The Underground Railroad

• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• Credits


• Teacher Page

Process

 CONDUCTOR

Research and map out a route from A to E location with 5 total points.  Each member of the group will research an individual leg of the journey with explanation of how a slave would have traveled in safety from point to point.  Give detailed explanations of the roads they may have taken, places they may have stayed, rivers they would have had to cross, etc. You will also need to provide the method of transportation your slave took from place to place and calculate the length of time for each leg of the journey.   

*Incorporate this in to story form and write a fictional journey of your slave from the slave's point of view.  Each section should include: 1) map; 2) detailed explanation in story form of the journey from point to point (including all of the information above).

 The student responsible for this section will write one leg of the journey, and also compile each section of a map (each student will illustrate their own section) showing the full journey of the slave from A to E with the explanations of each section included.

 Leg 1 Point A to Point B

Leg 2 Point B to Point C

Leg 3 Point C to Point D

Leg 4 Point D to Point E (Freedom)

Links that will help:

http://www.nps.gov/history/nR/travel/underground/detailedroutes.htm

http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/Soulreview/Understandingpages/coded.htm

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohgalli2/UGRRmap.htm

http://www.nps.gov/history/nR/travel/underground/routes.htm

 SLAVE

As a slave, you must learn and know all of the secret codes in order to escape to freedom successfully.  Each group member will re-create 4 quilt blocks and write a description of the secret codes contained in each.  Use this site to locate the quilt blocks:  http://blackhistory.owensound.ca/quiltcodes.php

The whole group will work together to connect the squares to make the quilt.  Each design will constitute one square, and each description/explanation will be its own square as well.  So, the over-all quilt will have 36 square blocks.

Once all of the quilt blocks have been created and placed in to a quilt, each member of the group will choose 6 blocks and create a mini-quilt with a short paragraph of instructions based on these 6 blocks.

 For example, my ?mini-quilt? may go: Double Wedding Ring, Tumbling Blocks, Britches, Bear?s Paw, Rose Ring, Crossroads.  This would mean, Slavery can be overcome!  You will need to change in to the clothes that a free person will wear for your upcoming travel but still follow the ?mountain trail? and keep out of site!  Ponder the lives of those who did not survive this journey as you travel to Ohio where you will receive further help.

 The student responsible for this section will complete 6 quilt blocks and then organize the blocks in to a ?quilt? complete with descriptions. 

Links that will help:

http://blackhistory.owensound.ca/quiltcodes.php

http://educ.queensu.ca/%7Efmc/may2004/Underground.html

http://www.milton.k12.vt.us/WebQuests/JCummings/JCummings.htm

 SLAVE OWNER and ABOLITIONIST

As a slave owner, you have noticed that the slaves on your plantation sing regularly.  The songs are interesting and you wonder if they have something to do with the high number of slaves who are escaping from all of the surrounding plantations.  You do not want to lose any of your slaves so you try to decipher the meaning of the songs. Each member of the group will do one of the following:

 1 ? Pretend you are the slave owner.  Using the words to ?Follow the Drinking Gourd? try to come up with an explanation as to what hidden codes might be in this song. Be creative and write at least 1-2 pages trying to find anything you can think of with all of the lyrics.

 2 ? You are an abolitionist.  Research the song ?Follow the Drinking Gourd? and explain in detail what this song meant and all of the true hidden codes within it. Also talk about ?Peg Leg Joe? and his role in the secret songs.

 3 and 4 -  Research one of the 6 following songs located at http://www.mcgath.com/freesongs.html which are listed below.  Choose one of these songs.  Copy the lyrics to a paper to present them to the class. After reading the lyrics, write a one-page, 5 paragraph essay explaining your feelings and reactions to the lyrics and music of the song you chose.   Which lyrics made the most impact on you?  Why?

 *As a group, you will perform and teach one of these songs to the rest of the class.

 The student responsible for this section will compile each of the written sections in to a small book with each writing section being its own chapter.

 No More Auction Block is sometimes referred to as a "spiritual," but appears to have originated in the heat of the Civil War and to have been sung by freed slaves who fought on the Union side. The references to "pint of salt" and "peck of corn" denote slave rations.

O Freedom makes no attempts at hiding its meaning. I haven't had the privilege of hearing it performed, but it is powerful even on paper.

John Brown's Body, in its original form, was a memorial to a soldier with no political implications. I have read that the song was originally about a long-forgotten John Brown, and later applied to the man who led the Harper's Ferry raid. Its tune was used by Julia Ward Howe for "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Another version was written by Edna D. Proctor; though it's virtually forgotten today, I consider it even better than "The Battle Hymn."

The Abolitionist Hymn was often sung in anti-slavery meetings.

Lincoln and Liberty expressed the anti-slavery feelings of Lincoln's supporters.

The Underground Railcar, written by George N. Allen and published in 1854, tells of a slave's escape to Canada.

Links that will help:

http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/Soulreview/Understandingpages/coded.htm

http://www.mcgath.com/freesongs.html

http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/

NEWS REPORTER

Your newspaper is running a serial article to span over a few days. In this task, members of the group will write an 5-8 page newspaper report (with each section to be ?published? on a separate day) on Harriet Tubman consisting of the following sections (each section should be 1-2 pages long). 

 As a group, you will choose the name and location of your newspaper as well as the date that you are writing this for the paper. Include photos of Harriet Tubman appropriate for each section of the article.

 1 ? Biography of her early years before she was married.  (where she was born, when, description of circumstances, etc.  Give descriptions of the work she was required to do as well as what she suffered in her younger years.  Explain in some detail what happened as of the result of being hit with the weight.  Describe how you feel this may have made life more difficult for her.  Describe how you feel about the things she had to endure while so young.)

 2 ? Description of what a ?Conductor? was in the Underground Railroad (what tasks did they perform, and why Harriet Tubman is so famous as a conductor.  Give specific examples of things she did and experiences she had in helping slaves escape.  Why was this so dangerous?  Why do you think she chose to do it?  End with a section answering the question: If you lived during the same time as Harriet Tubman, would you have been able to be a conductor?  Why or why not?)

 3 ? Give descriptions of the various secret codes that conductors would use in helping slaves to freedom.  Be detailed in your descriptions and draw pictures to illustrate.  Find real life examples of slaves who used these methods to get to freedom.  Answer the question, ?Do you think that the secret codes worked?  Why or why not?? Be specific and give details.

 4 ? The end of Harriet?s life ? how and when she died.  Include on this page an explanation of what you feel is her lasting contribution to society.  How is her legacy important for us today and why should we learn about her?   Choose some quotes from Harriet herself that make an impression on you.  Why are you impressed by these statements?  Do they inspire you?  If so, in what way?

*The student responsible for this task will, in addition to writing one of the 4 sections, compile the full newspaper report in to one document for presentation (in newspaper column format).

Links that will help:

http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/tubm-har.htm  (this one also has additional links at the bottom as well as many quotes from Harriet herself).

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/harriettubman/a/tubman_slavery.htm

http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Tubman.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html

http://www.harriettubmanbiography.com/

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html