The Underground Railroad


Targets


The Underground Railroad was not really a railroad!  It did not have an engine and it certainly had no bells or whistles! 

It was a secret way to smuggle black slaves from America to freedom in Canada.


When you are finished this lesson, you will be able to...

  • tell what the Underground Railroad was
  • explain how the Underground Railroad worked
  • explain why was it necessary
  • explain what happened to people who helped runaway slaves
  • tell when was the Underground Railroad was no longer needed

Introduction




    Fugitive Slaves Fleeing From the Maryland Coast to an Underground Railroad Depot in Delaware," 1850, Peter Newark/American Pictures/Bridgeman Images via Thinkstock.

    Here is a riddle for today:

    What travels underground (but really doesn’t) and carries trains (but really doesn’t)?  You’ll know when you finish this lesson.