Teaching Youth America’s Legacy of Liberty Harriet Tubman – Vocabulary Worksheet Define the following in your own words. 1. Abolitionists 2. Conductor 3. Underground Railroad 4. Plantation 5. Fugitive Slave Act 6. “Minty” 7. Drinking Gourd 8. Stations 9. Package 10. Passenger 11. Moses 12. Bounty Harriet Tubman Vocabulary Worksheet – Answer Sheet *Teachers may also use the vocabulary as a matching exercise, fill in the blank, or writing the definition in the students’ own words. Define the following: 1. Abolitionists – people who were against slavery and worked to end it 2. Conductor – a guide; someone who helped escaped slaves get to the North 3. Underground Railroad -­‐ the secret system for slaves to escape to the North 4. Plantation – a large farm in the South that produced crops for money 5. Fugitive Slave Act – Congress passed this law in 1850. The law stated that anyone who was caught helping runaway slaves would be punished. 6. “Minty” – Harriet Tubman’s birth name was Araminta Ross. “Minty” was her nickname as a little girl. When she grew up she became Harriet. 7. Drinking Gourd – a hollowed out gourd used by slaves as a water dipper; it was a code name for the Big Dipper star formation which points to the North Star. 8. Stations – a safe house for runaway slaves and conductors; a place for passengers to stop and find safety, food and shelter; a lit candle in the window was a signal that it was safe 9. Package – code term for runaway slave; sometime a slave would be hidden in a storage box and “mailed" North 10. Passenger – a slave traveling on the Underground Railroad 11. Moses – people often referred to Harriet as the “Moses of Her People”; comparing her to the Biblical hero, Moses, who led his people out of slavery 12. Bounty – a reward for the capture of a slave; at one point in time they offered a $40,000 reward to capture Harriet Tubman (she was never caught, nor were any of her passengers ever lost) Harriet Tubman by Marie Patterson (Worksheet) Respond to the following questions. Name:__________________________ Date:______________________ After reading/listening and performing vignettes about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, answer the following questions. 1. What was Harriet’s birth name? _____________________________________________ 2. Explain how she was “born” into slavery. ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ 3. Why do you think FREEDOM was so important to Harriet? ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ 4. How old was Harriet the first time she tried to escape?____________________________ 5. What were some of the lessons her father, “Old Ben” taught her? ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ 6. In 1849 Harriet found out she might be sold; she decided it was time to escape. Where did she find freedom and what did she do? ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ 7. Harriet became the first female conductor on the Underground Railroad. Why was she able to travel the Underground Railroad and never get caught and never lose a fugitive slave? ______________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________ 8. List 3 facts/additional information that you have learned about Harriet Tubman. a. b. c. www.americanvillage.org 205-­‐665-­‐3535