Underground Railroad
Curriculum Guide
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FREEDOM’S JOURNEY IN SOUTH LOUISIANA
AMERICAN TIMELINE
1619 — A Dutch ship brings twenty enslaved Africans to Jamestown, Virginia.
1775 — The American Revolution begins.
1776 — The Declaration of Independence is signed.
1787 — Congress passes the “three-fifths compromise” allows Southern states to count
three-fifths of enslaved population to determine representation in the House of
Representatives.
1787 — The Northwest Ordinance bars slavery in the Northwest Territories.
1791 — Haitian Revolution is led by Toussaint L’Overture.
1808 — Federal law ends the importation of enslaved people to the U.S.
1820 — The Missouri Compromise prohibits slavery north of the 36” 3’ latitude.
1830 — Two million enslaved Africans are in the U.S., or 18.1% of the American
population
1839 — The African Cinque leads a mutiny on the AMISTAD slave ship.
1850 — Fugitive Slave Act is passed. Runaways can be returned from free states to slave
states.
1850 — California admitted to the Union as a Free State, but leaves question of slavery
open in Utah and New Mexico Territories.
1831 — Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher from Virginia leads a rebellion.
1838 — Frederick Douglass escapes to New York at the age of 21.
1838 — Sojourner Truth dedicates her life to fighting for freedom.
1849 — Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland.
1851 — Harriet Tubman makes her first trip back to the South to lead nine African
Americans to freedom.
1857 — The Dred Scott Decision decides Congress has no authority to outlaw slavery
and denies citizenship rights to blacks.
1860 — Abraham Lincoln elected president. Seven states secede from the Union and
form the Confederacy.
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1861 — April 21st, the Civil War begins.
1862 — Robert Smalls escapes from South Carolina and delivers the gunboat “The
Planter” to the Union.
1863 — January 1st, the Emancipation Proclamation is signed; only ending slavery in
Confederate states. Technically frees 3,000,000 enslaved persons.
1864 — Booker T. Washington learns he is free.
1865 — April 9th, the Civil War ends.
1865 — June 19th, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learn that they are free. The first
Juneteenth holiday is celebrated.
1865 — December 18th, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is enacted,
outlawing slavery in the United States.
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LOUISIANA TIMELINE
1708
First Africans brought to Louisiana Territory.
1719-1820
Louisiana Colonial Period; 70% of the enslaved African are from Senegal.
1724
Louis XV, King of France, decides to enact the Code Noir in Louisiana
1745
Jean Batiste Pointe DuSable is born in Haiti, escapes to New Orleans, becomes
founder of Chicago
1784
San Malo lives as a maroon for forty years in the swamp below New Orleans.
1795
Pointe Coupee Conspiracy involves whites, free people of color and blacks
1803
The Louisiana Purchase; 18 states included in the sale
1810
Tom Wilson tells of his escape from New Orleans to Liverpool, England
1811
Slave revolt in St. John the Baptist Parish involves over 500 enslaved Africans
1841
Mutiny on the vessel “Creole” enroute from Hampton, Virginia to New
Orleans.
1855
Solomon Northrup gets his freedom after twelve years enslaved in Bunkie,
Louisiana.
1860
Octave Johnson escapes from St. James Parish and becomes a member of Corps
d’ Afrique.
1861
April 21st, Civil War begins; Louisiana secedes from the Union.
1862
May 1st, Union soldiers occupy New Orleans; September 27th, 1st Regiment of
Native Guards mustered
1862
Runaways from nearby plantations become “contraband” and help build Fort
Butler in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.
1863
Alexander Kenner of Ascension Parish tells story of his family’s freedom
1863
“Gordon” escapes from Mississippi and finds freedom in Baton Rouge.
1863
More than half of the regiments of the Native Guards are fugitive slaves who
fight for freedom at the Battle of Port Hudson, Milliken’s Bend and the Battle
of Fort Butler
1865
Civil War Ends
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About This Guide
In 2001 the River Road African American Museum became a
recognized facility and member of the National Underground Railroad
Network to Freedom. The River Road African American Museum and
Gallery is pleased to present this illustrated teacher’s guide, Freedom’s
Journey in South Louisiana which can be used in the classroom before
or after fieldtrips to the River Road African American Museum. The
guide can be used as a supplement to Louisiana History and Social
Studies lesson plans. Students will learn about the African American
experiences of the Underground Railroad in south Louisiana.
The teacher’s guide begins with a timeline tracing the arrival of the first
enslaved Africans in the U.S. in 1619, following key events, successful
and attempted escapes of runaways, to the abolishment of slavery and
the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. Freedom’s Journey in South
Louisiana is written for teachers and students, grades 5 – 12. After a
review of the sections in the guide, teachers can modify their approach
as appropriate to their students’ grade level. The guide includes a
suggested reading list, bibliography, vocabulary list, maps, pictures,
related websites, and illustrations. The guide includes Reading
Comprehension, Math, Geography exercises and technology activities.
Why learn about the Underground Railroad
In Louisiana?
Many students throughout the United States learn about the
Underground Railroad while in elementary school. Most of the
students who visit the River Road African American Museum are no
different. The mention of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass
brings the subject immediately to mind and hands are raised in
excitement to answer questions. Students know that the Underground
Railroad was not really a railroad and that it was not actually
underground. However, if you go beyond that to ask questions about
“freedom stories” in Louisiana, you’ll find that much like the
Underground Railroad movement itself, Louisiana stories of resistance
are hidden in secrecy and mystery. The stories are deeply buried in
scattered, obscured and non-traditional sources. Family histories
describe tales of escape, and personal quests for freedom. Pre-Civil
War newspapers feature thousands of runaway ads, letters and diaries
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of slaveholders often reference runaways. Post-Civil War interviews of
former enslaved people were recorded and published in the 1920s and
1930s and deserve careful observation by teachers and students.
