled hundreds of miles at night under the cover of darkness guided the “drinking
gourd,” eluding slave catchers. Escaping to freedom was anything but easy for a
fugitive slave.
Escaped slaves faced a long journey filled with fear and the possibility that they
would never reach freedom. The winter was the best time to escape because the
nights were long and freedom seekers moved at night, up to 20 miles. They would
travel from station to station under the cover of darkness. During the day they had
to stay out of sight. They would rest and eat, hiding in secret places.
The journey North was stressful. Escaped slaves had little knowledge of the land.
They had little, if any money. Finding a “safe house” was often difficult. Escaped
slaves often went several weeks between stations. The journey was long often
several hundred miles and it took some 2 months and others more than a year to
reach freedom. Slave catchers with guns, horses, and dogs tracked the runaways.
Freedom seekers were clever and creative. One group of escaped slaves hired a
hearse and disguised themselves as a funeral procession! One man shipped himself
North in a box!

II. Watch
9
Participate in an Escaped Slave’s Journey
The year is 1860. Click on the link
below and follow a slave as he escapes
on the Underground Railroad. Be sure
to click on the “listen” in the upper left
hand corner. This will take you
approximately 10 minutes to complete.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/
Click on the link below to participate in another
slave escape. This activity is an interactive escape.
It will take you about 10 minutes to complete and
you will make choices along the way.
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/theunderground-railroad/?ar_a=1

Answer the following questions based on your participation in BOTH “escapes.”
10
A. Why did some enslaved African Americans try to escape from their owners? Why
was this such a dangerous act?
B. How did most slaves travel when they escaped? How did they find their way?
C. What were some of the worst dangers and challenges that runaway slaves faced?
D. How did runaways try to avoid getting caught? What happened if they were
caught?
E. What was the Underground Railroad? Who were the “passengers” and the
“conductors”?
F. Why did the Underground Railroad have to be so secretive? What are some ways
that people on the Underground Railroad kept their work – and runaway slaves –
hidden?

III. Look/Think
11
To journey North, Henry “Box”
Brown of Virginia shipped himself
to freedom in 1849. The picture
below shows Brown emerging from
his box in Philadelphia.
Frederick Douglass disguised himself as a sailor and
boarded a train North. The train took him to NYC and
freedom! He eventually settled in Rochester, NY.
IV. Review
http://www.quia.com/pop/534873.html
Goals/Objectives: You should now be able to explain the many ways in which
escaped slaves utilized the Underground Railroad to reach freedom. If you
can’t, start the lesson over!

Lesson 3
People of the Underground Railroad
12
Guiding Question: Who were the heroes of the Underground Railroad?
I. Read
It took many people to make the Underground Railroad
work. People broke the law to help freedom seekers. This
portrait of people includes both men and women, all of whom
put their lives on the line for freedom. The story of the
Underground Railroad is an epic one of the love and
humanity of people.
Harriet Tubman was one of the most famous conductors on
the Underground Railroad. She escaped slavery and then
helped over 300 slaves to freedom. She was nicknamed
Moses. Tubman ultimately settled in Auburn, New York.
Central New York became a promising and popular haven for many fugitives and was
well-established in part because of CNY’s unique system of transportation as well as
the many citizens who were willing to challenge the law. In Syracuse, NY Harriet
Powell and Jerry Henry were two escaped slaves who were helped to Canada for
freedom. The local stationmaster in Syracuse, Jermain Loguen helped plan Jerry
Henry’s escape and often took slaves from Harriet Tubman so they could be housed
and fed.
Matilda Joslyn Gage, offered her Fayetteville, NY home as a station on the
Underground Railroad in defiance of federal law (the Fugitive Slave Act). She
could have been fined 1,000 dollars (23,000 dollars today) and spent 6 months in jail
for this public proclamation. Abolitionists such as Gage were willing to risk fines and
prison to care for the safety of slaves on their journey to freedom in the North.

II. Watch
13
There is a link to a short movie (7min 27sec) below. It is a
mini-biography of Harriet Tubman who led hundreds of
escaped slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmsNGrkbHm4&feature=fvst
In the space below draw a picture of Harriet Tubman helping an escaped slave to
freedom. Use color!
There is a link below to a short movie (2min 49sec) on
Frederick Douglass. As the movie progresses, list 5 things
you learn about Frederick Douglass.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su-4JBEIhXY&feature=relmfu

14
III. Look/Think
William Still is sometimes called the “father of
the Underground Railroad.” He kept careful
notes on all the people he helped to freedom.
The “notes” were eventually published.
The Grimke sisters of South Carolina lived on a
family plantation that had slaves. They secretly
taught the slaves to read and write.
IV. Review
http://www.quia.com/pop/534883.html
Goals/Objectives: You should now be able to identify at least TWO individuals
who risked their lives to help others on the Underground Railroad. If you can’t,
start the lesson over!

Course Survey
15
Please take a moment to complete the following course survey. Without responsible
participant input this unit of study cannot effectively be assessed and improved. You
are encouraged to be honest, fair, and constructive as you complete this important
process. Your constructive, confidential, and anonymous feedback is very much
appreciated.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VVM5YSG

Glossary
16
Abolitionist: someone who wanted slavery to end
Agent: an individual who helped an escaped slave along the Underground Railroad
Baggage: a freedom seeker
Bundles of Wood: fugitives to be expected
Conductor/Agent: an individual who helped an escaped slave along the Underground
Railroad
Drinking Gourd: refers to the Big Dipper, which includes the North Star. The
“drinking gourd” guided freedom seekers as they travelled to freedom.
Freedom Seeker: an escaped slave who risked life and limb to travel North to
freedom
Freedom Train: The Underground Railroad
Fugitive: a runaway slave
Fugitive Slave Act 1850: passed by the United States Congress to provide for the
return of slaves who escaped…the law punished those who helped runaway slaves.
Moses: Harriet Tubman, a “conductor” who aided escaping slaves and was a former
slave
North Star: the star known as “Polaris” which escaped slaves relied on as their main
navigational tool to freedom
Passengers/Freight/Cargo: a freedom seeker, an escaped slave
River Jordan: The Mississippi or the Ohio River
Shepherds: people who escorted freedom seekers

17
Station Master: the keeper of a safe-house or “station”
Station: a safe-house and temporary refuge where freedom seekers hid along the
Underground Railroad. Churches, barns, boats, houses, etc all served as statrions.
Stockholder: a person who donated money, clothing and/or food to the Underground
Railroad
Underground Railroad: a “secret” network to help runaway slaves escape freedom

Additional Resources
18
The Underground Railroad Freedom Center
http://www.undergroundrailroad.org
The Underground Railroad
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2944.html
Harriet Tubman
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm
http://www.harriethouse.org/
McDonough, Yona. Who Was Harriet Tubman. Turtleback Books 2003
William “Jerry” Henry
http://www.nyhistory.com/gerritsmith/jerry.htm
http://syracusethenandnow.org/Dwntwn/ClintonSq/JerryRescue.htm
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archivefree/pdf?res=9804E0DF1438E334BC4B51DFB6678389649FDE
Matilda Joslyn Gage
http://www.matildajoslyngage.org/gage-home/bringing-gage-to-life/whowas-matilda-joslyn-gage/
http://www.nyhistory.com/gagepage/
http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/gage.htm
New York State and the Underground Railroad
Sernet, Milton C. North Start Country: Upstate New York and the Crusade
for African American Freedom. Syracuse University Press 2002
http://www.pacny.net/freedom_trail/
Songs of Freedom
Music played an important part in the Underground Railroad. Fleeing slaves often
sang spirituals (religious songs) with secret messages about the Underground
Railroad. Codes within the songs told slaves when, how, and where to escape. Check
out some of their songs…..
http://www.osblackhistory.com/songs.php

The New York State Standards
19
This self-study unit is correlated to the New York State Standards in Social Studies
and Language Arts.
Social Studies
Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding
of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the
United States and New York
Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding
of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the
United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic
values of American constitutional
democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues
of participation.
English Language Arts
Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers,
students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and
generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically
produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that
follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply,
and transmit information.
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As
listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and
issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and
writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions
of the English language to present, from a
variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas,
information and issues.