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Selecti on Rev i ew # 1
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 1 - 45
1. Describe Harriet’s life as a child. List the different jobs she had before she reached the age
of eight. How did Mistress Sarah treat her when she worked in the Big House? Harriet’s life
as a child was very hard. She was almost always hungry. She had just one ragged dress to wear.
She had to work hard even as a child. At first, she helped her parents in the fields and carried
messages for the Master. After that, she was sent to the Cooks’ house. She was supposed to
scrub floors, do laundry, and learn to weave on a loom. Harriet had trouble learning to weave,
however, so she was sent to do outside chores all day with Mr. Cook. After Harriet fell ill with
the measles, she returned home. When she was well, she went to the Big House to wash,
sweep, and mind the baby. Mistress Sarah expected her to work all the time and make sure
the baby did not cry. When it cried, Mistress Sarah hit her without waiting for an explanation.
When Harriet tried to steal a lump of sugar, Mistress Sarah had her whipped until she was
bloody.
2. Tell about Harriet’s family. What did her mother, Old Rit, want for her? How did Old Rit and
Daddy Ben’s reactions to Harriet’s problems differ? Harriet’s family included two parents,
one sister and two brothers at home, and several older brothers and sisters who did not live
at home. Harriet’s mother, Old Rit, wanted her daughters to work in the Big House because
she thought they would have an easier life there. Old Rit wanted Harriet to learn to smile for
white people and hide her anger so that she would not get into trouble. However, Daddy Ben
understood that Harriet could not always hide her feelings. He also realized that he was still
not free, even after hiding his feelings all his life.
3. Why did the masters want the slaves to sing and learn from the Bible? What did the slaves
actually gain from these experiences? The masters wanted the slaves to sing so that they
would feel happy and not plan an escape or a rebellion. They also expected the slaves to learn
from the Bible that they must work hard and obey their masters. However, the slaves had their
own ideas about these things. Their songs expressed their desire for freedom. Songs were also
a kind of code for secret messages. From the Bible, slaves learned that God loves all people
equally and hates injustice. They learned that he had set people free from slavery in the past.
They expected him to do the same for them.
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4. Who was Old Cudjoe? What role did he play among the slaves? What effect did this have
on their thinking? Cudjoe was the oldest slave on the plantation where Harriet lived. He had
many experiences and could also read and write. He taught the other slaves about history
and current events. For example, he told them that all men were created equal according to
the Declaration of Independence. He told them that other countries had passed laws against
slavery. He told them about abolitionists in the North who were working to end slavery in
America. He told them about Nat Turner’s rebellion of slaves in Virginia. This information gave
the slaves hope that someday freedom would come.
5. Explain what the Underground Railroad was. How did Harriet help when her friend Jim
tried to escape? What did this cost her? The Underground Railroad was a network of people
who helped slaves escape to states where they could be free. Some led people through the
woods or took them in wagons or boats, and others provided safe houses, hot meals, and
warm beds for them. When Harriet’s friend Jim tried to run away, an overseer told her to stop
him. Instead, she blocked the way so that Jim could escape safely. The overseer angrily threw
a two-pound weight that hit Harriet in the head. She was hurt so badly that people thought
she would die.
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Selecti on Rev i ew # 2
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 46 - 89
1 . The blow to Harriet’s head changed her life in many ways. How did it affect her health and
emotions? How did it change her master’s attitude, and her work situation? Harriet was
very sick for months after the injury. Even when she was well, she would suddenly go to sleep
without warning. These sleeping spells occurred for the rest of her life. Still, in her mind Harriet
felt that she had won over slavery. Even though she was still a slave, she felt as if she were
free. Since Harriet tried to help Jim escape, her master decided she was dangerous. He tried
to sell her. Harriet pretended to go to sleep every time someone came to buy her. Finally the
master let Harriet “hire out” her labor. This meant she could work for other people, but paid
her master a dollar every week.
