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Overview:
In this lesson, students will use the Internet to research the dangers that escaping slaves faced along the Underground Railroad and the factors that helped the slaves make it to freedom. They will conclude by designing quilts describing what they have learned.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, U.S. history
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past"
Time:
Three to four hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Drawing materials
Objectives:
Students will
- view a map of Underground Railroad routes, and explain how physical geography might have posed difficulties for slaves trying to escape;
- use the Web to research the difficulties that escaping slaves faced and the things that helped slaves make it to freedom, and take notes on what they find;
- discuss what they have found in their research; and
- design quilts showing the dangers that slaves faced and the things that helped them make it to freedom.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
If students have not yet begun to study the Underground Railroad, provide them with a brief overview, explaining that it was the route slaves took when they were attempting to escape from southern states, where slavery was legal, to northern states and to Canada where slaves would be free. Make sure the students realize that it was not an actual railroad, nor was it literally underground.
Have students select "Routes to Freedom" from the drop-down menu at National Geographic's Underground Railroad site. Ask them to look carefully at the map and to notice the locations of mountains and rivers. What difficulties do they think the escaping slaves would have faced, based on the physical features they see on this map? In addition to fearing slave catchers, what elements of the natural environment would the "runaways" have been concerned about?
Development:
Have students make charts with two columns. The first column should be labeled "Dangers They Faced" and the second column should be labeled "Things That Helped Them Out."
Have students go to the following Web sites to find information on the dangers the escaping slaves faced along the Underground Railroad. Also ask the students to look for evidence of the things that helped the slaves, including quilts, songs, friendly anti-slavery people, and plain old good luck. Ask students to take notes in the appropriate columns in their charts.
National Geographic: The Underground Railroad [Note: First, have students undertake the virtual journey on the Underground Railroad. Then, have them explore the "For Kids" and "Routes to Freedom" areas from the pull-down menu.]
History of "The Drinking Gourd"
NASA Quest: Explanation of "Follow the Drinking Gourd"
Our Virtual Underground Railroad Quilt
Closing:
Discuss the students' charts as a class. What specific dangers did the escaping slaves face? What helped the escaping slaves on their road to freedom? What was the significance of quilts and the drinking gourd song?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to imagine that they have successfully escaped from slavery and have completed their journey along the Underground Railroad. From their new, safe homes in Canada, they have decided to make a quilt telling other people about the dangers they faced and the people and things that helped them out.
Have students, either in groups, pairs, or individually, design quilts that contain at least six squares. Students can design the squares on pieces of construction paper and model some of their ideas after examples shown at Our Virtual Underground Railroad Quilt created by fourth and fifth graders in Oregon.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students look at pictures and (for advanced readers) read about African-American quilting traditions. Ask them to look for quilting practices that might have helped slaves teach each other about the routes to freedom. Have the students describe the quilts they see and discuss how these long-established African quilting traditions may have helped slaves in the United States understand how to use quilts to communicate. Ask students if they think they would be able to effectively communicate important ideas with quilts.
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