The spirit of self-sacrifice for the cause of freedom and democracy has
always been present in the history of African Americans. The fight to
end slavery and the struggle for freedom ran deep in the hearts of the
enslaved Africans in Louisiana as elsewhere in the country. These
sacrifices and triumphs are evident within the freedom stories of the
Underground Railroad documented in this teacher’s guide.
Stories of the Underground Railroad are mixed with historical facts and
embedded with myths and legends. Stories typically focus on
abolitionist, conductors, and helpless fugitives. Assumptions are that
the only successful escapes were those organized by abolitionist who
helps runaways reach their destinations in the North and Canada.
However, close examination of the documented in Louisiana and recent
scholarly research shows that the Africans were seeking freedom in
every direction – North, South, East and West.
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The Fight for Freedom
The Underground Railroad was the name given to the system designed for
helping enslaved people escape from slavery along secret routes by land and
sea to the free states in the North and eventually to freedom and safety in
Canada. The Underground Railroad originated in the South and while most
destinations were to the North, Mexico, and the Caribbean, native swamps
and nearby urban cities were sometimes destinations. Escapes from
Louisiana plantations were frequent and successful, as many sought refuge
with the help of Native Americans in the cypress swamps. These bayou
camps were called maroon communities. “Conductors” were persons who
secretly transported or led runaways to freedom. “Stations” were places along
the route where escapees were sheltered and hidden, usually during the
daytime. There were hundreds of conductors and stations that comprised the
Underground Railroad, which usually operated at night, in assisting fugitives
to reach their destination.
Picture of
Harriet
Tubman here
with family to
freedom
There were black and white conductors who risked their lives to escort
enslaved people to freedom. Harriet Ross Tubman, the greatest conductor of
the Underground Railroad, led over three hundred people to freedom. This
courageous African woman escaped from slavery and dared to return to her
former owner’s plantation to help others escape to freedom. Tubman was
born into enslavement during the early 1800s in Bucktown, Dorchester
County, Maryland to Ben and Harriet Green Ross. The date of her birth is
unknown. In 1844, she married John Tubman, a free man, but could not
convince him to run away with her. In 1849, Harriet and two of her brothers
decided to escape but the brothers became frightened and turned back and left
her in the woods. She walked by night and hid by day until she reached
Pennsylvania and freedom (Afro American Encyclopedia, pp. 2650-2653).
However, Tubman was not satisfied only with gaining her freedom. She
decided to dedicate herself to rescuing her family and everyone else in her
power to save. She helped motivate enslaved people to want to be free and
seek their freedom by escaping from slavery. She would take her revolver
and tell them, “you’ll be free or die.” It worked. During a span of ten years,
she made nine trips below the Mason-Dixon Line and brought to freedom
more than three hundred slaves. She was called “Moses” because like Moses
of the Bible, she helped deliver the people from slavery to freedom. Tubman
never captured and never lost a case. She once said, “I nebber run my train
off the track and I nebber lost a passenger.” (Afro American Encyclopedia,
pp. 2650 -2653). She was a mighty warrior who performed great feats to free
many Africans from enslavement. She was a great heroine who dedicated her
life to the cause of freedom and the abolition of slavery.
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Where Did Enslaved Africans Come From?
In the fifteenth century, Africa was invaded and exploited by Europeans for gold,
minerals, natural resources, and slave labor. Various regions of the west coast of Africa
were labeled Gold Coast, Ivory Coast, Grain Coast and Slave Coast, which designated the
types of riches to be exploited. In 1884, under colonization, Africa was divided into
many political colonial regions by the Europeans in order to facilitate political
domination and economic exploitation.
Between 1520 and 1860, an estimated 12 million African men, women, and children were
forcibly captured and brought to the New World as slaves by Europeans. The largest
slave traders were the British, Portuguese, Spanish and French, but Dutch, Swedish and
German merchants also participated. Along the wretched journey across the Atlantic,
thousands of Africans died from disease or suicide, or were killed by slave-traders. The
Middle Passage is the name given to the cruel and horrific journey of enslaved Africans,
who were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the Americas.
For almost 300 years (1619-1865), many generations of African people that were brought
to North America were confronted with learning how to adapt and survive away from
their homeland. Under chattel slavery, human beings were reduced to the level of
material property and bought and sold in the market place like animals. In this way, their
labor could be more effectively exploited for economic gain by slaveholders and for
development of the industrial and agricultural economy of the country. This was a tragic
period in American history for it meant that some people were willing to enslaved other
people and cultures, primarily for economic gain.
Scholars have found that many of the Africans who were enslaved in Louisiana, including
the Bambara, Maninga, Wolof, Fulani, Fulbe, and Nard, came from the Senegambia area
on the coast of Africa. The plantations along the River Road used the skills of these
Africans primarily in the cultivation of rice and sugarcane. Other Africans who were
brought to Louisiana, including the Ado, Chamba, Fon, Ibo, Hausa, Mina, and Yoruba,
from the Bight of Benin (Togo, Benin, Nigeria), and the Congo, Angola, and Sango, from
the central African countries of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire),
and Angola. The Africans who were brought to America were selected largely because of
their agricultural and technological knowledge and skills.
The institution of slavery did not destroy all elements of African culture or the legacy of
the African survivors and their descendants. For examples, the Louisiana word gumbo,
is derived from the gumbo, is derived from the African (Congo) word ngumbo, which
means “okra” and is the name given to the famed Louisiana dish called “Gumbo”. Rice,
yams, peas, cotton, and other crops were also brought to America from Africa during the
slave trade. Enslaved Africans also used their creativity and ingenuity to create a “new”
culture which enabled them to survive the oppressive system of slavery which included
punishment, laborious work, slave breeding, sexual exploitation, and separation of
families.
