The Underground Railroad

Famous People

100

She herself was an escaped slave who was born in Maryland. Despite the dangers that existed, she worked as a guide for escaped slaves, returning nearly 20 times to rescue over 200 slaves. Due to these trips, she was often referred as "Moses". During the Civil War, she worked as a spy for the Union. After the conclusion of the Civil War, she also actively participated in the women's suffrage movement.

Harriet Tubman

200

This person is known for spearheading the raid on the Harper's Ferry armory. He is less known for founding the League of Gileadites, a group in Springfield, Massachusetts that was committed to protecting escaped slaves from capture.

John Brown

300

Rather than using more traditional methods of escape, this man used a more creative method. His escape became so famous that he is often referred to as Henry "Box" Brown. How did he escape?

Brown shipped himself to freedom in a large box that had a single hole for him to breathe through. He had to burn his hand to the bone in order to be excused from the day's work and only had a few biscuits and a little water to sustain him through the 27 hour journey.

400

This escaped slave from Maryland is well known for his biographies and oratorical abilities. He utilized his eloquent speaking style to lead the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. Later, he also fought for women's suffrage and was a firm believer in the equality of all people

Frederick Douglass

500

This woman escaped slavery after spending 7 years hiding in a little attic. Taught to read and write at a young age by a kind mistress who later died, she is well known for her memoir "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", which was published during the Civil War.

Harriet Ann Jacobs.

True/False

100

True or False: The Underground Railroad was a system of underground train tracks

False: In reality, the Underground Railroad was neither a railroad nor underground. Rather, the name was coined to describe the stealthy and secret way that slaves escaped.

200

True or False: The number of slaves who escaped through the Underground Railroad did not have a significant impact on the slave population

True: An estimated 100,000 slaves escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad. However, this number is hard to ascertain because details regarding the Underground Railroad were kept secret in written accounts to avoid repercussions. This large number had little impact on the number of slaves themselves. The effects were more psychological and political. Masters, who viewed African Americans as dull and unintelligent, were angered that their slaves outsmarted them. They also viewed Northern participation as a violation of the Fugitive Slave Law. Tension regarding the Underground Railroad was one of the factors leading to the Civil War.

300

True or False: The Underground Railroad was an organized nationwide system

False: While there was undoubtedly communication and organization involved, the system was actually a loosely strung together network.

400

True or False: Activity on the Underground Railroad ceased during the Civil War.

False: Slaves continued to pursue freedom regardless of the events of the Civil War. As we covered in class, activity may have increased following Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

500

True or False: The people who aided escaped slaves on their journey north were mostly African American.

True: Though many whites participated in the Underground Railroad system, the main contributors were African Americans themselves. This is not surprising considering that the issue of slavery would be of more importance to them.

General Information

100

Name 3 methods of transportation that fugitive slaves used to escape North.

Slaves travelled most commonly by foot, boat, rail, and horse (sometimes horse drawn carriage) because they were the most abundant forms of transportation available at the time.

200

From what region of the south did most escaped slaves come from?

Slaves who escaped usually came from border states such as Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia. Escape from the Deep South posed a greater challenge due to the extensive travel through dangerous pro-slavery states that was necessary to reach free territory.

300

White abolitionists consisted mostly of members of this religious minority. Formally called the Religious Society of Friends, they are more well known by a name that described their trembling movements during sermons.

Quakers were the main group of whites that participated in the Underground Railroad. They believed that slavery violated their religion and many used their wealth to help the cause in ways that African Americans could not.

400

What is one reason why details surrounding the Underground Railroad are scarce?

Participants in the Underground Railroad were hesitant to reveal too much information in writing out of fear of the consequences that the people involved could suffer.

500

Generally, how many members were there in a single escape party?

Escape parties often travelled with few people; probably to make detection harder and transportation easier. Consequently, the usual number was around 1-3 people.

Code Terms

100

These people hid escaped slaves in "safe houses" (usually their own homes), providing food, shelter, and a place to sleep. Once the Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850, which required all Americans to assist in the capture of runaway slaves, these people faced fines and arrest if they were discovered.

Stationmasters

200

These were the escaped slaves. the escaped slaves. Even before the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, slave catchers were determined to return fugitive slaves to their masters in exchange for bounties. Enraged masters often tortured or even killed recaptured slaves. After its passage, the danger of capture increased.

Passengers/Packages/Cargo

300

The "Drinking Gourd" was a code name for _______, which helped slaves navigate northward.

The Big Dipper (North Star also accepted)

400

This was one of the main destinations for escaped slaves- it was also called "the Promised Land". Hint: It became a more popular destination when the Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850 and African Americans in free states were still at a risk of being returned to slavery.

Canada

500

Much of Underground Railroad activity was centered around the Ohio River, which ran through many border states and provided a means for transportation. As the dividing line between “free” and “slave” states, the importance of the Ohio River to the Underground Railroad is similar to the significance of which river in the Bible?

The River Jordan

Random

100

This famous person's code name was "Moses" because of the nearly twenty trips she made back to the South in order to lead over 200 slaves North.

Harriet Tubman

200

Which group of slaves escaped the most: men, women, or children?

The slaves who attempted escape were usually young men. Women and children often posed a challenge-women, unlike men, were rarely allowed to leave the plantation and children could not keep quiet or could not travel at the same pace as adults.

300

Name a novel/biography that was written about the Underground Railroad.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave; My Bondage and My Freedom; Life and Times of Frederick Douglass; Uncle Tom's Cabin; etc.

400

Name 2 effects of the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law on the Underground Railroad.

1. More slaves shifted their destination to Canada instead of the no longer secure Northern States. 2. Recapture was more probable for slaves who attempted escape. 3. Continued Northern participation in the now illegal system fueled tensions between the North and the South.

500

Name one of the three states in which the majority of Underground Railroad traffic occurred.

Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania