Underground Railroad Grades 6-8 Introduction This activity is intended for students who have already learned about slavery and are currently studying the Underground Railroad. They ll compare a map of the Underground Railroad with U.S. physical geography and climate maps to see the types conditions that escaping slaves might have faced. They ll then write articles pretending they ve interviewed recently-escaped slaves. You can have them write these articles based solely on the information they ve seen on the maps in this lesson, or you can ask them to conduct further research on the Underground Railroad to include in the articles. Time Frame: 1-3 class periods, depending on the extent of outside research Objectives and Standards Students will: Look at maps of the Underground Railroad and U.S. physical geography and climate, and answer questions about what they see. List the potential difficulties related to physical geography that escaping slaves might have faced as they made their way along the Underground Railroad Write articles pretending they re Canadian journalists who have just interviewed recently-escaped slaves. National Social Studies Standards: 2: Time, Continuity, and Change: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time. 3: People, Places, and Environments: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments. National Geography Standards: 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective. 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth s surface. 17: How to apply geography to interpret the past. Maps and Materials Needed Materials Needed:
Download and print the PDF files for each of these maps, providing one of each map for every student or pair of students. (If your computer access permits, students can look at the maps online). ms&id= 2916:underground-railroad,-1860&cid=83:history ms&id= 10605:physical-geography&cid=245:us-thematic ms&id= 10602:average-temperature-(january)&cid=245:us-thematic ms&id= 10603:average-temperature-(july)&cid=245:us-thematic Extension Have students use the Internet and/or the library to find some firsthand accounts of what it was like to travel along the Underground Railroad and/or to assist people who were making the journey. Have them compare these accounts to the speculations they ve made in this activity. Procedure 1. Review the Underground Railroad with the class, asking students to contribute the things they already know about the Underground Railroad and the process of escaping slavery. 2. Have students look at the following maps and answer the questions in section 1 of the handout, describing the terrain and physical features that escaping slaves would have encountered. ms&id=2916:underground-railroad,-1860&cid=83:history ms&id=10605:physical-geography&cid=245:us-thematic ms&id=10602:average-temperature-(january)&cid=245:us-thematic ms&id=10603:average-temperature-(july)&cid=245:us-thematic
3. In section 2 of the handout, have students list the potential difficulties related to physical geography that escaping slaves might have faced as they made their way along the Underground Railroad. 4. Ask students to imagine that they re Canadian journalists living in 1860 and have just interviewed an escaped slave who has recently arrived in Canada after traveling along the Underground Railroad from the Deep South. Have them write articles based on the interview, describing the slave s experiences in the landscape and climate. To make the article more well-rounded, have students also discuss the escaped slave s description of other aspects of the Underground Railroad, such as how he or she was treated by the stationmasters and conductors, how he or she navigated northwards, and whether the former slave was pursued by his or her former owner. This may require some additional research. Assessment Suggestions Check to make sure that students have: Answered the questions in section 1 of the handout, reflecting a careful consideration of the maps. Listed the hardships escaping slaves might have faced, reflecting a careful consideration of the maps. Written clear and thoughtful articles, including information from the maps and, if required, from outside research materials.
Underground Railroad Student Handout 1. Look at the following maps, and answer the questions below. ms&id=2916:underground-railroad,-1860&cid=83:history ms&id=10605:physical-geography&cid=245:us-thematic ms&id=10602:average-temperature-(january)&cid=245:us-thematic ms&id=10603:average-temperature-(july)&cid=245:us-thematic a) Did all escaping slaves head north? If not, where else did they go? b) Name the physical features, such as rivers and mountain ranges, that escaping slaves made use of during their journey. Why do you think they might have used these routes? c) Describe the changes in landscape features and climate that an escaping slave might have encountered on a journey from Louisiana to Canada. d) Describe the changes in landscape features and climate that an escaping slave might have encountered on a journey from North Carolina to Canada.
e) What was the significance of the Ohio River? 2. Using the maps and your answers to the questions above, list the potential difficulties related to physical geography and climate that escaping slaves might have faced as they made their way along the Underground Railroad. 3. Pretend you re a Canadian journalist living in 1860 and have just interviewed an escaped slave who has recently arrived in Canada after traveling along the Underground Railroad from the Deep South. Write an article based on the interview, describing the slave s experiences in the landscape and climate. Your teacher may ask you to include information on other aspects of the Underground Railroad, such as how the former slave was treated by the stationmasters and conductors, how he or she navigated northwards, and whether the former slave was pursued by his or her former owner.