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How the Underground Railroad Got Its Name
Evidence is unclear when the “underground” began; however, Henrietta Buck
master, author of Let My People Go, asserts that the first fugitive slave who asked
for help from a member of his own race or the enemy race drove the first stake in
that ‘railroad’ (Buck master 1992: 11). One of the earliest recorded “organized”
escapes may have occurred in 1786 when Quakers in Philadelphia assisted a group
of refugees from Virginia to freedom (Blockson 1984: 9; Siebert 1896: 460). One
year later, Isaac T. Hopper, a Quaker teenager, “began to organize a system for
hiding and aiding fugitive slaves.” Soon, several towns in Pennsylvania and New
Jersey offered assistance to runaways (Haskins 1993:9). Organized flight became
evident in 1804 when General Thomas Boudes, a revolutionary officer of
Columbia, Pennsylvania, aided and then refused to surrender a runaway bondsman
to the owner (Buckmaster 1992: 23). By the 1830s, participation in furtive
activity increased, and abolitionists recognized the underground as an effective
weapon of attack against human bondage.
In 1831, the popularity of the railroad train coupled with legendary flights of
certain runaways introduced the name for the underground movement.
Supposedly, the term Underground Railroad originated when an enslaved
runaway, Tice Davids, fled from Kentucky and may have taken refuge with John
Rankin, a White abolitionist, in Ripley, Ohio. Determined to retrieve his property,
the owner chased Davids to the Ohio River, but Davids suddenly disappeared
without a trace, leaving his owner bewildered and wondering if the slave had
“gone off on some underground road.” The success of Davids’ escape soon spread
among the enslaved on southern plantations (Stein 1981: 5—10; Hamilton 1993:
53-56).
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RUNAWAY ADS (from South Louisiana)
[7/3/1828]
7/7/1828]
7/12/1828]
7/26/1828]
$20 REWARD
$50 REWARD
$40 REWARD
RUNAWAYS
Ran away from Plantations
at the English Turn, the
following slaves:
Runaway from the
subscriber’s plantation, five
miles below 7/7/1828]
EDMOND
M’KINSEY, carpenter, a
$50 REWARD
Runaway from the
Subscriber on the 12 instant,
a mulatto man named
DORSEY, aged about 25
years, 5 feet 9 inches high,
stout built, has black
whiskers, and it is probable
is in possession of forged
pass of free papers. The
above reward will be paid
for his delivery here if taken
without, and 20 dollars if
within, the State.
I.L. M’Coy
June 20
(Courier, July 29, 1828)
From the Plantation of Mr.
J.B. Moussier, at Grand
Terre, Barataria, in the
Parish of Jefferson, the
following Slaves to wit:
SAWNEY, negro man,
about 50 years old, size 5
feet 2 inches French
measure. JOHN, negro man,
50 years, slender made, 5
feet 6 inches, French
measure. JAMES, or
JACKSON HARDING,
negro man, 30 years, squat
thick made, 5 feet, French
measure. ROBERT, or
BOB, negro man, 20 years
old, red complexion, 5 ft. 5
inches, French measure.
SALLY, negro woman, 30
years, slender made 4 feet 8
inches, French measure.
The said slaves can speak
but English, and took away a
skiff of the plantation. H.F.
Faucher, Overseer
July 26
(Courier, July 29, 1828)
tall slender negro, very dark,
about 25 years old, 5 feet 11
inches high, pleasant
countenance, PETER
MASON, brick layer and
field hand, about 35 years
old, 5 feet 8 inches high,
very sullen countenance.
These two negroes are no
doubt in the company and in
the city. Also two girls, one
named CHRISTEEN,
about 17 years old, of dark
yellow color, slender made,
had on when she felt the
plantation, a light blue and
white cottanade dress,
HESTER, about 14 years
old, very black and slender
made. A reward of $5 will
be paid for the securing of
any one of the above slaves
or $20 of the four.
Saml. P. Morgan & Co.
July 3
(Courier, July 29, 1828)
Runaway from the three
following slaves; DANIEL,
aged about 35 years, 6 feet
high, robust and walking
with difficulty. GABRIEL
and EDMUND, sambos
aged about 28 years 6 feet
high, brought lately to this
country by Messrs Wodlfolk
& Robinson. It seems,
agreeably to information
received, that they were in
company with a white man,
and that they have been
received on board of a
steamboat going up and
which stopped in front of
said plantation, at about
three o’clock in the morning
of the 7th instant.
The captain of the said
steamboat is requested to
give all information in his
power, either on the person
who would have shipped
said slaves, or in the place
where they have been
landed. The above reward
shall be given to any person
who shall have them
apprehended, so that I may
have them again.
A.M. Turead
July 28
(Courier, July 29, 1828)
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Reading Comprehension Activity
Freedom Story 1
Tom Wilson: born 1813, age 45
Interviewed: 1858
Enslaved: Mississippi and Louisiana
Skills: Cotton presser and Fireman
Escaped: New Orleans to Liverpool, England (across the Atlantic Ocean)
Picture of man
with iron collar
On a Saturday afternoon, a fugitive slave arrived in Liverpool from New Orleans where he had
stowed away in the hold of a cotton ship. The following is his story taken down as the narrative fell
from his lips. This narrative appeared in the Liverpool Albion, February 20, 1858.
My name is Tom Wilson, I arrived here in a ship called the Metropolis, Captain Foster. I am I am slave
born; I have been under bondage ever since I was born. I am now forty-five years old. I belonged to Mr.
Henry Fastman, of New York (New Orleans), cotton presser. I was under him for a space of seven years.
