Introduction
Reading one of my favorite stories
Content
Aunt, harriet's underground railroad in the sky by faith wrangled one day my baby brother bibi and I were flying among the stars way way up so far up the mountains, look like pieces of rock candy and the oceans like tiny cups of tea.
We came across an old ramshackled train in the sky.
A tiny woman in a conductor's uniform appeared on the steps of the train and announced the schedule all aboard all aboard maryland: delaware, pennsylvania, new jersey, new york, niagara falls, canada all aboard all aboard hundreds of bedraggled men, women and children filled the sky and boarded the dusty old wooden train.
No one spoke.
It was like watching a silent movie, come on cassie baby said, jumping on the train.
Let's take a ride, get off that train, bb I'll, tell mommy and daddy and you'll be in a world of trouble.
I yelled, but the train quickly moved off through the sky and disappeared.
Now.
All I could see were flashing lights, sending a threatening message through a sea of clouds.
Go free north or die, go free, north or die, go free, north or die baby come back mommy and daddy will never forgive me for letting you go.
I screamed the woman.
Conductor's voice came like a soft whisper in my ear, hello cassie.
I am harriet tubman people call me aunt harriet, because I take care of them during slavery.
I carried hundreds of men, women and children to freedom on the underground railroad and I never lost the passenger.
Let me tell you about slavery.
Cassie aunt harriet said we were brought here from africa, enslaved to work long hours on plantations for no pay.
More of us died on the ships coming over than ever reach these shores.
If we try to escape and we're caught, we might have a foot cut off or get sold away from our families, and then we never saw our family and friends again.
A legal or church marriage was not allowed, so instead a man and a woman would jump the room.
It was against the law for a slave to learn, to read or write or have a meeting even to preach the word of god.
Every 100 years that old train will follow the same route.
I traveled on the underground railroad so that we will never forget the cost of freedom.
Sometimes the train is a farmer's wagon.
Sometimes it's a hearse covered with flowers inside a live slave hides in the coffin.
You miss this train cassie, but you can follow always one stop behind.
When we reach freedom in canada, you will be reunited with bibi cassie, though you can fly being a slave.
Will suck you to the ground like quicksand, you will have to walk many miles through the woods and waters on blister feet and there will be bounty hunters eager to collect the reward on your head.
Follow the north star in daylight.
Look for moss growing on the side of the tree that faces the north along the way.
There will be underground railroad agents to give you a place to stay clean clothes and food.
But until you reach canada, you are not safe, go and don't turn back and remember.
If you are caught, you will be severely punished.
First, you must escape from the slave plantation.
Tell no one wait until nightfall, so you will not be seen then follow the trail through the woods to a grave farmhouse on the river.
Your first night will be the hardest, listen carefully to the song of the birds.
When you are in danger, their song will become screams that only you can hear, then you must stop and head in the opposite direction.
When you lie down to rest, you will hear me sing the old spiritual go down moses way down in egypt, land tell old pharaoh.
Let my people go.
Let me lullaby you to sleep when I stop singing and you hear the birds scream wake up and move on.
I reached the gray farmhouse on the river.
I slept in the farmer's attic.
It was dark and scary.
Cobwebs hung from the ceiling like grey ghosts, but the farmer and his wife were very kind.
There was a note under the pillow dear cassie, I'm very frightened, but I'm a big boy and I will not turn back love bibi.
Then aunt harriet's voice came like a gust of wind, follow the river north.
Until you reach a clapboard house with green shutters and a red brick chimney, there will be a blind railroad agent.
Who will ask you to sing a song? You will sing, go down moses way down in egypt, land tell old pharaoh, let my people go and she will give you food and a place to sleep by nightfall.
You must be on your way through the woods I found bibi's baseball cap floating in the swamp.
It was worn to shreds.
I squeezed the mud out of it.
Leave the cap.
Cassie aunt harriet's, whispering voice said, go on to a weather, beaten frame house with a star quilt flung on the roof.
If you don't see the quilt hide in the woods until it appears, then it is safe to go in the next night.