2. What did Harriet want to do with the money she earned? How did she try to save money
faster? What happened to her savings after she married? Harriet was saving money to buy
her freedom. Her master said it would cost five hundred dollars. She worked two shifts and
even grew crops to make more money. When Harriet married John Tubman, a free black man,
John did not care about Harriet’s freedom. He had no job, so he moved in with her. She spent
most of her savings on his food, clothing, and tobacco.
3. Why did Harriet have to escape quickly? Who gave her advice for her escape? Harriet’s
master died. She had to escape quickly because Mistress Sarah was going to sell her south.
Harriet knew that Quakers helped people escape from slavery. She wnet to the home of a
Quaker woman in town, pretending she wanted to buy eggs. The woman invited her in. She
understood what Harriet really wanted. She gave Harriet directions to follow, as well as the
names of two brothers, the Hunns, who would help her on her way.
4. What happened when Harriet tried to escape with her brothers? Why was her second try
more successful? Harriet and her brothers tried to escape, but it was raining hard. They got
lost in the woods and gave up. The second time, Harriet went alone. She took money, food,
and her husband’s hunting knife and work boots. The weather was good and she knew the
woods well. She knew which way was north from the North Star at night and the moss on the
trees in the day. She waded up the river so that the dogs could not track her scent. She
reached the Hunns’ house in Camden safely.
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5. Describe some suspenseful “close calls” of Harriet’s escape. How did the Hunns and Mr.
Garrett help her reach freedom? While Harriet was hiding in a ditch, a group of patrollers
ate supper right near her hiding place. When she reached the Hunns’ house, she waited in
the barn until morning. She learned later that a slave trader had spent the night at the
house. On the way to Wilmington, she woke up from a sleeping spell and heard slave catchers
talking about her just a few feet away. Harriet walked into Wilmington disguised in a man’s
clothes. After a couple of days, Thomas Garrett took her in his carriage to within an hour’s
walk of the Pennsylvania border and freedom.
6. Who was Harriet’s first friend in Philadelphia? Why did she want to return to the South?
Why was this very dangerous for her? Harriet’s friend was William Still, the secretary of the
Anti-Slavery Society. He told Harriet many stories of the Underground Railroad. She wanted
to go back to the South to bring others out of slavery, especially her family. This was terribly
dangerous, since she was still legally a slave in the South. She would be sold or even killed if
she were caught.
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Selecti on Rev i ew # 3
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 90 - 133
1. Who were the first people Harriet brought out of slavery? What dangers did she face? What
qualities helped her meet these challenges? The first runaways Harriet rescued included
family members, friends, and even strangers. They faced trackers with dogs and harsh
weather. Harriet was known for her courage. She did not worry about her own safety. If the
runaways had to wade a freezing river, Harriet was the first in the water. When they were hidden
in a swamp, she went out to bring a wagon. She was intelligent and quick to adapt to change.
When the person she expected to help her was gone, she quickly thought of another hiding
place. When she almost ran into a former master, she distracted him with chickens. She was
also strict. She did not let the runaways do dangerous things like lighting a fire. Harriet’s
courage, intelligence, and leadership were vital to her success.
2. Why didn’t Harriet let her brothers say goodbye to their mother before leaving? How did
Daddy Ben, Harriet’s father, handle this situation? Harriet did not let her brothers tell their
mother goodbye because she would fuss over them and possibly give them away. Daddy Ben
brought them food and blankets and talked to them in the dark, but never looked at them.
The next day, he wore a blindfold as he walked part of the way with them. Later, Daddy Ben
truthfully told Mistress he had not seen his children.”