Before that, I belong to Colonel Barr of Woodford, Mississippi. There I had a wife and three children,
besides which having a child who died. I was sold by auction, by Major Baird’s auctioneer for $2,400, and
was taken down to New Orleans, away from my wife and children, and haven’t seen them since. Shortly
after I got there, Mr. Fastman’s overseer, Burke, commenced to ill-use me. I didn’t understand tying the
cotton; it was new to me, and I was awkward, so I was flogged. They used to tie me down across the cotton
bale, and give me 200 to 300 with a leather strap. I am marked with the whip from the anklebone to the
crown of my head. Some years before I was sold down from Mississippi, the overseer there, because I
resisted punishment once, cut my right arm across the muscle, and then had it stitched up. He did that, as
he said, to weaken me, because I was too strong in the arm.
About a year and a half after I had been in New Orleans, I ran into the woods. I was followed by Burke
and a pack of bloodhounds into the Braddenrush Swamp. The dogs soon caught me. They tore my legs and
body with their teeth. Here are the marks yet (As he spoke he turned up his trouser’s legging, and exposed
formidable seams, extending up the calf and above the knee joint.) Burke rode up to me with his gun, and
shot me in the hip with 14 buck-shot which can be seen and examined at any time. The dogs continued to
pin me with their teeth.
After that I knowed nothing about what they did with me for about a week. When I got a little strong,
they burned my back with a red-hot iron, and my legs with strong turpentine, to punish me for escaping.
They put an iron collar around my neck, which I wore for eight months, besides two irons on each leg.
After that I was watched very closely; but one night, about a week after Christmas, I ran away, and hid
myself under the saw-dust, in a sawmill pit, below New Orleans. I was followed by Burke, the overseer, and
the dogs, but they did not find me. I crept out, and ran away, for more safety, to the Great Salt water lake,
behind Orleans, secreting myself under the bushes and vines. There are alligators in that lake, and, as I
waded up to the knees in the water, the alligators followed me, grunting and bellowing, and trying to get
me. I had several times to climb up the trees to escape them; but I felt safer among the alligators than
among the white men. In the morning, at four o’clock, I went down the wharf.
On the road I came across some of the men who were out watching for me, with guns and dogs. It was
just getting light. I began to whistle and sing and walked close by them, and they paid no attention to me.
When I got down to the wharf, some of the coloured crew of the American cotton ship Metropolis took me
on board, and hid me away among the bales. One of the coloured men split on me, and there was a search
for me that day; but they did not find me, and I trembled to think I should be taken back and tortured. I was
frightened, too, for the coloured men who had befriended me.
I was kept out of sight of white men, and Captain Foster did not know anything about it until after the
men had been paid off at Liverpool. I remained hid from a week after Christmas until about three weeks
ago, when the ship came here. During the time I was secreted, I was kept alive by the coloured men, who
had been so good to me. They brought me something to eat and drink every night. When I first landed
where I could, I was frightened at every white man I passed, and I hid myself about where I could, and
begged at night for bread. I was afraid that I would be taken into slavery again. I did not know I could not
be a slave here. (Blassingame, pp338-340)
Tom Wilson told the recorder of this narrative that he would be glad to be a fireman aboard a coasting steamer. While he was
in n slavery, he reported that he had been hired out as a fireman on one of the lake steamers. He said he could do the work
very well, and could stand any amount of heat.
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Picture here
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Reading Comprehension Activity
Freedom Story 1
Read the following story and answer the questions below.
1. How many times did Tom Wilson run away before reaching freedom?______
2. Would you try to run away to freedom? If yes, ____why? If no, ____why not?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Who helped Tom Wilson get his freedom?_____________________________
4. What would it be like living in the swamp with alligators?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Draw a picture below depicting something you read in the story below.
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Reading and Math Activity
Freedom Story 2
Alexander Kenner: Louisiana
Interviewed: 1858
Enslaved: Ashland Belle Helene Plantation
Ascension Parish
Skills: Race Horse Trainer
Mother manumitted and purchased freedom of her children.
Picture of Ashland
Belle Helene
The following story is from an interview conducted in Kentucky by the Freedmen’s Inquiry
Commission. This account is published in Slave Testimony, Two Centuries of Letters,
Speeches, Interviews, and Autobiographies, edited by John Blassingame and can also be
found in Our Roots Run Deep by Dr. Thomas J. Durant.
Mr. Kenner said he was born in Louisiana. His father was the Hon. George R. Kenner. His father had
seven children by his mother, and then married a white woman, but told his mother she might go away.
She went away and took with her four of her children. Another was subsequently born. Mr. Kenner
intended to make her free, but did not give her free papers. They went to St. Louis, and the mother worked
for several years at washing, and the (Alexander) carried out the clothes. She throve exceedingly well.
After seven years, Mr. George Kenner sold out the plantation, with all its rights to his brother, Hon.
Duncan F. Kenner, and his mother bought three of her children, including Alexander, for $1,800. The
oldest brother had remained on the plantation, and became valuable to Mr. Kenner as a rider of his race
horses, and he would not let him go. They were very anxious indeed to buy him, and having prospered,
they offered Mr. Kenner $2,000 for him, which he refused to take. The mother, in the mean time, had
rented some apartments and furnished them, and let them out to single men, and made a great deal of
money. When she died, she was 53 years old, and her property was appraised at $7,000. He and his
brothers wanted Mr. Kenner to sell their oldest brother to them, but he had become valuable to him there
as a trainer of race horses, and therefore he said he would not sell him unless they would give him the
whole of the mother’s property. Alexander would not consent to this, but the other brothers were
exceedingly anxious to have their oldest brother, and they offered to give their shares, amounting to
$2,500, for his freedom; but the master insisted that besides this, the brother should serve three years, at
$15 a month, to pay the balance, so that the whole amount would be $3,400—and he a millionaire. When
the mother died, this Kenner got himself made executor, and the three children being under age, he
received the property. When Alexander became of age, he demanded his share, but Kenner refused it to
him, then Alexander sued him in the court, and recovered the amount. Alexander had gone before this to
the plantation, and offered to give Mr. Kenner all his share if he would free William, but he wouldn’t do so.
