ESCAPE TO FREEDOM
(Escaping Slavery through the Underground Railroad)
for grades 4-6
by Sarah Medlong
Links by Dawn Albertson
This is a historical fiction story based upon a collection of accounts of people who have worked with the Underground Railroad. This is meant to describe what it might have been like to escape slavery through the Underground Railroad.
It's just not fair! It's just not right for one person to own another. I hate being a slave. They treat us like cattle. They think of as property, not human beings. Every time I turn around, it's "Mary, go press your master's shirts. You know how he gets mad if the collars aren't just so." "Mary, tend to the garden. If every single weed isn't pulled before sundown, I'll beat you within an inch of your life." "Mary, pick up that baby. If you don't stop her crying, you can be sure that when I am done with you, your crying will be a lot worse than hers."
What I want more than anything else in the world is freedom. Oh glorious freedom! Freedom from masters and beatings. Freedom to live where I want. Freedom to live and be treated as a human being.
The only way I could ever be free was if I ran away and escaped to the North. Oh, but if I ever got caught... Just a week ago master called all of us slaves on the plantation together. He said that if we ever ran away, we could be as sure as the sun will come up in the morning, he would hunt us down and catch us. We wouldn't even want to imagine what he would do to us. Why, I remember when Abe had to run into town to pick up something for the master, he came back thirty minutes late. Master beat him so hard... He couldn't move from his bed for two weeks. He has more scars on his body than I would have ever thought possible. But for freedom, I knew the risk was worth it.
I planned and planned for weeks. Finally, the night came when I made my escape. It was in the middle of the night, after the master had gone to bed. I slowly crept down the stairs, out the back door, and quickly into the barn. In the hay I had hidden a bundle. I knew that if I was to run away, I would have to change my appearance. First I took a pair of scissors and cut off my hair. Then I took a big jacket and used it to cover my figure. I wore a big hat to shade my face. If any of the slave catchers saw me, they wouldn't see a young, female slave. They would see a young man.
That night I ran as fast and far as I could. I wanted to put as much distance between me and that dreaded plantation. I never traveled through cities. I went through the country and the woods as much as possible. By doing this, I avoided crowds of people. I would always travel at night. Few people were out at night. Without the sunlight, it would be harder for the slave catchers to see me. I would look into the sky and look for the North Star. I used that to guide me to the north. When it was cloudy and I couldn't see the star, I could look at the trees in the woods. Everyone knew moss grew on the north side of the tree.
Many people who were part of the Underground Railroad would hide me during the day. They would feed me and give me clothes when mine wore out. You couldn't imagine the places there were to hide. There were secret cellars and closets, secret passageways in big houses. There was even one man who built a secret hiding place in his yard. From the outside, it looked a huge woodpile. On the inside, however, there was a tiny little room.
There were secret signals that were used, too. If I heard the sound of a man hooting like an owl, that meant that all was clear. It was safe for me to stay at his house. To gain entrance into certain houses, there was a secret knock that I had to use to alert the owners that I was there. Rap-rap-pause. Rap-pause. Rap-rap-pause.
There was one occasion where I almost got caught by a slave catcher. I was traveling through the woods when I heard him cry, "Hey you, stop! When I catch you, I'm going to drag your butt back and collect that $500 reward." I ran as quickly as possible. Suddenly I tripped over a fallen tree log. When I looked at it, I saw that it was hollowed out. I crawled in there and laid absolutely still. I heard the man stomp around just feet from where I was laying. Oh man was I scared. I lay there for five straight hours without budging an inch. I was so afraid that he would catch me.
My running and hiding went on for months and months and months. Soon, I lost track of time. I was getting so discouraged. Would I ever see freedom. Would I ever reach the North where I could stop running and live like a real human being? One day I reached the home of a man named Levi. "Levi, will I ever see freedom? How much farther to freedom?" I cried. "Child, have no fear. You are now in Ohio. This is a free state."
What? Had I heard right? I gave a loud shout and jumped up and down. "FREE AT LAST. FREE AT LAST. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, I'M FREE AT LAST!"
ESCAPE TO FREEDOM
WORKSHEET
- What is the name of the main character in the story?
- What did the master say would happen if a slave ran away?
- How did the main character change her appearance?
- There were many places for slaves to hide. Can you think of some other places that runaway slaves could hide?
- How would you feel if you were a slave? Would you want to escape to freedom?
- If you were a runaway slave, how would you act once you reached freedom?
Sarah Medlong
"Escape to Freedom" (Escaping Slavery through the Underground Railroad) Grades 4-6
Story Outline
I. It's not right for one person to own another.
II. I want freedom more than anything else in the world.
III. If I ran away, my master might catch me and severely beat me.
IV. Escape- changed my appearance to look like a boy.
V. Travel
A. Through the country and woods- never through the city
B. By night
- Used North Star to guide me
- Moss grows on north side of trees- used to guide me
VI. People who were a part of the UGRR hid me
-cellars, closets, hidden room in the middle of a woodpile
VII. Secret signals
-owl call, secret knock
VIII. Almost got caught by a slave catcher
-hid in a hollowed out tree for 5 hours
IX. Would I ever see freedom?
A. Levi Coffin's house in Ohio- free state
B. Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!
Suggested props:
scissors, big jacket, big hat, star
ANSWER KEY:
1. Mary
2. Hunt them down, catch them, get beat
3. Cut her hair, wore a big jacket to cover her figure, wore hat to shade her face
4. Answers may vary.
5. Answers may vary.
6. Answers may vary.
Sources:
own imagination based on information found in the following sources:
http://www.education.ucdavis.edu/new/stc/lesson/socstud/railroad/contents.htm
Coffin, Levi. The Reminiscences of Levi Coffin. Arno Press and The New York Times: New York, 1968.
Siebert, Wilbur H. The Underground Railroad: Slavery to Freedom. Russell and Russell: New York: 1967.
Still, William. The Underground Railroad. Arno Press and The New York Times: New York: 1968.