Follow the road to the bridge several miles away.
I traveled through the woods and swamped I was cold, wet and very hungry, but I could not turn back.
When I reached the bridge, I hid in a graveyard on a hill overlooking the river it was there.
I found bibi's toy soldiers and a set of his baseball cards buried alongside the grave of a boy bibi's age.
I was too afraid to cry.
I lay awake until I heard aunt harriet's familiar whisper, wait for the railroad agent disguised as a gravedigger.
He will say I bring you a ticket for the railroad.
Now the tears came streaming down my cheeks, like rain.
I would see bb soon soon soon in a tiny yellow house, on the edge of the city, a little girl.
My age gave me a ticket for the steam car and sewed a fake pass to freedom.
She had made on my undershirt it read.
Cassie louise lightfoot freeborn in new york show that to anyone who tries to take you back to the slave plantation, she said I reached the back door of a shoemaker's house and knocked three times that time I slept in a secret room behind a bookcase bibi had been there and left another note.
Dear cassie, I have a new baby sister.
She was born today.
Her name is freedom.
Her mother got sick and went to heaven.
She let me carry baby freedom on my back love bibi.
After a few days rest.
I started out again with new shoes.
The shoemaker made me move on cassie aunt, harriet's voice, told me: you are very close to the border of the free state of pennsylvania.
Look for the letter, p written on a rock facing north, but still beware of bounty hunters.
They can kidnap you at any time until you reach canada, you are not safe in new york.
A book binder hid me in a secret compartment.
He had built into his wagon in a downpour of rain.
He delivered me to a funeral parlor.
There was a funeral going on, so no one noticed me.
The undertaker gave me a withered rose, bb left pressed into a book with a note, dear cassie, we stayed at a house of a millionaire.
He gave uh harriet a bunch of money.
We will never be hungry again, love bibi.
The undertaker gave me a fresh cut rose and hid me in a coffin in his hearse and took me to niagara falls.
Now.
I was just over the bridge from canada.
Niagara falls looks like a giant tea party, with a billion cups of steaming, hot tea being poured to a resounding applause.
The steam from the falls formed a soft blanket that lifted me up up up above the falls and across the bridge to canada I could fly.
I was free.
I could see aunt harriet and bibi with baby freedom still tied to his back.
The passengers on the underground, railroad and women were all dressed in white, flying in a huge circle around them we're free.
We have shook the lion's paw aunt, harriet yelled, and a voice that shot through the air.
Like joyous bolt of lightning go down, moses bibi said, and let my people go, the others sang out.
I kissed bibi over and over.
I made him promise.
He'd.
Never leave me again.
I love you cassie, but I had to go bibi said freedom is more important than just staying together and, what's more, I got to ride on the underground railroad with harriet tubman.
Now I know what our great great survived when they were children.
That day, there was a big feast and a quilt celebrating the 100th anniversary of harriet tubman's first flight to freedom hung in the sky.
People came to eat dance, sing, praise to aunt harriet for taking us from slavery to freedom and for being the moses of her people.
The end.
FAQs
What was the Underground Railroad answers? ›
The Underground Railroad refers to efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape, at first to maroon communities in remote or rugged terrain on the edge of settled areas.
What was the Underground Railroad comprehension questions? ›What role do you think stories play in Cora's survival? What about other travelers on the underground railroad? Why do you think the author chose to use the magical realism of a literal underground railroad? Does Ethel telling her story change your perception of her?
Why does Harriet's excitement about having finally secured her freedom pass so quickly? ›Why does Harriet's excitement about having finally secured her freedom pass so quickly? She has so many people welcoming her in Pennsylvania that she feels overwhelmed.
Why does Eliza Nokey cry out in terror when she and Harriet are stowed in the bricklayers wagon? ›Why does Eliza Nokey cry out in terror when she and Harriet are stowed in the bricklayer's wagon? Eliza does not like the smell of bricks. Eliza is fearful that no one will come back to get them.