Besides, William was very much devoted to his master. He lingered on the plantation, and felt himself
bound to remain until he had paid all the money which he had agreed to. When the war broke out,
Alexander came away; William is still on the plantation.
On most of the plantations, the blacks have small patches of land, which they fence in, and take a great
deal of care of. They raise poultry and hogs, and take the money they get from the sale of these to buy
themselves tea, clothes and little comfort and are very fond of dressing out in their clothes to go to the log
churches. They are so anxious to make money that they work upon their land at night. On the Kenner
plantation where he lived, he has known to raise a thousand dozen chickens in a year, but the master
obliged them to sell the chickens to him, instead of selling them to the huckster, because he wanted to know
how much money they had, and didn’t want them to have too much; and besides, he wanted to get the
advanced price from the hucksters. He would give them twenty cents a pair, and sell them to the huckster
for thirty cents. The masters didn’t wish the slaves to accumulate any property, but to spend whatever they
got. Sometimes, however, they did accumulate property. He knew one man, old Cudjo, on a neighboring
plantation, who used to get him (Alexander) to come and count his dollars. He stated that he had counted
for him over five hundred silver dollars. Cudjo himself couldn’t count over thirty or forty, but nobody could
take any of the money without his knowing it, for he knew by the appearance or weight whether it was all
right or not, but he wanted to know the exact number. Duncan Kenner (1813-1887), was graduated from Miami
(Ohio) University in 1831 and, after traveling for four years in Europe, returned to his sugar plantation and horse-breeding
farm in Ascension Parish. He served several terms in the Louisiana legislature and represented the state in the Confederate
Congress. He had 473 slaves in 1860, DAB, X, 337-38; Slave Schedule, Ascension Parish, La., 1860, pp. 14-20, in Record
Group 29, NA.
15
Reading and Math Activity
Freedom Story 2
1. Why didn’t Mr. Kenner allow Alexander’s oldest brother, William, to leave
the plantation?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. Alexander’s mother purchased the freedom of her three children, including
Alexander, for $1800. How much did she pay for each child?_____________
3. Alexander’s mother was manumitted. What is manumission?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
4. Mr. Kenner wanted the oldest brother to serve him for three years at $15 a
month. How much was that time in work worth?___________________
5. How were the enslaved people on the Kenner plantation able to raise
money?___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
6. The master did not want the enslaved people to accumulate any property.
Why not?______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
7. In the story how did the old man, Cudjo, know how much money he had?
______________________________________________________________
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Freedom Story #3
Octave Johnson: born 1840
Interviewed: 1863
Enslaved: St. James Parish, Louisiana
Skills: Cooper, soldier
Escaped: Down river from St. James Parish to New Orleans
I was born in New Orleans. I am 23 years of age I was raised by Aurthur Thibou of
New Orleans, I am by trade a cooper. I was treated pretty well at home; in 1855 master
sold my mother, and in 1861 he sold me to S. Contrell of St. James Parish for $2,400;
here I worked by task at my trade. One morning the bell rung for me to go to work so
early that I could not see, and I lay still, because I was working by task, for this the
overseer was going to have me whipped, and I ran away to the woods, where I remained
for a year and a half, I had to steal my food, took turkeys, chickens and pigs; before I left
our number had increased to thirty of whom ten were women; we were four miles in the
rear of the plantation house; sometimes we would rope beef cattle and drag them out to
our hiding place; we obtained matches from our friends on the plantation; we slept on
logs and burned cypress leaves to make a smoke and keep away mosquitoes; Eugene
Jardean, master of hounds, hunted for us for three months; often those at work would
betray those in the swamp, for fear of being implicated in their escape; we furnished meat
to our fellow servants in the field, who would return corn meal; one day twenty hounds
came after me; I called the party to my assistance and we killed eight of the bloodhounds,
then we all jumped into the Bayou Fanfron; the dogs followed us and the alligators
caught six of them, “the alligators preferred dogs flesh to personal flesh,” we escaped
and came to Camp Parapet, where I was first employed in the Commissary office, then as
a servant to Col. Hanks, then I joined his regiment (Blassingame, pp.394—395).
Picture of
Octave and
Wife
17
Reading and Math Activity
Freedom Story 3
1. Write your definition of each of the words or phrases below from the
narrative:
I am by trade a cooper.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Working by task
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Master of hounds
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. In the narrative Octave Johnson stated that he was four miles in the rear of
the plantation house when they were hiding. Use the measurement table
below to compute your answer to each question.
Measurement Table
U.S. Customary System
Unit of Length Relation to other U.S. Customary Units
Inch
Foot
Yard
Rod
Furlong
Mile (statute)
1/12 foot
12 inches or 1/3 yard
36 inches
16 ½ feet or 5 ½ yards
220 yards or 1/8 mile
5,280 feet or 1,170 yards
Metric Equivalent
2.54 centimeters
0.30 meters
0.91 meters
5.03 meters
0.20 kilometers
2.54 centimeters
A.
Four miles is equivalent to how many kilometers? ________________
B.
Four miles is equivalent to how many feet? _____________________
C.
Four miles is equivalent to how many yards? ____________________
18
Freedom Story 4
Nancy Hall:
Interviewed: 1930
Escaped: Baton Rouge to Texas
The following narrative was recorded by Mattie K. Derry, one of the students of
Professor John B. Cade. Cade and several other professors from black colleges in
the South conducted interviews with former slaves.