3. What special problems did Harriet have to solve to rescue her parents from slavery? How
did she solve these problems? Rescuing Harriet’s parents was very hard because they were
both too old to travel on foot. She had to bring them out in a buggy or wagon, and she had no
money. When Harriet’s father was arrested for helping another slave escape, she had to rescue
him quickly before he was sent to prison. Harriet collected money from friends in the AntiSlavery Society. Her mother used freedom songs to inform Daddy Ben of the rescue. Harriet’s
friend Jacob Jackson cut a hole in the jail wall. Harriet used a make-shift buggy from old junk
wheels and boards and Jackson’s old horse to reach the Delaware border. There, she put her
parents on a train to Wilmington. Thomas Garrett lent her a closed carriage to take them on
to Philadelphia.
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4. Describe the Fugitive Slave Law passed in 1850. How did it make Harriet’s work more
difficult? What challenges did former slaves face in Canada? The Fugitive Slave Law required
people in the North to return escaped slaves to their masters. Runaways were no longer safe
anywhere in the United States. Even those who had been free for years could be sent back to
slavery. Harriet’s work was harder because she had to take runaways much farther. They were
not safe until they reached Canada. Harriet’s family settled in a village called St. Catharines.
In Canada, the refugees had to build homes and farms in a much harsher, colder climate than
the one they were used to.
5. Explain the meaning of Harriet’s nickname, “Moses.” List some of the reasons for her
amazing success. For many years, the slaves expected God to rescue them just as he rescued
the Israelites in the Bible. Moses was the leader who freed the Israelites. When slaves heard
about Harriet’s daring rescues, they believed that God was using her as he had Moses. Harriet’s
success was remarkable but not magical. She planned rescues carefully and carried them
out with great courage. She knew the hiding places and the dangers in the places where she
went. She could use disguises, passwords, secret codes, and forged documents. She surprised
slave owners with rescues when they least expected it. She insisted on strict discipline and
never let anyone turn back in fear. She was quick to do the hardest and most dangerous jobs
to see that her “passengers” got through safely.
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Selecti on Rev i ew # 4
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 134 - 191
1. Describe the “great debate” in the United States in the 1850s. What was John Brown’s
plan? What went wrong with it? The “great debate” in the 1850s was about slavery. Many
white people in the South did not think a change was needed. However, others believed slavery
was wrong. Some advised patience, while others wanted it ended right away. Some wanted to
return the slaves to Africa, but many did not agree. Some wanted to end slavery peacefully,
while others advised violence. John Brown wanted to set up armed stations of freedom fighters in the mountains. However, his first attack was quickly stopped. Federal troops captured
him, and he was sentenced to be hanged.
2. Explain why the escaping slaves who joined the Union troops were called “contraband.”
How did Harriet help the escaping slaves contribute to the war effort? At the beginning of
the war, President Lincoln did not want to free the slaves. He thought this would anger the
border states. Therefore, escaping slaves were still legally the property of the enemy. They
were called “contraband,” property seized from the enemy. However, General Hunter realized
how much the escaping slaves could help the Union. He asked Harriet to serve as a liaison
and organize them. She urged them to grow food and taught them how to make things to sell
to the Union soldiers. She also worked as a nurse at the hospital.
3. Why did President Lincoln change his mind about freeing the slaves? What was Harriet’s
job in the Army after this occurred? President Lincoln decided to free the slaves because
he needed black soldiers to win the war. Harriet became a scout for the Union Army after the
slaves were freed. She and her team gathered information about the Rebel forces. This information helped Union soldiers take control of the South.
4. Why wasn’t Harriet paid for her military service? What was her chance to solve this problem near the end of the war? Why did she decide to help organize the hospitals instead?
Harriet and other black soldiers refused to take any pay until the government agreed to pay
them the same amount as white soldiers. Near the end of the war, Congress finally decided
to increase the black soldiers’ pay. Harriet was home on furlough. She had to rejoin the Army
in order to receive her back pay. However, Harriet heard that the hospitals needed people
badly. The Army did not really need her services. She decided to work in the hospitals instead
of making sure she got her military pay.
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5. List several ironies in Harriet’s life after the war ended. Some of the ironies in Harriet’s life
were:
She was not wounded the whole time she helped the Union army in the war, but then was
injured by a civilian train conductor on her way home.