What was the Underground Railroad short summary? ›During the era of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, places, and people that helped enslaved people in the American South escape to the North. The name “Underground Railroad” was used metaphorically, not literally.
Was the Underground Railroad a secret? ›A dangerous journey
The Underground Railroad was secret. Nothing was written down about where to go or who would help. So once enslaved people decided to make the journey to freedom, they had to listen for tips from other enslaved people, who might have heard tips from other enslaved people.
The Underground Railroad was a network of people, African American as well as white, offering shelter and aid to escaped enslaved people from the South.
What was the main reason for the Underground Railroad? ›The Underground Railroad refers to the effort --sometimes spontaneous, sometimes highly organized -- to assist persons held in bondage in North America to escape from slavery.
Who helped the slaves? ›The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family, who made many daring rescues, Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves, and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom.
What is Harriet's famous quote? ›“For no man should take me alive; I should fight for my liberty as long as my strength lasted, and when the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me.”
Did Harriet say freedom or death? ›
There was one of two things I had a right to – liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would have the other.” Tubman shows us a woman who found freedom for herself and then made sure others were brought to freedom.
What was Harriet's goal? ›Tubman devoted her life to the emancipation and betterment of the African-American people. She worked with abolitionists (people devoted to the abandonment of slavery) through the Underground Railroad in her twenty trips South to lead slaves to freedom.
Why does Eliza cry at the end of the story? ›She must learn to be content with an unexciting husband and her less-than-romantic marriage. Her devastation at this realization is complete and leaves her "crying weakly-like an old woman"(247). Thus, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa's role as a woman.
Why did Eliza gasp and cry at the end? ›Eliza gasps because she sees the audience and realises her husband's story is being told in 2020. His story lives on, and she made that happen by telling it. To go one step further, the final gasp could touch on the last time Eliza says 'Will they tell my story? ' – not your story, my story.
What happens to Marie in Harriet? ›Marie sees Harriet and notions for her to get out, saying her job is more important than all of them. They leave, but not before Abraham kills Marie, devastating Harriet. Harriet is living in Canada when she has a vision of her father in danger.
What code word was often used for the slaves on the Underground Railroad? ›The code words often used on the Underground Railroad were: “tracks” (routes fixed by abolitionist sympathizers); “stations” or “depots” (hiding places); “conductors” (guides on the Underground Railroad); “agents” (sympathizers who helped the slaves connect to the Railroad); “station masters” (those who hid slaves in ...
Why did Cora protect Chester? ›Cora runs the children's races at Jockey's birthday, taking special care of Chester, a young slave who is also “a stray,” because his parents had been sold to another owner. Cora's friend Lovey, a fun-loving girl, helps her.
Who was the serial killer on the Underground Railroad? ›Patty Cannon, whose birth name may have been Lucretia Patricia Hanly (c. 1759/1760 or 1769 – May 11, 1829), was an illegal slave trader, murderer and the co-leader of the Cannon–Johnson Gang of Maryland–Delaware.
Does the Underground Railroad still exist? ›Tunnels, jails and canals: Remnants of the Underground Railroad still exist in Halifax County. In this quiet rural community, you can touch tangible remnants of this painful and often-forgotten past. Highly secretive and illegal during its era, there are very few remnants of the Underground Railroad in North Carolina.
Who ended the Underground Railroad? ›On January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation liberating slaves in Confederate states. After the war ended, the 13th amendment to the Constitution was approved in 1865 which abolished slavery in the entire United States and therefore was the end of the Underground Railroad.
Is Underground Railroad Based on a true story? ›
Whilst the novel and the series isn't entirely based on a true story, the network itself was very much a real thing and helped hundreds of thousands of slaves escape.
What happened to slaves if they were caught escaping? ›One of the most powerful ways an enslaved person could resist was to run away. Running away carried heavy risks. If runaways were caught, they would be physically punished, usually by whipping, and might be made to wear chains or handcuffs to prevent them from running again.