I live at 729 Leigh Street, I’m eighty years old. I was born near Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, where I lived in a log cabin on a large plantation until we moved to Texas
forty years ago with my son and his family. I really did not know that we were free until
we moved from Louisiana. My son slipped us out of Louisiana some of his family at a
time until we all got away. How happy we were to get out of bondage. I belonged to
Marse George and Missus Mary Hall. I’ve never had been married. I had 12 children,
seven boys and five girls. I don’t know how many of my children or grandchildren still
survive, since we slipped away we were afraid to write back and have inquired but have
not heard from any of them. I’m quite sure that many of them slipped away as we did and
are now living in different parts of the country.
I was field hand. I worked very hard from sun to sun and was treated cruelly by the
overseer who would often whip the slaves just to hear us hollow, and when he had
company he would often ride through the plantation and call different slaves out of their
cabins, whip them and make them dance, cut capers for amusement for him and his
friends.
We did not learn to read or write because Marse George said “niggers didn’t need to
read or write, they would get too smart.” All we learned was taught to us by slaves from
more fortunate plantations.
19
Reading and Math Activity
Freedom Story 4
1. If this narrative was written in 1930, and Nancy Hall was 83 years old,
calculate the year of her birth.
_________________________________________________________________
2. How would you feel about having to leave your children and family, never
being able to see them again?
______________________________________________________________
3. If you had to work from sun up to sun down, how many hours in the day would
you work? __________________
20
Freedom Story 5
Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable: born 1745
Enslaved: Haiti
Skills: Businessman, Fur trader, Founder of Chicago
Escaped: Haiti to New Orleans to Illinois
A shipwreck that left him stranded in New Orleans was the start of a path
that would take DuSable on many adventures. In New Orleans, because of his
color, he was in danger of imprisionment as an escaped slave or of being sold
into slavery. He built a small boat and disappeared up the Mississippi River.
An Indian tribe befriended him and he stayed, learning their language and
customs. DuSable was a good businessman and trader. Traveling the Illinois
territory, he came upon a piece of land between two rivers and immediately
recognized that it would be a good area for business. He decided to settle
there and erected a house and then two barns, a dairy house, a mill and a
bakehouse. Others came and built homes in surrounding areas. This was to
become one the largest cities in the United States. Jean DuSable was the
founder of Chicago.
Some owned slaves…
Some were family….
Picture of Native
Americans &
African Americans
in sugarcane field
Native Americans
Native Americans like those who helped DuSable and other enslaved Africans in a
multitude of ways frequently became allies and collaborators against adversaries
who slave catchers. Some scholars believe that African contact with Native
Americans predated the arrival of the pilgrims’ Mayflower and Columbus’ Santa
Maria. A common bond developed between many African runaways and Native
American tribes. Native Americans oftentimes spared blacks during “massacres.”
Unity between the enslaved Africans and Native people strengthened when
colonists attempted to enslave the Native people. Consequently the two groups
resisted capture together, plotted together, helped one another to escape and
intermarried. Many of the Native people accepted the African people for their
knowledge of medicine, agriculture and technology. Many treaties were drafted
discouraging Native Americans from assisting Black fugitives. Most tribal chiefs
ignored the warnings. Cypress Swamps in Louisiana became a magnet for
runaway slaves and free blacks. Was DuSable’s adventure north before the
Louisiana Purchase or after?____________
21
INSERT MAP HERE OF
The LOUISIANA
TERRITORY AT THE
TIME OF THE
LOUISIANA PURCHASE
22
Geography Activity
Freedom Story 5
1. What are two states on the Atlantic Ocean that border free and slave states?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. How many territories were open to slavery?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. According to the map, how many slave states were there in 1861?
_________________________________________________________________
4. Looking at the map above, the majority of Underground Railroad routes
were in which direction?
_________________________________________________________________
5. Find the shortest route from New Orleans to freedom. Name the states that
you would travel through.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Freedom Story 6
The Mutiny on the Creole
Before the Civil War, African and African American slaves staged several
revolts both on land and at sea. Like the Amistad, the slaves on the Creole brig
staged a successful mutiny. This story of freedom began as the Creole set sail for
New Orleans, Louisiana from Hampton Roads, Virginia.
On November 7, 1841, the ship approached the Bahamas. An enslaved man
named Madison Washington, who worked as a cook on the Creole, was
discovered without permission in the main hold with the female slaves. The ship’s
first mate tried to arrest Washington, who resisted. As Washington escaped to the
deck, he called on his fellow slaves to rise up against the ship’s white crew.
Madison Washington successfully led 18 slaves in a mutiny. The revolting slaves
forced the white overseer, William Merritt, to steer the ship to Nassau, a British
port in the Bahamas. On arrival in the Bahamas, the Creole’s human cargo were
released, while the 19 who revolted were arrested.
23
United States Secretary of State, Daniel Webster demanded that the slaves be
returned to the U.S. for trial, all of the slaves, including those involved in the
mutiny, were allowed to remain free on the island. In which direction did the
men onboard the Creole travel to find their freedom? _________________
Type names of those set free.
PICTURE OF
CREOLE/
ARTICLE
24
Freedom Story #7
San Malo
In April of 1784, a runaway slave named San Malo buried his axe into a tree
and proclaimed “Woe to the white who would pass this boundary.” While other
slaves in North America escaped bondage through the Underground Railroad,
slaves around New Orleans disappeared into one of San Malo’s settlements, deep
in the swamps surrounding the Crescent City.
Runaways, or maroons, were attracted to San Malo’s settlements because they
were self-sufficient. They hunted, fished, grew their own food, and sometimes
stole provisions. These settlements were often in swampy areas and along bayous
and rivers in the vast, uncharted territory near Lake Borne. Often times, bounty
hunters looking for maroons had to travel in waist deep mud or along narrow
streams only wide enough for one pirogue.
