theUNDERGROUND RAILROAD

In 1926, an African-American historian named Carter G. Woodson had an idea to organize an annual celebration to commemorate the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

President Lincoln, of course, freed the slaves, while president, with the Emancipation Proclamation.

Douglass was an escaped slave who bought his freedom and spoke against slavery. People such as Douglass were called abolitionists because they wanted to abolish, or do away, with slavery.

Carter G. Woodson called his celebration “Negro History Week.” Ever since its beginning, Americans have been celebrating the contributions of African-Americans each year.

Today, this celebration occurs during the month of February as Black History Month. This special student guide was developed as part of the cel-ebration. It tells the story of the Underground Railroad. It is dedicated to those African-Americans who fought for their freedom and the freedom of others.

A Taste of HistoryThe Underground Railroad: The Story of Freedom's Trail tells of the peo-

ple, places and events involved in the Underground Railroad. Each page fea-tures writings and pictures to study. Many of these writings are from actual historic documents.

Historians use these kinds of materials to learn about the past. We encour-age you to become historians by doing the activities on each page that will help you understand the topic in a fun and interesting way. These activities are called A Job for the History Detective. Get started, and good luck in your detective work!

Richard Allen and The Free African Society Diary of a Fugitive’s FateWomen’s RolesFather of the Underground RailroadUnderground Railroad Code Words Abolitionist Robert PurvisBurning of Pennsylvania HallHenry “Box” Brown’s Story of Freedom The Other Underground RailroadHarriet Tubman Escapes to Freedom The Drinking Gourd

Teachers:During the month of February, this section can be used as an introduction to the topic of the Underground Railroad for Black History Month. It can also be used to complement a unit on the Underground Railroad in history or social studies texts at other times. It is not meant to be used in just one class period, but to be saved and enjoyed over a longer period of time. Students can use the pages for group activities, individual reading, or as homework assignments.

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FrederickDouglassis known as one of the most important African- Americanabolitionists during the 1800s.

The Underground Railroad was developed around 1831 by abolitionists, the people who fought slavery through action and worked to abolish it. Some abolitionists gave anti-slavery speeches or published anti-slavery newspapers. Some worked on the Underground Railroad as conductors, guiding slaves along secret routes to the North.

The Railroad's stations were safe houses along the way where, against the laws that existed at the time, conductors secretly fed, sheltered, and advised runaway slaves. These abolitionists were both black and white, men and women. It was the combined efforts of all abolitionists that finally made possible the complete emancipation of Southern slaves.

Long before the Civil War, attitudes about slavery divided the North and the South. Attitudes

also were divided by geography along a boundary known as the Mason-Dixon Line. This line was actually the border between the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland. It got its

name from the men who had surveyed and mapped the land. But this line took on greater impor-tance as the debate over slavery heated up. It came to be regarded as the boundary between free states in the North and slave states in the South.

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln led the North in its efforts to end slavery in the South. Jefferson Davis, president of the Southern states’ Confederacy, led the South in its efforts to continue slavery.

Lincoln, however, was still recognized as the official President of the United States of America during this time. States that were a part of the Union either abolished or ended slavery. African-Americans living in these states became freemen.

On March 1, 1780, Pennsylvania passed the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery. This act con-demned slavery in the State of Pennsylvania, making that state one of the first in the new nation to do so. The law stated that no child born after this date could be a slave, and that children born to slaves before this date were bound to service only until they were 28 years old.

It also stated that all slaves had to be registered and that African-Americans charged with crimes were to be tried in courts just as anyone else living in Pennsylvania. This Act was amended on March 29, 1788, to include the following:

. Slaves of immigrants were to be freed

. Slaves were not to be removed from their homes without giving their con-sent before two justices

. Children who had to do service until they were 28 years old were to be reg-istered and were not to be separated from their parents

. Slave trading was against the law

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Newspapers are the first rough draft of history. You can learn much from them about great issues. Consider freedom. What does freedom mean to you? There are signs, symbols and words of freedom all around you. Scan today's Houston Chronicle and make a list of things that show the freedoms Americans have. Note the page numbers and discuss the sym-bols as a class. Then clip out the signs and words of freedom you found. Assemble the words and images into an art collage titled Freedom. Display your collages on a bulletin board.