How many slaves were freed by the Underground Railroad? ›Although estimates of the number of people who escaped through the Underground Railroad between 1820 and 1861 vary widely, the figure most often cited is approximately 100,000.
How often did slaves run away? ›Thousands of slaves fled bondage each year in the decades before the Civil War. The most frequent calculation is that around one thousand per year actually escaped. Some runaways sought a brief respite from slavery or simply wanted to reach family and friends.
Why did slaves run away? ›Slaves might attempt to run away for a number of reasons: to escape cruel treatment, to join a revolt or to meet with friends and families on neighbouring plantations. Families were not necessarily kept together by those who bought and sold them. Planters did not hesitate to sell slaves regardless of their family ties.
How many people survived the Underground Railroad? ›Although estimates of the number of people who escaped through the Underground Railroad between 1820 and 1861 vary widely, the figure most often cited is approximately 100,000.
How did Harriet escape slavery? ›Tubman used various methods and paths to escape slavery and to go back and rescue others. She relied on trustworthy people, Black and white, who hid her, told her which way to go, and told her who else she could trust. She used disguises; she walked, rode horses and wagons; sailed on boats; and rode on real trains.
Who was the most important person in the Underground Railroad? ›Our Headlines and Heroes blog takes a look at Harriet Tubman as the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. Tubman and those she helped escape from slavery headed north to freedom, sometimes across the border to Canada.
Who was one who wanted to free the slaves? ›President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
What were Harriet's last words? ›She died surrounded by loved ones on March 10, 1913, at approximately 91 years of age. Her last words were, “I go to prepare a place for you.”
Why was Harriet's dad free? ›
Tubman's father was free due to manumission.
Manumission was the legal term used when slaves were freed from their owners. Ben Ross, Tubman's father, was freed in 1840. Her mother had a different form of manumission—term slavery—and she was supposed to be freed by the age of 45.
Harriet Tubman's favorite color was Orange, as it gave her strength.
How long did it take Harriet to free the slaves? ›Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad's "conductors." During a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom.
How many slaves did Harriet save? ›Myth: Harriet Tubman rescued 300 people in 19 trips. Fact: According to Tubman's own words, and extensive documentation on her rescue missions, we know that she rescued about 70 people—family and friends—during approximately 13 trips to Maryland.
Why did Harriet leave her husband behind? ›She left her husband behind when she escaped to freedom.
He believed it was too risky. When she did come back for him five years later, she discovered that he had remarried. Harriet later went on to marry Nelson Davis, who she met after John's death, and the two lived together for 19 years until Davis' death.
Although much of Harriet is historically accurate, there exists a handful of instances where it strays from facts. The film invented three main characters that never existed in real life: Gideon Brodess, Marie Buchanan, and Bigger Long.
What is Eliza gasping at? ›The rationale of The Gasp might be as grim and straightforward as this: Eliza gasps because she dies. She joins her husband, her son, and all of the other musical's characters on "the other side," the musical's recurring euphemism for what comes after death.
Who does Eliza see at the end? ›Other times, the gasp represented her reuniting with her husband Alexander Hamilton in the afterlife. “Night to night it was different. But yes, the character of Eliza sees Hamilton or sees that legacy or sees that orphanage,” she said.
Why did Eliza forgive? ›Due to Eliza's unconditional love for Alexander, she's able to forgive him. Plus, Eliza needs her husband more than ever - emotionally and physically - upon the tragic death of their first-born, Philip.
Why does Hamilton marry Eliza? ›The entire Schuyler family revered Alexander as a young political genius. As for Alexander, it is possible that he considered marrying Elizabeth for her family's money and status, for the Schuylers were one of the most influential families in the state of New York.
Did Eliza break the fourth wall? ›
As the very last notes of “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” fade away, Eliza seemingly breaks the fourth wall as she gazes out into the audience, and then places her hands over her heart and delivers a joyful, shocked gasp.
Why does Eliza wear blue? ›Introduced to the pale colour of Eliza's gown, with only the ribbon of her signature blue, dark in contrast to her previous eggshell blue, it serves to show the audience that she has been drained of colour, and thus, in everything that represents Eliza - hope, trust, compassion, love and understanding.
