Name: ______________________________ Period: ______ Date: _____________
Article of the Week
Directions: Read the following article carefully and annotate. You need to include at least 1 annotation
per paragraph. Be sure to include all of the following in your total annotations.
Annotation = Marking the Text + A Note of Explanation
1. Great Idea or Point – Write why you think it is a good idea or point – !
2. Confusing Point or Idea – Write a question to ask that might help you understand – ?
3. Unknown Word or Phrase – Circle the unknown word or phrase, then write what you think it
might mean based on context clues or your word knowledge –
4. A Question You Have – Write a question you have about something in the text – ??
5. Summary – In a few sentences, write a summary of the paragraph, section, or passage – #
Civil Rights Activists: Harriet Tubman
By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff
Synopsis
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Synopsis: Harriet Tubman was an American woman who
escaped from bondage and became a pivotal person in the
abolition, or antislavery, movement. She was born in Maryland in
1820 and escaped in 1849, but went back many times to free
family and friends. She gave hundreds of people their freedom.
Early Life
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Paragraph #1
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Para #1 Harriet Tubman was born to slave parents in Maryland,
one of nine children. She was originally named Araminta Harriet
Ross. While her exact birth date is unknown, it was probably
between 1820 and 1825.
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Para #2 Her early life was very tough. Her owner sold three of
her sisters to faraway plantations, splitting the family. When a
trader from Georgia asked Tubman's owner about buying her
youngest brother, Moses, Tubman's mother managed to prevent
him from being sold, thereby setting a strong example for her
young daughter.
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Para #3 Physical pain was a part of daily life for Tubman and her
family. There was a particular day when she was lashed five
times before breakfast. She carried the scars for the rest of her
life. Her most severe injury occurred when she was a teenager.
After being sent to a dry-goods store for supplies, she
encountered a slave who had left the fields without permission.
The man’s overseer demanded that Tubman help stop the
runaway. When Harriet refused, the overseer threw a 2-pound
weight that struck her in the head.
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Para #4 The line between freedom and slavery was hazy for
Tubman and her family. Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben, was freed
from slavery at the age of 45, as stipulated in the will of a
previous owner. But Ben had few choices but to continue
working for his former masters. Although similar stipulations
applied to Harriet's mother and siblings, their owners chose
not to free them.
Paragraph #4
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Para #5 By the time Harriet reached adulthood, around half of
the African-American people on the eastern shore of Maryland
were free. In 1844, Harriet married a free black man named
John Tubman. Little is known about John Tubman or his
marriage to Harriet. Araminta changed her name to Harriet
when she married, possibly to honor her mother, who had
also been named Harriet.
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Escape From Slavery
Para #6 Tubman decided to escape slavery after her owner died
in 1849. Tubman feared that her family would be further
separated, and feared for her own fate as a sickly slave of low
economic value. She initially left Maryland with two of her
brothers, Ben and Henry, on September 17, 1849. A notice
published in the local newspaper offered a $300 reward for the
return of the three siblings. Once they had left, Tubman’s
brothers had second thoughts and returned to the plantation. So
Tubman set off alone for Pennsylvania.
Para #7 Tubman made use of a secret network of safe houses,
then known as the Underground Railroad, to travel nearly 90
miles to Philadelphia. She crossed into the free state of
Pennsylvania with a feeling of relief and awe. She recalled later,
“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to
see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over
everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over
the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.”
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Para #8 Rather than remaining in the safety of the North,
Tubman made it her mission to rescue her family and others
living in slavery. Over time, she was able to guide her parents,
several siblings and about 60 others to freedom. One family
member who declined to make the journey was Harriet’s
husband, John, who preferred to stay in Maryland with his new
wife.
Paragraph #8
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Para #9 Things changed in 1850 with the passage of the new
Fugitive Slave Law. This law stated that escaped slaves could be
captured in the North and returned to slavery. Law enforcement
officials in the North began to aid in the capture of slaves,
regardless of their personal principles. In response to the law,
Tubman rerouted the Underground Railroad to Canada, where
slavery was not allowed.
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A Scout And A Spy
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Para #10 In December 1851, Tubman helped a group of 11
escaped slaves get to the North. There is evidence that the party
stopped at the home of famous abolitionist and former slave
Frederick Douglass.
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Para #11 In April 1858, Tubman was introduced to the
abolitionist John Brown, who aimed to violently destroy the
system of slavery. Tubman shared Brown’s goals. When Brown
began recruiting supporters for an attack on slaveholders at
Harper’s Ferry, he turned to Tubman for help. After Brown’s
execution, Tubman praised him.
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Para #12 Harriet Tubman remained active during the Civil War.
Working for the Union Army as a cook and a nurse, Tubman
quickly became an armed scout and a spy. She guided the
Combahee River Raid, which liberated 750 slaves in South
Carolina.
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TURN TO BACK PAGE FOR QUESTIONS
Quiz
Standard 2: Central Idea
1. Which detail BEST supports the article's central idea?
(A) In 1844, Harriet married a free black man named John Tubman. Little is known about John Tubman or his
marriage to Harriet.
(B) She initially left Maryland with two of her brothers, Ben and Henry, on September 17, 1849. A notice
published in the local newspaper offered a $300 reward for the return of the three siblings.
(C) Rather than remaining in the safety of the North, Tubman made it her mission to rescue her family and others
living in slavery. Over time, she was able to guide her parents, several siblings and about 60 others to freedom.
(D) When Brown began recruiting supporters for an attack on slaveholders at Harper’s Ferry, he turned to
Tubman for help. After Brown’s execution, Tubman praised him.
Standard 2: Central Idea
2. What is the correct and complete summary of the section “A Scout And A Spy”?
(A) Harriet Tubman worked with other abolitionists to fight slavery, helped the Union during the Civil War and
kept freeing slaves.
(B) Harriet Tubman wanted to destroy the system of slavery, but did not support John Brown and his use of
violence.
(C) Harriet Tubman focused only on guiding slaves to freedom in the North until the Civil War ended slavery in
the South.
(D) Harriet Tubman was a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War and also worked as a scout, a cook and a
nurse.
Standard 3: People, Events & Ideas
3. In the section “Early Life,” Harriet Tubman is FIRST introduced in what way?
(A) through a compare and contrast with her siblings
(B) through the story of a lesson she learned from her mother
(C) through a description of her owner and how he treated her
(D) through an explanation of how her father achieved his freedom
Standard 3: People, Events & Ideas
4. What is MOST likely the reason why the author included the information about the Fugitive Slave Law?
(A) to explain why Harriet Tubman first decided to escape from slavery
(B) to explain why Harriet Tubman was introduced to abolitionist John Brown
(C) to explain how determined Harriet Tubman was to continue leading slaves to freedom
(D) to explain how fearful Harriet Tubman was of law enforcement officials in the North