Abraham Lincoln became a hero to abolitionists by freeing slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.

The Christian Recorder was the official newspaper of the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. The newspaper published articles for its members about the Underground Railroad, the abolition of slavery, and religion.

One of the things that gave Southern slaves hope was that attitudes in the North started changing early about slavery. Early Northern slave own-ers sometimes freed, or emancipated, their slaves. On the facing page is an article from the Christian Recorder about emancipated slaves.

The Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church was founded by the Reverend Richard Allen in 1787. It is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church established by African-Americans in the United States. It is located in Philadelphia.

The same year of the church's founding, Richard Allen joined two other prominent African-Americans, James Forten and Absalom Jones, to found the Free African Society. This society fought for the rights of African-Americans to worship freely in Philadelphiaat that time.

The Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church was also an important Underground Railroad stop.

The Reverend Richard Allen co-founded the Free African Society to fight for the right of African-Americans to worship freely.

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l. What year was the article written? _________________________________________________

2. What is the article about? ________________________________________________________

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3. How many slaves were emancipated?_______________________________________________

4. Why were the slaves freed?_______________________________________________________

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5. Who owned the slaves and where did he live?________________________________________

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6. What did the slave owner leave to his slaves when he died?____________________________

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7. What were some of the jobs of the slaves?__________________________________________

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8. Where were the slaves relocated and how did they get there?

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9. Do you think it was common for owners to free their slaves?____________________________

Freedom of speech is a very important part of being free. Freedom of the press allows people to print or broadcast their free speech. Slaves had neither of these freedoms. Freedom of speech is often used to speak out for people’s rights. Find a story in the Houston Chronicle in which newsmakers are working to protect people’s rights. Write a sentence stating what rights are involved. Write a second stating why these rights are important to freedom.

Historical documents give us clues about the past and important information about a historical topic. Answer these questions about the article from the Christian Recorder on the lower right about emancipated slaves. Doing this history detective work will help you learn how some slaves were freed bytheir owners.

FREEDOMin the news

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Saturday, April 23 D(aniel) has left us and we

hear with joy that he is safe in Canada. Oh, stars and stripes, that wave so proudly over mockery of freedom, what is your protection?

Quaker Lucretia Mott founded the Pennsylvania Female Anti-Slavery Society on December 9, 1833.

Discrimination is any action that takes away freedoms and rights because a person is part of a particular group. African-Americans, women, ethnic groups, and people of particular religions have been discrimi-nated against in this country at different times. We now have laws to prevent discrimina-tion. As a class, discuss some of these laws. Then see if you can find an example in the Houston Chronicle of the law at work.

Friday, April 8Long, long to be remembered. This eve. attended a very large Anti-Slavery meeting

at Samson Hall celebrating Daniel’s release. A crowd of Southerners was present, and ere the meeting had progressed far, they created a great disturbance, stamping, hallooing, groaning, etc., so that it was impos-sible to hear a word the speakers were saying. In vain did the President strive to preserve order—the tumult increased every moment, and at one time there was a precipitate rush forward. I was too excited to think of fear... At last the police arrived. Many of the disturbers were arrested.

Monday, April 4 Heard to-day that there

has been another fugitive arrested. There is to be a trial. God grant that the poor man may be released from the clutches of the slave-hunters. Mr. P(urvis) has gone down. We wait anxiously to hear the results of the trial. How long, oh, how long shall such a state of things as this last?

Wednesday, April 6Good News! After waiting with intense and painful anxiety for the

result of the three days’ trial, we are at last gladdened by the news that the alleged fugitive, Daniel Dangerfield, has been released. The Commissioner said that he released him because he was not satisfied of his identity.

