Transcript Donna Martin - Wright State University

HARRIET TUBMAN
Conductor of the Underground Railroad
By
Donna Martin
UNIT: The Underground Railroad
GRADE
LEVEL:
Sixth
LESSON:
Harriet Tubman
Objectives
After completing this lesson, the sixth
grade students should be able to:
Understand the existence of slavery in
America
 Understand the life and escape of
Harriet Tubman
 Understand Harriet Tubman’s role in the
Underground Railroad
 Understand Harriet Tubman’s role in the
Civil War

Materials Needed:
Various informational books on the life
of Harriet Tubman
 Map of the United States (1850s)
 Various informational books on slavery
 Poster paper
 Pencils/Markers/Colored Pencils

Web Sites

The Underground Railroad
www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railr
oad/html

Harriet Tubman for Children
www.2.lhric.org/pocatico/tubman/tubman.html

Harriet Tubman - New York History
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman
Web Sites (continued)

Harriet Tubman Historical Society
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman

Harriet Tubman – The Chosen One
http://www.thechosenone.com/
Student Activities
Research the slave laws of the different
states during the early to mid 1800s
 Create a character profile of Harriet
Tubman
 Write letters to governor and legislators
persuading them to have a Harriet
Tubman Day

Student Activities (continued)
Map Harriet Tubman’s route to freedom
on a United States map
 Map the different routes of the
Underground Railroad on a United
States map
 Construct a time line of Harriet
Tubman’s life

Slavery in the United States
Slavery of African Americans in the
United States began as early as 1500
when the first African Slaves were
brought to the New World by the
Spanish.
Slavery on the rise..
By the time of the Revolutionary War,
10% of the people in America were
slaves.
Abolitionist Movement
Abolitionist: Anyone who was against
slavery
 Abolitionists included many kinds of
people: whites and blacks, men and
women, rich and poor, and religious and
non religious.

Escape!
Ever since slaves were captured, they
have always tried to escape.
 The rise of the Abolitionist Movement
made escape easier.

A Savior is Born…
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in
1821 in Dorchester County, Maryland
 Harriet was one of 11 children. All of
Harriet’s brothers and sisters, as well as
their parents, were slaves on the
Maryland Plantation

Harriet’s Early Years…
Harriet began work at age six
 Harriet was a poor housekeeper, so she
was sent to work outside in the fields
 At age seven, Harriet tried to escape.
Harriet became tired and hungry and
returned to the plantation shortly after
her escape.

Time to Run
In 1844, Harriet made the decision to
escape.
 Harriet’s journey took her to the house
of a trusted friend where she was given
information about the next safe stop.

Free At Last!
 By
moving from
safe house to
safe house,
Harriet made
her way north to
freedom.
Harriet’s Return to Maryland
By 1850, Harriet made plans to return to
Maryland to help the rest of her family
escape.
 Harriet managed to lead the entire
family to freedom, including her aging
parents.

Harriet Turned Moses
Between 1850 and 1860, Harriet made
over 19 trips to the South.
 Through the Underground Railroad,
Harriet freed over 300 slaves.
 Harriet received the nickname of Moses
since she led so many to freedom

Most Wanted

Angry slave owners
posted rewards of
up to $40,000 for
Harriet’s capture
 Harriet was never
captured.
Harriet’s Tricks
To avoid capture, Harriet used many
tricks. She dressed as an old woman or
a man
 Harriet used songs as with secret codes
to communicate
 Harriet used the North Star to guide her

Railroad Expansion

Over time, several routes were
developed to travel North to freedom.
A Nation Divided

By 1861, the issue
of slavery divided
the entire nation.
The Civil War had
begun
Harriet, the Spy

Harriet served in the army during the
Civil War. She went on several rescue
missions. Harriet even worked as a
spy.
No More Slavery
In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation
was issued by President Lincoln.
 Slavery was ended in the United States
forever!

Harriet’s Later Years

After the war ended,
Harriet continued to
help people. Harriet
fought for the rights
of freed slaves and
opened a home for
the poor
Harriet Remembered
Harriet died in 1913. She was 93 years
old.
 Today, many tourists still visit her home
still visit her home
in New York.
