Curated and Reviewed by
Lesson Planet
This The Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 activity also includes:
- Map of the nineteenth-century Underground Railroad, 2005
- Excerpt from Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman by Sarah H. Bradford, 1869
- Drawing of Maria Weems, 1872
- Drawing of Ellen Craft, 1922
- Excerpt from Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom or the Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery, 1860
- Broadside announcing the Fugitive Slave Bill of 1850
- Excerpt from The Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 1861
- “Leap of the Fugitive Slave,” 1880
- Drawing called “Operations of the Fugitive-Slave Law.”
- Political cartoon, “Effects of the Fugitive Slave Law,” 1850
- Poster calling for a meeting in Camillus, New York to protest the Fugitive Slave Law, 1852
- Picture and narrative of Lear Green escaping slavery, 1850s
- Excerpt from The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom by William M. Mitchell, 1860
- Excerpt from A Woman's Life Work: Including Thirty Years' Service On the Underground Railroad and in The War, 1888
- Portraits of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee, 1859
- Activity
- Join to access all included materials
Escaping Enslaved people attempting to escape didn't need a ticket to ride on the Underground Railroad. Here is a packet of primary sources that reveal the kind of courage and determination they did need to face the challenges to gain their freedom. Maps, excerpts from publications, images, and broadsides provide young historians with insight into the experiences of fugitive enslaved people.
7 Views
6 Downloads
Concepts
the underground railroad, the fugitive slave act, primary source analysis, primary source images, primary sources, critical thinking, slavery, abolitionists, african american history, african americans, famous african americans, civil war, the united states civil war, reconstruction, the reconstruction era, harriet tubman, political cartoons, compare and contrast
Instructional Ideas
- Divide the class into groups, assign each a different primary source to research, and report on to the entire class
Classroom Considerations
- If groups have access to computers with internet, load the images on these devices to save copying costs
Pros
- The teaching guide includes an overview with background information, discussion questions, and activities for various grade levels
Cons
- None