Others are inclined to believe that the pressure of public sentiment—which was strange to say, almost universally on the right side—was too overwhelming for the Com(missioner) to resist, particularly as his own family, even his wife, it is said—declared that they could only discard him if he sent the man into slavery…

Last night the court sat for fourteen hours, the longest session that has ever been held in this city. Many ladies stayed during the whole night, among whom was the noble and venerable Lucretia Mott, untiring and devoted to the last.

Saturday, April 9 The hero of the last few days came here to-night.

He is a sturdy, sensible seeming man. It makes my heart beat quickly to see one who has just had so narrow an escape from the door far darker and more terrible than death. Nor is he quite safe yet, for we hear that there are warrants out for his re-arrest. Poor Man! There can be no rest for his weary feet nearer than the free soil of Canada. We shall be obliged to keep him very close.

DIARY OF A FUGITIVE’S FATEIn this excerpt from her diary, Charlotte Forten describes what it was like during the trial of a fugitive slave in

1859. Charlotte Forten was granddaughter of James Forten, one of the founders of the Free African Society. In her diary, Charlotte Forten mentions Robert Purvis, who is her uncle and an impor-tant abolitionist. She later marries, becoming Charlotte Forten Grimke. She became one of the first teachers to work in the schools for freed slaves in the South during the Civil War.

FREEDOMin the news

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The church was an important part of the lives of freed African-Americans. It was a center from which people established schools, literary societies, mutual aid and fraternal organizations.

Women's groups were a large part of the churches’ activities. In the message at right, Mary Still urges the women of the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church to become more involved in the church’s activities and to support the Christian education of its youth. Mary Still was a relative of William Still, who is considered the “Father of the Underground Railroad.”

Mary Still’s words were part of a much larger appeal she was making to the women of Mother Bethel A M.E. Church.

“We are sometimes told that females should have nothing to do with the business of the Church. But they have yet to learn [that] when female labor is withdrawn, the Church must cease to exist. Upon our doings greatly depends the future pros-perity of the young. By our decision in all impor-tant matters, will they direct their future course. As it is women who give impress to society; and her who teaches the young mind how to shoot, and how to articulate its earliest thoughts.

How important, then that we should decide wise-ly and judiciously upon a subject that involves the interest of so many intelligent beings. There are many temples of learning established in different sections of the country, where children and youth may be prepared to fill respectable situations in life. But they need the encouragement of their seniors.

Therefore, let us encourage learning in all of its branches. We should be careful to aid religious and beneficent institutions with Christian fidelity.

“We should be careful also to have our conduct modest and our conversation chaste, that our fruit may be unto holiness and that the scrutinizing eye of the world which is no friend in our progress is upon us, and the claims of the Church call for our help; and angels are waiting our decision.”

Imagine your name is Elizabeth Daly. You were a slave in Maryland and escaped to freedom in the North by way of the Underground Railroad.

As a slave, you worked in the fields with others harvesting the crops. Your master was very cruel. You were sold at a slave auction when you were very young for about $150 and you never saw your mother or father again.

You have two children of your own but had to leave them behind when you decided to escape. Your plan is to help free them soon with the help of the abolitionists.

Your master’s wife was kind and secretly taught you basic reading. You have found some work but are worried that someone will find out you are an escaped slave and try to return you to your former master.

You joined Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church and feel relief in prayer and the sense of community. You read Mary Still’s appeal and have some thoughts of your own. You have been asked to respond to the passage above from her appeal. What will you say? On a separate sheet of paper, write your reply.

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William Still died in 1902. The next day’s New York Times described him as the “Father of the Underground Railroad.”

William Still is sometimes called the “Father of the Underground Railroad.”

He was born in 1821 in the Pine Barrens forest of New Jersey. He was the youngest of 18 children born to Levin and Charity Still, who were former slaves.

William’s father, Levin, bought his freedom from a Maryland farmer and moved to New Jersey. William’s mother, Charity, had twice escaped from the same farmer to join her husband. Once, she changed her name so the slave catchers wouldn’t find her.

