Name:
Date:
Period:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. This is to be submitted to your SOCIAL STUDIES
teacher for the next class.
Three People Who Changed the World
(Achieve3000, January 23, 2006). February is Black History Month. Here are the stories of three African Americans who helped improve
people's rights.
As a woman and a slave, Harriet Tubman had fewer rights than most Americans. However, Tubman's skill and drive helped her to
win freedom for herself and hundreds of others. Harriet Tubman was born around 1820 on a Maryland plantation. The daughter
of two slaves, Tubman was put to work at age five. When she was twelve, Tubman tried to protect a slave from being punished.
A cruel overseer threw a weight that hit Tubman on the head. She suffered blackouts for the rest of her life as a result. In 1849,
Tubman planned to escape to the North. There, she would be free. One night, Tubman made her escape. She followed the North
Star until she arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, Tubman learned about the Underground Railroad. It was a network of
northerners who were against slavery. These people provided shelter and directions to runaway slaves going north. Tubman
decided to return to the South and use the Underground Railroad to bring slaves north to freedom. Throughout the 1850s,
Tubman returned to the South many times. In total, she rescued about 300 slaves. She managed to get every single one of them
to freedom. Tubman had to be very careful. She carried sleeping powder for babies who cried. That way, people looking for
escaped slaves would not hear the babies crying. In addition, Tubman did not allow any of the runaways to leave the group. She
wanted everyone to be free. Within a few years, Tubman became well-known. People against slavery praised her. Those in favor
of slavery felt that she should be severely punished. By 1856, the reward for Tubman's capture was $40,000. That was a huge
sum of money in those days. Tubman continued to work for civil rights even after slavery was outlawed. She spoke out for
women and former slaves. Tubman died in 1913 in Auburn, New York.
Frederick Augustus Bailey was the son of a slave woman and an unknown white man. He was born in Maryland in 1817. Unlike
most slaves, Frederick learned to read. He learned when he was only eight years old. From then on, Frederick tried his best to
read whatever books he could find. Much of what Frederick read was about slavery. In 1838, Frederick and his wife escaped
slavery. They settled in Massachusetts. Frederick changed his last name to Douglass and began to work against slavery. In 1841,
Douglass had the chance to speak about his experiences as a slave. He proved to be a powerful speaker. Douglass began to travel
around the North, talking about his experiences. In 1847, Douglass started publishing The North Star. It was a newspaper that
fought for the rights of free blacks, slaves, and women. His work on The North Star made Douglass a respected news writer.
Douglass never gave up his work for civil rights. During the Civil War, he urged President Abraham Lincoln to end slavery. He also
got many northern blacks, including his own two sons, to fight for the North. After the war, Douglass spoke out for the rights of
former slaves. Frederick Douglass died in 1895.
During the 20th century, African Americans continued to fight for civil rights. Martin Luther King was at the center of this
struggle. Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta in 1929. He attended an all-black public school. King did well in school. He
decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a minister. In 1954, King became a minister of a church in Montgomery,
Alabama. Most of the people in King's church were working for equal rights for blacks. The new minister threw himself into their
activities. In 1956, he helped blacks gain the right to sit anywhere they wanted on city buses. In 1957, King organized a group
that worked for equal rights for all people. The group was in favor of protests. However, it was against hurting people or
property. King set up marches and protests. These activities forced businesses to give more rights to African Americans. In 1963,
King led a March on Washington for civil rights. At a gathering of 200,000 people, King made his famous "I Have a Dream"
speech. He said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character." Many people are still moved by his words. King continued to work for
civil rights. He began shifting his focus to the North. There, many African Americans were very poor and were treated unfairly. By
1968, the needs of poor people became the center of King's attention. King's life was cut short on April 4, 1968, when he was
shot and killed. Today, many Americans remember King as a national hero.
Homeroom Prep for 2.5.13
1. Look at the map below. Based on the map and information in the news story, which way would people go to travel from
the state where Martin Luther King had a church to Georgia?
A.
B.
C.
D.
North
South
West
East
2. Which statement about the Underground Railroad is not true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It was a network of northerners who were against slavery.
These people provided shelter to runaway slaves.
It was a network of plantation owners who were against slavery.
These people provided directions to runaway slaves.
3. Harriet Tubman became well-known for all of these reasons except __________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Tubman made many trips to the South to help runaway slaves escape.
Tubman made many trips to the North to help runaway slaves get jobs.
Tubman managed to get every single slave that she helped to freedom.
Tubman managed to rescue hundreds of slaves without being caught.
4. Here is a sentence from the article: A cruel overseer threw a weight that hit Tubman on the head.
Which word means the opposite of the word overseer?
A. Enemy
B. Teacher
C. Friend
D. Champion
5. Based on the article, why would Frederick Bailey have changed his name to Frederick Douglass?
A.
B.
C.
D.
He worked on the Underground Railroad and probably wanted to stay hidden.
He was a young boy and could have changed his name because he didn't like it.
He started the Underground Railroad and probably wanted to stay hidden.
He was an escaped slave and could have changed his name so that he wouldn't be caught.
6. Based on the article, which person did not live during the time of the Underground Railroad?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Harriet Tubman
Martin Luther King
Abraham Lincoln
Frederick Douglass
7. The group that Martin Luther King organized in 1957 did not believe in __________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Marches
Protests
Hurting people or property
Equal rights for all people
8. Which of these words was probably not in Martin Luther King's speech in Washington, D.C.?
A. People
B. Freedom
C. Rights
D. Attack