1. Refer back to Lincoln's view of slavery. Talk about what Lincoln saw that made him feel slavery was so very wrong. Read David A. Adler's book
A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman
or
Harriet Tubman
, by Matthew G. Grant. After the story discuss the treatment of slaves mentioned in the book. Discuss the events in Harriet's life that made her want to become free. Introduce the concept of the Underground Railroad and the definition of a "conductor." How did Harriet help her people gain their freedom? What other help did she provide in the Civil War and after? What was the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that was added after the Civil War?
2. Read another account of the Underground Railroad in
Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad
, by Marlene Targ Bull. This is a story about a young boy and his family who belonged to a religious group called the Society of Friends, or Quakers. Friends believed everyone was equal. This story deals with this boy, Allen Jay, and his relatives helping a runaway slave enroute to Canada. Talk about the danger this family, as well as other people helping in the Underground Railroad, were in. What were these dangers? Why were these people willing to endanger themselves and their families? What did they believe?
3. Read stories about slaves and their feelings and adventures trying to gain their freedom. A good source, based on a true event, is
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
, by Deborah Hopkinson. Another good story is
Follow the Drinking Gourd
, by Jeanette Winter. This story tells how a man named Reg Leg Joes taught slaves a song about a drinking gourd in the sky (the Big Dipper) and how this song could lead the way to freedom. These two stories provide the children with accounts of how strongly these slaves must have felt about their desire for freedom at any cost. On a map, trace the route in the story from the Ohio River to Lake Erie to Canada.
4. Have the children learn the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" found at the end of the book mentioned above.
5. Have the children look up other constellations. If possible, visit a planetarium. What other people use the constellations or stars in their life and in travel?
6. Discuss the history of Memorial Day. It is a legal holiday in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and most states. It is celebrated on either May 30th and the last Monday in May. The celebration of Memorial Day began around the Civil War era. A good source of this day's history is in
Our National Holidays
, by Karen Spies.
7. Another book of the Civil War era is
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
, by Faith Ringgold. This story is about a little girl who has lost her brother. He has gone back to the time when there were slaves. What do he and his sister learn about the slaves and their quest for freedom?
Resources:
Adler, David A.
A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln
. (New York: The Trumpet Club, 1989) (ISBN 044084746X).
Adler, David A.
A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman
. (New York: Scholastic, 1992) (ISBN 0590470175).
Bull, Marlene Targ.
Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad
. (Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1993) (ISBN 0876147767).
Grant, Matthew G.
Harriet Tubman, Black Liberator
. (Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1974) (ISBN 0871913097).
Hopkinson, Deborah.
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993) (ISBN 0679823115).
Livingston, Myra Cohn.
Abraham Lincoln: A Man for All the People
. (New York: Holiday House, 1993) (ISBN 0823410498).
Ringgold, Faith.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
. (New York: Scholastic, 1992) (ISBN 0590477811).
Spies, Karen.
Our National Holidays
. (Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1992) (ISBN 1562941097).
Winter, Jeanette.
Follow the Drinking Gourd
. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988) (ISBN 0394896947).