In 1844, William Still moved to Philadelphia. He worked for a wealthy widow, worked as a waiter, and worked in a brickyard.

In 1847, he got a clerk’s job at the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia and later served as the secretary of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee. This committee helped fugitive slaves find shelter on their way to safe places in the North or to Canada.

William Still helped as many as 60 runaways a month and kept careful records of his secret activities. He often hid fugitives in his home.

In 1872, he published a book, The Underground Railroad, which is a record of all these accounts. Below are letters included in The Underground Railroad. The letters are written by fugitive slaves and Underground Railroad conductors.

William Still helped form the network that took slaves to freedom. What leaders of today have formed groups to help people? Find a newsmaker in the Houston Chronicle today and write a paragraph stating how this person is helping others.

FREEDOMin the news

AGENT: A person who plotted the course of escape for fugitive slaves BAGGAGE: Escaping slaves BLACK GRAPEVINE: A method of communication in the black community BRAKEMAN: Person in charge of making contacts to fugitive slaves BYPASS OR RUNAROUND: A diverted escape route CONDUCTORS: People who directly transported slaves DRINKING GOURD: The North Star FLYING BONDSMEN: The number of escaping slaves FORWARDING: Taking fugitive slaves from station to station FREEDOM LINE: The route of travel for an escaped slave FRENCH LEAVE: Secret departure JUMPING-OFF PLACE: A place of shelter for fugitives LOAD OF POTATOES: A wagon load of fugitive slaves

hidden under the farm produceOPERATOR: A person who aided fugitive slaves as a

conductor or agent on the Underground Railroad PATTER ROLLER: A bounty hunter hired to capture slaves; from “patroller” PILOT: A person serving as a guide for runaways SANCTUARY: A hiding place SCATTERED WAY WAGONS: A number of hiding places SHEPHERDS: People who entice slaves to escapeSTATION: A safe place where fugitives could be shelteredSTATIONMASTER: A person in charge of a hiding placeSTOP AND START: A place of shelter and a course of escapeTRAVELERS: Runaways“THE WIND BLOWS FROM THE SOUTH TODAY”: A warning to

Underground Railroad workers that fugitive slaves were present in the area.

1. William Still was a great African-American leader of his day. Who are African-American leaders in the Houston Chronicle today? Pick one and write a paragraph describing how this person came to be a leader. Are there other ways to become leaders? How?

2. “Conductors” on the Underground Railroad used code words to con-ceal what they were doing. Review the list above. Then look through the headlines of today’s Houston Chronicle for some different code words you could use if the Underground Railroad were running today. Make a master list for the class.

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On a separate sheet of paper, try to decode the following messages:1. I picked up the baggage from the jump-ing-off place. I am forwarding it to the pilot, who will know what to do. In addition, Mrs. Allen has a load of potatoes on your wagon that was given to her by some shepherds last week. She informed me that they should be given immediately to the brakeman as a gift.

2. Good morning, Mrs. Douglas. The wind blows from the South today. The station-master had a bit of a problem this morning. I suggested that due to the rains, he should take French leave and bypass the next town until we find a useful road.

3. I have three travelers who are lost. I need an operator to help them find a way station so they may rest.

Using the lines below, try writing your own secret message and see if anybody can decode it.FREEDOM

in the news

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Abolitionist Robert Purvis made his mark by running the Underground Railroad stations that led escaped slaves to freedom. The following is an excerpt describing Purvis from William Still’s The Underground Railroad.

“Robert Purvis was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on the 4th day of August, 1810... Purvis and his two brothers were brought to the North by their parents in 1819. In Pennsylvania and New England he received his scholastic education, finishing it at Amherst College. Since that time his home has been Philadelphia, or in the vicinity of the city...

He was a member of the Convention held in 1833, which formed The American Anti-Slavery Society; and among the signatures to its Declaration of Sentiments, the name of Robert Purvis is to be seen; a record of which his posterity to the latest generation may be justly proud.

During the whole period of that Society’s existence, he was a member of it; and was also an active mem-ber and officer of The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. To the cause of the slave’s freedom he gave with all his heart his money, his time, his talents. Fervent in soul, eloquent in speech, most gracious in manner, he was a favorite on the platform of Anti-Slavery meetings. High-toned in moral nature, keenly sensitive in all matter pertaining to justice and integrity, he was a most valuable coadjutor with the leaders of an unpopular reform; and throughout the Anti-Slavery conflict, he always received, as he always deserved, the highest confidence and warm personal regard of his fellow-laborers.

His faithful labors in aiding fugitive slaves cannot be recorded within the limits of this sketch. ... His house was a well-known station on the Underground Railroad; his horses and carriages and his personal attendance were ever at the service of the travelers on that road.

He has lived to witness the triumph of the great cause to which he devoted his youth and manhood; to join in the jubilee song of the American slave; and to testify that the work of his life has been one ‘whose reward is in itself.’ ”

Abolitionist Robert Purvis ran an

Underground Railroad station from his home,

and helped found the American Anti-Slavery

Society.

Editorial cartoons use art and wit to state opinions. Find one in the Houston Chronicle, and decide the point of the cartoon. Then draw an editorial cartoon of your own about a free-dom that is important to you. Think about what you want to say about that freedom. Cartoonists sometimes use animals to represent different ideas. Is there an animal that would be a good symbol of freedom to you?

Pretendyou are a slave and see if you can find your way to freedom.

FREEDOMin the news

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1. Is the image a drawing or photograph?

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How can you tell?

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2. Is there any information about who drew the pic-

ture? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is happening in the picture?

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4. Why do you think the picture was drawn? ______________________________________________________________________________

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5. What would you use as a different caption for

this picture?

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6. Can you identify the feelings of the people in the

picture? How does the artist illustrate them?

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Activities of abolitionists inspired strong feelings—for and against. Pennsylvania Hall was meant to be a place where abolitionists could speak freely about ending slavery and hold meetings to organize their events.

Unfortunately, it was burned to the ground on May 17, 1838, shortly after the first anti-slavery meeting was held there by The Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women.

It was set on fire by a mob of angry people who supported slavery and opposed the beliefs of the abolitionists.

Looking at old pictures and photos can give us lots of information about past events, places, and people. Becoming a good history detective means learning how to examine these items for clues about the past. Use these questions to discover information about the image of Pennsylvania Hall and its burning.

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“He was decidedly an unhappy piece of property in the city of Richmond, Va. In the condition of a slave he felt that it would be impossible for him to remain. Full well, he did know, however, that it was no holiday task to escape the vigilance of the Virginia slave hunters, or the wrath of an enraged master for committing the unpardonable sin of attempting to escape to the land of liberty. So Brown counted well the cost before venturing upon this hazardous undertaking.

Ordinary modes of travel, he concluded, might prove disastrous to his hopes; he, therefore, hit upon a new invention altogether, which was to have himself boxed up and forwarded to Philadelphia direct by express.

The size of the box and how it was to be made to fit him most comfortably was of his own ordering. Two feet eight inches deep, two feet wide, and three feet long were the exact dimensions of the box, lined with baize.

His resources with regard to food and water consisted of the following: One bladder of water and a few small biscuits. His mechanical implement to meet the death struggle for fresh air, all told, was one large gimlet. [A gimlet is a tool with a spiral cutting edge used for boring holes through wood.]

Satisfied that it would be far better to peril his life for freedom in this way than to remain under the galling yoke of slavery, he entered his box, which was safely nailed up and hooped with five hickory hoops, and was addressed by his next friend, James A. Smith, a shoe dealer, to Wm. H. Johnson, Arch Street, Philadelphia, marked, ‘This side up with care.’

