Background information: 

            During the 17^th century, slavery existed in southern states.  Many slaves wanted to be free and traveled north to escape.  There were northerners called abolitionists who wanted to abolish, or stop, slavery.  These people took an active role in the escape of slaves.  They set up “stations” in buildings, homes, and churches.  These stations hid runaway slaves, or fugitives, and provided them with a shelter and food for their journey along the Underground Railroad.  The fugitives traveled at night and hid during the day to avoid being caught by slave catchers.  Slave catchers liked to catch slaves because they received money when they returned the slaves to their owners.  This was a difficult journey for fugitives and also for the people helping them because they would be fined or even killed if they were caught.

 

Task:

            Imagine you are a slave.  Go for help to escape from your current master by looking at the first website to get background information.  The next few websites gives specific information about major Michigan cities that were included in the Underground Railroad and write a diary entry after each website.  During this time, you are a slave following a route in the Underground Railroad in Michigan.  You must describe the experience in terms of environment, emotions, and interesting facts in your journal.  True, many slaves could not read, but there were a few exceptions to the rule.  Assume that you are one of these exceptions (this could be if your previous masters taught you, or you learned from someone at a previous station). 

 

Process:

1.      You are to go to the following website to learn the basics about the Underground Railroad in Michigan and even learn about important people in the system, such as Sojourner Truth.

 

 

 

http://www.sos.state.mi.us/history/museum/explore/museums/hismus/prehist/civilwar/undergro.html.

2.      It is March 3^rd,  You have been a run away slave for a few weeks and are just entering Michigan:

3.   Your stop at the following cities:

·         Kalamazoo

·         Battle Creek

·         Detroit

4.      You stay in an Underground Railroad stop during the day and travel to the next destination during the night.

5.      Each day you are to write about your encounters, emotions, and general experiences that you, as a runaway slave, come across.  Make sure you state what city you are in when you are entering your journal entry and what day it is. 

6.      Now it is time to travel through the Underground Railroad through the cities.

7.      March 3^rd, You have just reached Kalamazoo

1. Answer these questions in your diary:

                                                              i.      Whose house are you staying at? Tell about his background

                                                            ii.      Who brought you there?

                                                          iii.      Name an interesting fact

8.      Early on the 4^th, you go off to your next destination, Battle Creek. 

1. Answer these questions in your diary:

                                                              i.      What do you see?

                                                            ii.      Who are the 3 people being honored here?  Where did they hide you?

                                                          iii.      Names something you found interesting

9.      After resting up, it is time to travel to Detroit, MI.

1. Answer these questions in your diary:

                                                              i.      What is a shepherd?

                                                            ii.      What did you hide in to get to Detroit?

                                                          iii.      Why was Detroit an important station, and often the last station?

 

Journal entries should be word processed.  Be sure to watch for grammar errors.  Turn these in on Monday.

 

Evaluation:

Students will be graded according to the following rubric:

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion:

            After looking at the wide variety of websites, it is possible to see how important the Underground Railroad was in our history.  There were many cities included along the way and many people participated to free the enslaved.  Now, it is possible to understand how it feels to be a runaway slave.  If you would like to explore further into the topic, you can look at this website, http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/kids/mitten_topics.html

And click on “The Underground Railroad.”

 

 

 

Objectives:

• Perspective 1 (history) Content Standard 2, LE 1. (Comprehending the past)
• Perspective 1 (history) Content Standard 3, LE 3. (Analyzing and interpreting the past)