Runaways constantly had to fight for their freedom from the law and the forces
of nature. The San Malo maroons often carried guns, hatchets, and knives. As
one runaway described it, “We maroons never walk about without arms, in case
we should pass some house on the road, and besides, since we are fugitives, we
have no other way to live except by eating the things we kill.”
VOCABULARY ACTIVITY
FREEDOM STORY #7
What is a maroon?
What is meant by bondage?
What is the difference between a fugitive and a runaway?
What is freedom and why is freedom important?
25
Freedom Story #8
1811 Slave Revolt
Late in the evening on January 8, 1811, a mulatto slave named Charles led a slave
revolt against Colonel Manuel Andry’s plantation, located just outside of New
Orleans. The rebels attacked the Andry family, wounding the Colonel and
murdering his son. After the attack, the slaves regrouped and began marching
southeast along the River Road towards New Orleans. The group burned and
looted plantations, recruiting more slaves at every stop.
White plantation owners heard of the uprising and began to organize. Colonel
Andry himself organized 80 local militia troops and vigilantes to hunt down the
rebels, numbering between 150 and 500 slaves. Meanwhile, other military troops
were dispatched from both New Orleans and Baton Rouge to help bring the
rebellion to an end.
On the morning of January 10th, white military forces pursued the rebels into a
nearby woods. The slaves were not well organized and were only armed with
cane knives, axes, hoes, and a few small guns. What followed was hardly a battle
at all; it was more of a mass execution. The next day Andry reported that the
revolt was completely broken and the leaders, including Charles Deslondes, had
all been killed or captured.
The captured slaves were tried and most were found guilty. The condemned were
shot, decapitated, and their heads placed on poles along the German Coast “as a
terrible example to all who would disturb the public tranquility in the future.” As
late as 1923, African Americans living in the German Coast were still telling the
legendary story of the rebels of 1811.
In which direction were the Africans traveling to find freedom in during the
1811 Slave Revolt? _____________
Would you still try to escape knowing that your life was in jeopardy if you
were caught? (Explain your answer.) _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
MAP OF RIVER ROAD SHOWING
PLANTATION COUNTRY
26
1811 Slave Revolt
The Honor Roll of Martyrs
Below are the names of some of those
who were killed for their participation in the uprising:
Charles (Deslondes*)
Joseph (Kenner & Henderson)
Jupiter (Andry)
Lindor (Kenner & Henderson)
Jean (Arnauld)
Jerry (Kenner & Henderson)
Thomas (Arnauld)
Smillet (Kenner & Henderson)
Augustin (Bernoudy)
Elisha (Kenner & Henderson)
Baptiste (Bernoudy)
Charles (Kenner & Henderson)
Simon (Botlair & Macoquion)
Major (Kenner & Henderson)
Cook (Brown)
Croaker (Kenner & Henderson)
Quamana (Brown)
Cupidon (Labranche)
Robaine (Brown)
Eugene (Labranche)
Daniel (Butler & McCutcheon)
Charles (Labranche)
Simeon (Butler & McCutcheon)
Janvier (Labranche)
Dawson (Butler & McCutcheon)
Louis (Madre)
Abraham (Butler & McCutcheon)
Apollon (Meullion)
Amar (Chabonnet)
Henri (Meullion)
Dagobert (Delhomme)
Francois (Picou)
Acara (Delhomme)
Nede (Trax)
Gros Lindor (Destrèhan)
Etienne (Trax)
Petit Lindor (Destrèhan)
Hypolyte (Trèpagnier)
Jasmin (Destrèhan)
Louis (Trèpagnier)
Chelemagne (Destrèhan)
Joseph (Trèpagnier)
Sam (Fortier)
Hippolite (Trèpagnier)
Harry (Kenner & Henderson)
Barthelemy (Trèpagnier)
Guaiu (Kenner & Henderson)
Charlot (Trèpagnier)
Nontoun (Kenner & Henderson)
*the slave owner or owners
27
Wilson Chinn
Wilson Chinn was about 60 years old at the
time of this photo. He was raised by Isaac
Howard of Woodford County, Kentucky.
When he was 21 years old, he was taken
down the river and sold to Volsey B.
Marrmillion, a sugar grower from San
Francisco Plantation in St. John the Baptist
Parish. This man traditionally branded his
slaves, and Wilson Chinn illustrates this
brand of “VBM” on his forehead. Of the 210
slaves that lived on this plantation, 105 left at
one time and came into the Union camp.
Thirty of them had been branded like cattle
with a hot iron, four of them on their
forehead, and the others on the breast or arm.
PICTURE OF
CHINN HERE
PICTURE OF SAN FRANCISCO PLANTATION
HERE
28
Runaway Slaves Risk Discovery
Runaway slaves risked discovery and capture all along the way. There
were slave hunters who earned their living tracking and bringing back
escaped slaves in exchange for the rewards slave owners were willing to
pay for the return of their valuable property. Local sheriffs, other slave
masters, and people who supported slavery, or simply believed they
should obey the fugitive slave laws, were always on the lookout for
runaways. Thus, runaways had to stay away from populated centers
and public roads, especially during the day. They traveled mostly at
night, spending days hiding out in swamps and forests and fields, often
owning nothing but the clothes on their backs.
PICTURE OF RUNAWAYS HERE
Most runaways were men whose ages ranged from 16 to 35 years. Similarly,
women and children escaped. However, compared to men, their numbers were
small since they were more likely to be captured. Runaways generally labored as
field hands and were most likely to endure harsh treatment form their owners. Men
and women escaped for some of the same reasons – long, grueling hours of
fieldwork, the lack of proper diet, the fear of beatings, and the horror of being sold
away from loved ones. Urban bondsmen seemed to do better than those on the rural
plantations since most of them worked as hired hands and personal servants. Still,
masters offered them little or no pay, restricted their movement, and provided them
poor living conditions. Although these inhumane conditions and treatment caused
many to flee, the desire for personal liberty played an important part in causing
most enslaved Africans to runaway in search of freedom.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITY
Have your students read Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon
Northrup. Have the students list in chronological order the
route from place to place of Solomon Northrup from his
capture, through enslavement, back to freedom.