In this condition he was sent to Adams’ Express office in a day, and thence by overland express to Philadelphia. It was twenty-six hours from the time he left Richmond until his arrival in the City of Brotherly Love.”

One of the most unusual escapes from slavery was made by Henry “Box” Brown. He traveled to freedom from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a box only 3 feet long, 2 1/2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. William Still, in his book The Underground Railroad, describes his escape.

It took 26 hours for Henry Brown to go from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

ABOLITIONISTCAPTURECONDUCTORESCAPEFUGITIVEHIDINGJOURNEYNORTHSANCTUARYSLAVE OWNERSOUTHREWARDROUTESRUNAWAY

Can you find the Underground Railroad words hidden below? They are forwards, up and down, or diagonal.

r N s J O U r N e Y Q t HF e O L t C K i M C s t Ms O W r A A H P s i U U JA r Z A t V d X N O U U FN U Z K r H e O s Z N d UC N V P A d i O e d W J Gt A U d d t G e W Z P Y iU W d i i N s C s N O Z tA A O L i e F Y F C e F ir Y O d t O A H M O A r VY B i U Q B U Z r s t P eA H O C A P t U r e X M eN r N N C O N d U C t O r

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Kidnapping freed African-Americans from the North and taking them secretly back to the South was an example of people taking the law into their own hands. This sometimes happens today. Find an exam-ple in the news of someone breaking a law. Why did the person act this way? Is there ever a time when it would be OK to take the law into your own hands?

On September 18, 1850, the U.S. Congress approved the Fugitive Slave Law as part of a compromise to allow California to enter the Union as a free state.

The law stated that any African- American living in the United States could be accused of escaping slavery and brought before a commissioner, a government official. If the accuser swore to be the African-American’s legal owner, the commissioner could return him or her to slavery.

Those who tried to defend the accused African-American or aid him or her in an escape could be fined $1,000 and jailed for six months. If the so-called fugitive resisted being taken into slavery, the alleged owner could secure a guard to accompany him or her back to the South.

This law made many free African- Americans feel that their freedom was in danger. If they were accused of escaping

slavery, they weren’t even allowed a jury trial or the right to testify on their own behalf.

In cities located close to the Mason-Dixon line, many innocent freed African-Americans were returned to slavery.

Kidnapping rings also thrived. Many young, poor, male African-Americans were kidnapped and taken against their will to the South. Once in the South, they were sold to slave owners and often never returned to the North. Many remained slaves for the rest of their lives.

Kidnapping freed African-Americans from the North and taking them secretly to the South was sometimes referred to as “The Other Underground Railroad.”

Imagine you are an abolitionist working hard to free Southern slaves. It is your job to create a poster encouraging people to join the effort to end slavery and to help fugitive slaves gain their freedom by stopping the slave catch-ers like those described to the left. What will you say on your poster and how will it be designed? (Remember, you cannot include any information about the Underground Railroad. Those are secrets only you and the other abo-litionists know about!) Write three topics you need to include on your poster in the space provided below. Then, compare with a partner, and create a large poster.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

FREEDOMin the news

Solve the mystery of what letters belong in the boxes. Use the definitions as clues.

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Born into slavery in 1820, Harriet Tubman escaped from a Maryland farm to the North by using the Underground Railroad stations. Her name was changed from Harriet Ross when she married John Tubman, a free black. (However, her husband refused to help her escape to freedom.)

As a slave, Harriet was treated cruelly by her master. She worked in the fields, split fence rails, and loaded timber all day long. Unable to accept her life as a slave, in 1849 Harriet began planning her escape.

When she escaped, she did not know in which direction to go and had no compass to help guide her. Her father had taught her to recognize the Big Dipper constellation, known to slaves as the “Drinking Gourd.”

