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Activity
Mariners' Museum and Park

Mariners' Museum: Waters of Despair, Waters of Hope

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about how Africans and their descendents have shaped the history, culture, and economy of the Chesapeake Bay Region.
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Handout
Other

Maryland State Archives: Biography of Thomas Garrett

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive biography of famous Delaware abolitionist Thomas Garrett. Learn of Garrett's Quaker upbringing and how he gave his life and finances to free the enslaved.
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Handout
New York Times

New York Times: Harriet Tubman's Path to Freedom

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This site tells the story of Harriet Tubman's life and the development of the Underground Railroad. The author takes us on a journey to sites along the Underground Railroad, beginning at the farm where...
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Aboard the Underground Railroad

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the fascinating people and places associated with the Underground Railroad as you visit the historic places on this travel register. Use the map or peruse the sites to find interesting facts and information.
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Activity
Other

Indiana Historical Bureau: The Underground Railroad: A Well Kept Secret

For Students 9th - 10th
Shows maps of the Underground Railroad routes that slaves took when they sought freedom, along with an informative article on the history of this movement in Indiana.
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Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Odyssey: Free Blacks in Antebellum Period

For Students 9th - 10th
A site that chronicles through documents the accomplishments of African-Americans, both slave and free, from colonial times through the Civil War.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: The Underground Railroad Route

For Teachers 1st - 4th
A classroom activity enhancing study about slavery in the United States focused on the Underground Railroad. Students will explore the slave and free states and look at routes the Underground Railroad took to help slaves escape to...
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Handout
US Department of State

Bureau of International Information Programs: History Outline: Sectionalism

For Students 9th - 10th
Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.
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Website
Cornell University

Cornell University: Library: I Will Be Heard! Abolitionism in America

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of original manuscripts, letters, photographs, rare books, and other materials on abolitionism from the 1700s through 1865.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Kentucky's Underground Railroad

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Discover what the Underground Railroad was, the role it played in our county's history, and why Northern Kentucky was such a key location. In this interactive lesson, students will develop a written response to questions.
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Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source: Underground Railroad Fugitive Slave Act 1850

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore the Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
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Website
Wisconsin Historical Society

Wisconsin Historical Society: The Underground Railroad in Wisconsin

For Students 9th - 10th
While the Underground Railroad was active in Wisconsin in the 1800s, its activities were of necessity kept secret, so little documentation has survived. A few cases became matters of public record, however, most notably those of Caroline...
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Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Harriet Tubman

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about Harriet Tubman, the first African American woman to serve in the military who escaped enslavement and helped others reach freedom During the Civil War.
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Graphic
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Harriet Tubman

For Students 9th - 10th
View this engaging online exhibit to learn about Harriet Tubman, an outspoken advocate for African American and women's rights.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Harriet Tubman: Abolition Activist

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
In this lesson plan, by examining two primary sources and watching a short video, students will become familiar with the remarkable bravery and extraordinary accomplishments of the "Moses of her people," Harriet Tubman.
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Article
Cornell University

Cornell University: Library: I Will Be Heard: Black Resistance

For Students 9th - 10th
Free blacks in the North did what they could to support resistance to slavery, but see how the slaves themselves resisted in their own ways.
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Resistance, Making of African American Identity: V. 1

For Students 9th - 10th
Recollections of slave resistance by observers like Frederick Douglass, narratives of slave resistance collected during the Depression, and mid-nineteenth century accounts by former slaves calling for resistance to and overthrow of the...
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Unit Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Fugitives, Making of African American Identity: V. 1

For Students 9th - 10th
Oral and written narratives of the experiences of the Underground Railroad and documents identifying efforts by northern societies to free slaves during the 1850s.
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: National Underground Railroad: Network to Freedom

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Park System has preserved many buildings that were used as Underground Railroad stations. See the sites as they stand today and learn about the network that existed.
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Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Harriet Tubman (Spanish Translation)

For Students 3rd - 8th
Learn about one of the great leaders of the movement to free southern slaves. Truly a life of selflessness, Harriet Tubman risked her freedom to help others escape. Find out more about this exceptional American's way of life. [Spanish...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Nasa Quest: Follow the Drinking Gourd Lessons

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A series of lessons for students from elementary through high school on how escaping slaves would use the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" to guide them to freedom.
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Primary
University of Groningen

American History: Documents: Benjamin Drew: Testimony of the Canadian Fugitives

For Students 9th - 10th
From an academic website, these pages record the testimony of American slaves that fled north to Canada. In the United States these types of original documents are collected under the category of Slave Narratives and they represent an...
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Handout
White Pine Pictures

White Pine Pictures: Breaking the Ice: The Mary Ann Shadd Story

For Students 9th - 10th
Mary Ann Shadd was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1823. She emigrated to Windsor, Upper Canada and was a leader in advocating for integrated schools at a time when most Canadians believed segregated schools should predominate. This web...
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Graphic
New York Public Library

Aame: Runaway Journeys: The Underground Railroad in the 19th Century

For Students 9th - 10th
A great map showing the pathways of escape on the Underground Railroad throughout the United States. From the Schomburg Center for Research. You can also find a map of routes in the 18th century. Students can see the progression of...