Harriet Tubman
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
By Ann Perry
Identify in one or more sentences the following people.
William Lloyd Garrison
Edward Brodas
John Brown
Denmark Vesey
Nat Turner
Chapter One
1. What is The Quarter?
2. Where did Harriet Tubman live?
3. What seasons did the slaves divide each year into?
4. What time of the year was considered best for the slaves?
5. What did slaves consider the worst punishment of all?
6. What significant historic event concerning slavery happened the same year Harriet Tubman was born?
Chapter Two
1. Who took care of Harriet when she was young? Why?
2. What kinds of things did Harriet learn during the first few years of her life?
3. Who was Denmark Vesey?
4. Why did Vesey cause so much tension in the South?
Ch. 3 and 4
1. Harriet’s mother is called _____________________. Her father is named _____________.
2. Harriet is proud of her father’s ability to _______________________________
3. Old Rit would always be upset when she heard horses’ hoof beats stop because…
4. Harriet learned at a young age how to separate the days. ____________ was the most important.
5. _______________ Day was the day that the slaves received new clothes and food.
6. For the slaves, the Christmas holiday would last as long as …
7. At the Cooks, her first job was __________________________, and her next job
was _______________________________________
8. Harriet soon grew sick with _______________________ and ________________.
9. Old Rit hoped that Harriet would learn ___________________ when she went back to the Cooks so that
she wouldn’t have to be a field hand.
10. In 1826, the Secretary of State was ______________________. He sent a letter to Canada for what
purpose?
Ch. 5
1. Master Brodas and his plantation were experiencing trouble. Why?
2. Describe a chain gang.
Ch. 6
1. What is the significance of a woman wearing a bandanna?
2. Who is Tice Davids?
Ch. 7
1. Why were silent slaves not liked by overseers?
2. What event led to Harriet’s head injury?
3. How did this injury affect her for the rest of her life?
4. Why did the overseer try to sell Harriet after this event?
5. What is the name of William Lloyd Garrison’s newspaper? Where was it published?
Ch. 8
1. What panic do the slaves have when they learn that the master has died?
2. Why was Harriet convinced that she had caused the master’s death?
3. The new master is named __________________________.
4. Explain why other slaves began deferring to Harriet and listening to her ideas. Why did her mother and
others stop calling her Minty or Minta?
5. Of all the effects of her head injury, what was the one effect that caused her the most problems?
6. Why did Harriet start working in the woods with the male slaves? How did her master feel about this?
Ch. 9
1. With whom had Harriet fallen in love?
2. What was different about her husband? How had this happened?
3. Harriet discovered that Old Rit should have been freed. Why?
4. What did John Tubman say when Harriet said she wanted to escape?
5. Describe the dreams that Harriet had been having.
6. Why did John say he wanted to stay in Maryland?
Ch. 10
1. What did the woman from a nearby plantation tell Harriet as she worked on the farm?
2. The first time that Harriet tried to escape who went with her?
3. Why did she and the others turn back?
4. One of the younger slaves told Harriet that she had been sold to where?
5. Why didn’t Harriet tell her sister? Instead, how did she let the other slaves know?
6. Instead of following the North Star as she escaped, where did she go?
7. What did the woman at Bucktown give her?
8. How long did it take her to get to Pennsylvania? What most surprised her along the way?
Ch. 10
1. Who is Dr. Thompson? What were his intentions?
2. What happened when her brothers began to journey North with her?
3. What was Harriet’s comment about liberty or death?
4. How did Harriet learn she was to be sold South to Georgia? Why was she particularly afraid?
5. What picture was on handbills that advertised a runaway?
6. Who is John Tubman?
Ch. 11
1. What were Harriet’s first impressions of Philadelphia?
2. What is the Vigilance Committee?
3. Who is John Bowley?
Ch. 12.
1. How did Harriet earn money to go back to find John Tubman?
2. What is the significance of the title of the chapter, “Freedom’s Clothes”?
3. What did Harriet discover about John when she returned?
4. Since he wouldn’t go with her, what did she do?
Ch. 13
5. As a result of the stiffer Fugitive Slave Law, what did Harriet and others have to do?
6. What events convinced Harriet that they had to do this?
7. What name did the fugitive slaves start to call Harriet? Why?
Ch. 14.
8. What are the new difficulties with the Underground Railroad?
9. Who is Thomas Garrett? Why is he important?
Ch. 16
1. How did Harriet get word to her three brothers?
2. Why did the postmaster open the letter?
3. What did this letter say?
4. Why did Harriet’s brother, John, not join them right away?
5. What did William Henry buy for his fiancé, Catherine (Jane?)
6. Explain the Kansas-Nebraska Act. (p. 154)
Ch. 17.
7. How did Old Rit get a pig for Christmas each year?
8. Why didn’t Ben look at his children?
9. Where did Harriet and her passengers spend Christmas day?
10. Who complained? Why?
11. What kinds of records did William Still keep? What did Thomas Garrett do for the fugitive slaves?
Ch. 18
1. Explain the dream Harriet had while she was asleep with Joe Bailey and companions.
2. What did the group find on the other side of the river?
3. What did Harriet learn when she returned to the spot she had fallen asleep?
4. What angered Eliza Nokey about the poster for runaways?
5. How did the group get across the guarded bridge?
6. How did the group make it to Canada? Why wouldn’t Joe talk?
7. What convinced Joe Bailey that he would never make it to freedom?
Ch. 19
1. What dream did Harriet keep having about her parents that encouraged her to bring them to safety?
2. How did she know that no one would question her going south?
3. What disguise did she use in this attempt to free her parents?
4. Why was “Daddy Ben” up at the Big House when she visited?
5. What did Harriet realize she was going to have to do to achieve her goal?
6. Why didn’t Harriet think her parents could survive in Canada? What did she do?
7. Explain Harriet’s dream of an old man that she found confusing.
Ch. 20
8. How did Harriet begin to earn money to pay off her debts? How did this come about?
9. What was John Brown’s alias?
Ch. 21
1. After Harriet spoke, what did audience members often do?
2. Describe what happened with Charles Nalle.
3. How did Harriet react to news of John Brown’s death?
4. Why was Thomas Garrett uneasy about Harriet’s trip to Maryland in 1860?
5. What state first left the Union?
6. What role did Harriet play in the Civil War?
7. What special skills did Harriet bring to the camp hospital? Why did people again start calling her
Moses?
8. What did Harriet say was the most moving sight she had ever seen?
9. What incident led Harriet and others to free nearly 800 slaves?
Harriet Tubman Assignment
Chose one from the top to develop into a paper of at least one typed page. Answer each of
the questions from the bottom in a few sentences each.
1. Write a character analysis of William Still or Thomas Garrett using descriptive terms and
specific incidents from the book as evidence for your evaluation of the person.
2. Denmark Vesey, a free black, and Nat Turner, a Virginia slave, organized two of the
best known slave revolts. Using reliable historical sources, research the motivations and
strategies of one of these men. Comment as well on the consequences of the revolt.
Provide a works cited.
3. This narrative includes several slave songs. Select two of these songs and discuss how
the messages or implied messages of the songs inspired slaves and others to work for
abolition or slavery or personal freedom.
_____________________________________________________________________
1. Discuss features of Tubman's character that enable her to carry out her mission so
effectively.
2. Tubman never learns to read and write. What special abilities does she use to
compensate for this handicap?
3. What character traits exhibited by Tubman show the influence of her father? Her
mother? Which parent seems to contribute more to Tubman's value system?
4. The Underground Railroad is naturally filled with risks and uncertainties. Which
incident, in your opinion, is the most dangerous? The most suspenseful?