The gourd’s handle pointed straight to the North Star. Once Harriet located the North Star, she knew in which direction to go for freedom and began her journey. When she crossed the Mason-Dixon Line, Harriet Tubman had this to say:

“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees; I felt like I was in heaven. I was free; but there was nobody to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land; and my home, after all, was down in Maryland; because my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters and friends were there. But I was free, and they should be free. I would make a home in the North and bring them there, God helping me. I said to the Lord, ‘I’m going to hold steady on you, and I know you’ll see me through.’ ”

After winning her own freedom, Harriet Tubman made 17 trips back to the South to free other slaves using the Underground Railroad.

(1) A slave escaping for his/her freedom

(2) Someone who looks for fugitives to return them to slavery

(3) A long trip

(4) State of living with no constraints and having one’s own free will

L A E N T

O U N E

F O

G I V E

During her life, Harriet Tubman helped to free more than 300 Southern slaves. On the Underground Railroad, she was known as the “Moses of her people.”

Slaves often used biblical stories and songs for encouragement and as escape messages. The following song is about Harriet Tubman. Use the word key to dis-cover its message.

Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt’s land, Tell old Pharaoh, let my people go...No more shall they be in bondage toil, Let my people go. Let them come out with Egypt’s spoil, Let my people go.

Moses = Harriet Tubman Pharaoh = Slave Owners Egypt = The South

WORD KEY

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Follow the Drinking GourdFollow the Drinking GourdFollow the Drinking GourdFollow the Drinking Gourd The riverbank makes a very good roadThe dead trees will show you the way Left foot, peg foot, traveling onThe river ends between two hills

There’s another river on the other sideWhen the great big river meets

the little riverFollow the Drinking Gourd

For the old man is A-waiting for to carry

you to freedomIf you follow the Drinking Gourd

This was a song slaves sang about escaping to the North by following the “Drinking Gourd,” which is the the Big Dipper constellation.

CreditsThe Underground Railroad—Story of Freedom’s Trail was created by the Connecting With the Classroom program for the Philadelphia Daily News. It is syndicated by agreement by Hollister Kids. All rights reserved.

Portrait photos featured on pages 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, courtesy of the LIbrary Company of Philadelphia. The designer was Kimberly Rogers of Hollister Kids. The writer was Rachel M. Griffin, education projects coordinator for Connecting With the Classroom. The editor was Peter Landry of Hollister Kids. The Hollister Kids website www.hollisterkids.com

Can you find the “Drinking Gourd” and the North Star? What other constel-lations can you find in the night sky?

1. Harriet Tubman was an African-American woman who became a leader for her work with the Underground Railroad. What women are in the news today? Pick one you admire, and write her a letter based on the reason she is in the news. Write out two questions you would like her to answer about her life or activities.

2. The right to a fair trial is one of the great freedoms in the United States. Fugitive slaves often were denied this right in the 1800s. Divide into groups. In the Houston Chronicle, find a story about a trial. Brainstorm three things you think would be necessary for a fair trial. Does the news story show that these things are present in your case?

FREEDOM in the news

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slave states

free states

railroad routes

arrows indicate general movement

Maps are an important tool for reporting the news. They show readers things in ways that words can’t by themselves. Look at the map of the Underground Railroad routes at left. On a piece of paper, write three things the map shows more clearly than words alone could do.

Slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad had to deal with many natural features in the landscape—from rivers and swamps to mountains. Natural features often make news. Rivers may overflow their banks, for example,

and flood neighborhoods. Look through the photos and stories in the Houston Chronicle for news made

by natural features. Pick one and write a summary of what made news.

Look at the weather map in the Houston Chronicle. Then look at the map of the Underground Railroad. Mark the map

at left with the state that has the coldest temperature today. Mark the state with the warmest temperature.Which direction

would you have to go to travel from the cold city to the warm city? Why do you think the warm city is warmer?

The borders on maps are either formed by nature, or created by people. List three states that have borders formed by nature. Which has the longest natural

border? Which has the shortest? Which state has the longest manmade border?

Escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad was an emotional journey. Study the map at left. Then write a haiku poem about the journey from the point of view of a slave who is trying to escape. A haiku has 17 syllables: five in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third line.