Does Harriet have a happy ending? ›The final act makes you cry and is amazing to watch. It takes up those feelings with the characters and the struggles they face and delivers a happy ending. A happy ending that feels nice to the viewer. The main character defeats the villain and it ends with all the good stuff that happened to the main character.
Is Harriet the spy? ›Book details
Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands.
At the very end of the movie, we see Harriet two years into the Civil War, giving a speech to a battalion of black soldiers in a prelude to the Combahee River Raid, where she led a group of 150 soldiers in an expedition to destroy Confederate supply lines and rescue about 750 fugitive slaves.
What was the Underground Railroad quizlet? ›What was the Underground Railroad? - A system of trails and people who assisted slaves in escaping to the North and Canada. - There were conductors (guides), passengers (slaves), stationmasters (people who had safe houses), and stockholders (people who supplied slaves with food and clothes).
What was the Underground Railroad quizlet Chapter 10? ›The Underground Railroad was a system of railroad tracks that took slaves as far as the North and Canada. The Underground Railroad had a leader someone to lead the slaves to free territories.
What was the Underground Railroad terms? ›Using the terminology of the railroad, those who went south to find enslaved people seeking freedom were called “pilots.” Those who guided enslaved people to safety and freedom were “conductors.” The enslaved people were “passengers.” People's homes or businesses, where fugitive passengers and conductors could safely ...
How many slaves did Harriet Tubman free? ›Myth: Harriet Tubman rescued 300 people in 19 trips. Fact: According to Tubman's own words, and extensive documentation on her rescue missions, we know that she rescued about 70 people—family and friends—during approximately 13 trips to Maryland.
How did Harriet Tubman fight against slavery? ›Tubman used various methods and paths to escape slavery and to go back and rescue others. She relied on trustworthy people, Black and white, who hid her, told her which way to go, and told her who else she could trust. She used disguises; she walked, rode horses and wagons; sailed on boats; and rode on real trains.
What caused the Underground Railroad? ›
The Underground Railroad was established to aid enslaved people in their escape to freedom. The railroad was comprised of dozens of secret routes and safe houses originating in the slaveholding states and extending all the way to the Canadian border, the only area where fugitives could be assured of their freedom.
What is the main message of the Underground Railroad? ›The Underground Railroad—the resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, through the end of the Civil War—refers to the efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage.
What was the Underground Railroad Why was it so important? ›The underground railroad, where it existed, offered local service to runaway slaves, assisting them from one point to another. Farther along, others would take the passenger into their transportation system until the final destination had been reached.
What is Chapter 4 about in the Underground Railroad? ›“Chapter 4: The Great Spirit” is a look into Arnold Ridgeway's upbringing and the spiritual ideology he contends with, but also a short story about the first time he helped catch a runaway. The idea of the Great Spirit that young Ridgeway seems to be obsessed with has been inherited from his father.
What was Harriet Tubman's role on the Underground Railroad explain? ›Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad's "conductors." During a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom. And, as she once proudly pointed out to Frederick Douglass, in all of her journeys she "never lost a single passenger."
What is the summary of Harriet Tubman conductor on the Underground Railroad book? ›Harriet Tubman was born in slavery and dreamed of being free. She was willing to risk everything—including her own life—to see that dream come true. After her daring escape, Harriet became a conductor on the secret Underground Railroad, helping others make the dangerous journey to freedom.
When did slavery end? ›Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.
What were some secret codes in the Underground Railroad? ›| Agent | Coordinator, who plotted courses of escape and made contacts. |
|---|---|
| Heaven | Canada, freedom |
| Stockholder | Those who donated money, food, clothing. |
| Load of potatoes | Escaping slaves hidden under farm produce in a wagon |
| Moses | Harriet Tubman |
She was the first woman to lead a military expedition. Harriet's code name was Moses because she successfully achieved this mission for the Union, time and time again. She never once lost a slave while helping them escape.