29
Stereotype
1. Field slaves ran; house
slaves stayed put
because they were well
fed, well clothed, and
treated like members
of the family.
2. Humble, meek, goodhumored, inoffensive,
cheerful slaves never
or rarely ran—
industrious ones did
not.
3. Runaways sneaked out
alone, keeping their
guilty secret from their
closest associates.
4. Other slaves never
helped runaways.
Fact
1. All classes ran: domestics,
field hands, skilled
artisans, house and
domestic slaves—all!
2. Typical on this point is the
testimony of a Louisiana
master who lost three at
one time: number one was
very industrious, always
answered with a smile;
number two addressed
whites humbly and
respectfully; number three
was well-disposed and
industrious, very timid,
and spoke humbly, hat in
hand, to whites.
3. Runaways might be single
or in groups of two, three,
or a dozen; in a few
instances, more than fifty;
one Maryland case on
record, eighty in a group.
4. Other slaves often gave aid
to fugitives. The literate
wrote passes; when
detected, they, too, would
go. Slaves took food to
runaways; would accept
beatings rather than reveal
hiding places.
Steal away,
steal away,
steal away
home
I ain’t got
long to stay
here…
The
trumpet
sounds
within my
soul. I
ain’t got
long to stay
here.
What is a stereotype?
What is a fact?
30
VOCABULARY LIST
Abolition - the ending of the institution of slavery
Abolitionism - the promotion of ending slavery
Abolitionist - a person who opposes human bondage and calls for its elimination
African American – those of African heritage born in North America
Black – term used interchangeably to describe Africans or African Americans
Bondsmen/Women – a man or woman who is held in servitude as human property by
another
Chattel – a person held involuntarily as human property by another
Chattel slavery - a system in which an enslaved person is considered property
Code Noir – a set of laws and rules established by the French to regulate the activities of
the enslaved people
Conductor – Underground Railroad coded term for a person who assisted runaways to
freedom
Conspiracy – a secret plan between two or more people to do something harmful and
illegal
Contraband – property seized from the enemy; first used by Union soldiers to refer to
blacks taking refuge in Union camps
Cooper – a barrel maker
Creole – 1. a person descended from the original French settlers of Louisiana. 2. a
person of mixed heritage - African, French, Spanish and/or Native American 3. a
language that develops when different languages remain in contact with each other
Democracy – belief in the practice of the idea that all people are socially equal; rule by
the majority
Discourse – argument, conversation
Emancipate – to free from restraint, control, or the power of another
Emancipation – the freeing of a group of people
Enslavement – the forcing of people to work without pay and submit to the rules of
others
Enslave – to force one unwillingly into bondage
31
VOCABULARY LIST
Free Person of Color – a person of African descent who is not enslaved
Freedom – the condition of being free and unrestricted use
Fugitive Slave Act – federal laws (1793-1850) permitting federal and state officials and
private citizens to assist in the return of enslaved runaways. The 1850 law allowed the
recapture of all enslaved runaways, including those in free states
Griff – a person of mixed ancestry, part Native American, part African
Indentured servitude – a term used for service requiring a person to work four to seven
years
Infringe – to violate the rights of others
Insurrection – a revolt; an organized opposition to authority. During the colonial and
antebellum periods, the enslaved used the method of resistance to gain freedom.
Intrapreneurship – the hiring out of one’s services for minimal amounts of money.
Involuntary Servitude – to hold a person in bondage against their will
Louisiana Purchase – a territory of the western United States extending from the
Mississippi River to the river of the Rocky Mountains between the Gulf of Mexico and
the Canadian border. It was purchased from France on April 30, 1803, for $15 million
and officially explored by Louis and Clark expedition (1804-1806).
Manumission – the freeing of an enslaved person; to liberate from bondage
Maroon – a person who has run away from a plantation or a community of runaways;
derived from the Spanish term “cimmarron” that applied to enslaved runaways of the
West Indies who took refuge in the mountains. The word soon applied to runaways who
took shelter in the swamps, bayous, mountains, and forests.
Middle Passage – the long ocean journey between Africa, the
West Indies and America by enslaved Africans
Mulatto – a person with one white and one black parent; also a person of mixed white
and black ancestry, usually of brownish yellow complexion
Narrative – the part of a written body of work which recounts events
Plantation – an estate or farming property usually having 5 or more enslaved persons
Prejudice – a favoring or dislike of one over the other without good reason
32
VOCABULARY LIST
Radical – a political group that has policies of extreme change
Railways – Underground Railroad coded term for backroads, fields, waterways,
mountains, and swamps
Rebellion – oppositions and resistance to authority and one’s government
Resolution – a formal expression of opinion voted by an official group
Runaways – those enslaved persons who journeyed and sought personal freedom in
Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Maroon, and Native American societies
Seminoles – “runaway”
Stations – Underground Railroad coded term for a safe place of rest.
Stereotype – highly simplified belief or opinion about any person or group of people
Thirteenth Amendment – added to the U.S. Constitution December 6, 1865. Prohibits
legal slavery in the United States.
Transatlantic slave trade – enslavement and transporting of Africans into the European
colonies of the Americans and Caribbean from the 1500s 10 the early 1800s
Underground Railroad – an informal, secretive system of escape devised to assist
enslaved Blacks to freedom. It consisted of a loosely constructed network of routes that
originated in the South and ended in North of Canada. Escape routes also extended
Western territories, Mexico, Western Europe, and the Caribbean.
33