Although she sacrificed so much to free African Americans, she was not allowed to ride the
train because she was black, even though she had a pass saying that she could.
She had become nationally and even internationally famous for her work, but she was poor
for the rest of her life, even though the U.S. government owed her about eighteen hundred
dollars in back pay.
Queen Victoria of England, who had never even met her, sent her gifts and an invitation to the
palace, but the government of her own country (the United States) barely offered her enough
of a pension to live on
6. How did Harriet spend the rest of her life? Harriet lived in her parents’ home in Auburn, New
York. She supported a number of needy people by farming. She married Nelson Davis, a former
soldier recovering from tuberculosis. She took part in campaigns to give women voting rights
and to stop alcohol abuse. She finally died in 1913.
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Name:
L itera tu r e Tes t # 1
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 1 - 45
1. Harriet worked hard even as a child. List at least three jobs she was given before she was
eight years old. Explain why Harriet decided she would rather work outside in the field instead of inside the Big House.
2. Masters and slaves both liked music and religion, but they had different reasons for doing
so. Explain why the masters wanted their slaves to sing and learn the Bible. Then tell what
the slaves got out of these experiences.
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3. Old Cudjoe told the other slaves about historic and current events that kept their hope of
freedom alive. List at least two events that they learned about from him.
4. Describe the Underground Railroad. What happened to Harriet when she helped her friend
Jim escape?
75
Name:
L itera tu r e Tes t # 2
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 46 - 89
1. After Harriet recovered from her head injury, her master began to let her hire out her labor.
What did this mean? What was Harriet’s goal, and how did she try to reach it?
2. Explain why Harriet needed to escape right away. Who did she turn to for information on the
direction to take and the Underground Railroad?
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3. Harriet had several suspenseful “close calls” on her way north. Tell about one of these close
calls, and explain why it was suspenseful.
4. How did Harriet respond to William Still’s stories about the Underground Railroad? Why did
Mr. Still disapprove of Harriet’s plan at first?
77
Name:
L itera tu r e Tes t # 3
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 90 - 133
1. What special challenges did Harriet have to overcome to bring her parents to freedom? How
did she handle these problems?
2. Tell about the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. How did it change the work of the Underground
Railroad?
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3. Explain why Harriet became known by the nickname “Moses.” To whom was she being compared, and why?
4. List at least three reasons for Harriet’s amazing success in rescuing people from slavery.
79
Name:
L itera tu r e Tes t # 4
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 134 - 191
1. How did John Brown want to fight against slavery? Did he succeed? Explain.
2. Who were the “contrabands”? What job did Harriet do working with these people? What other
work did she do for the Union Army?
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3. Why did the African-American soldiers in the Union Army refuse to accept their pay for many
months? Why was Harriet never paid for her services, even after this problem was resolved?
4. List at least two ironies in Harriet’s life after the end of the Civil War.
5. Which of Harriet’s personal qualities do you most admire? Why?
81
Name:
Vocab u la r y Tes t # 1
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 1 - 45
WRITE MEANINGFUL SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
impact
protruded
legislature
fiercely
reproached
extinguish
sullen
defiant
linger
feverishly
82
Name:
Vocabu la r y Tes t # 2
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 46 - 89
WRITE MEANINGFUL SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
vivid
distinctly
metropolis
meager
unwittingly
dignified
reluctant
recklessly
inhabitants
adjacent
83
Name:
Vocab u la r y Tes t # 3
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 90 - 133
WRITE MEANINGFUL SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
sturdy
dismal
coaxing
hazardous
shrewdness
apprehension
transformed
leisurely
abruptly
denounce
84
Name:
Vocabu la r y Tes t # 4
Fr e e d o m Tra i n
Pages 134 - 191
WRITE MEANINGFUL SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
abolished
acquire
obliged
abundant
destitute
exposure
enterprise
harass
epidemic
crude