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Home , Levi Coffin, William Wells (general), William Wells Brown

Reading Passages Leaders of the

Harriet Tubman spy, scout, and nurse for the . The greatest conductor of the After the war she set up her own home as Underground Railroad was a runaway a refuge for needy freed slaves. slave named , known to those she helped escape as “Moses.” Born as one of 11 children in a slave family, she One of the greatest stationmasters of the was mistreated and beaten by her master, Underground Railroad was Thomas who often rented her out to other people. Garrett, a Quaker from Delaware who She was once hit on the head so hard by helped shelter and transport more than an overseer that she suffered a kind of 2,700 escaped slaves along secret escape drowsiness the rest of her life if she was routes. The state of once not active. Finding that two of her offered a reward of $10,000 (an immense brothers and she were going to be sold to sum of money at the time) for his capture. another owner, Harriet decided to escape He joked that if they doubled the reward, even though her husband and brothers he would capture himself. were reluctant to join her. In 1848 Garrett was arrested and fined Harriet escaped from her owner in $5,400 for helping fugitive slaves. He had Maryland and got to , a free to auction off all his possessions to pay state. She tried to return and rescue her the fine but refused to quit. Despite the husband, but he had already remarried and severe punishments, Garrett declared that refused to flee. Gradually, Harriet if anyone knew of a fugitive who needed established a route of Underground help, he would be happy to provide a meal Railroad stations and made more than 20 and a place to hide. trips into Southern states, rescuing her two William Wells Brown brothers, many other members of her family, and over 300 other slaves. Slave William Wells Brown was born a slave. owners posted rewards for her capture He tried to escape with his mother, but totaling over $40,000. Harriet carried a they were caught. His mother was sold pistol on her rescue missions and away to the deep South in New Orleans, threatened to shoot anyone who refused to and he never saw her again. Later , Brown cooperate once they were on the run. escaped from his owner and reached the free state of , where he set up a Harriet became a famous antislavery ship business. He allowed slaves to speaker and activist and helped John escape on his ships, which carried many Brown recruit some of his followers. fugitives to free soil. Later in life, he During the Civil War, Harriet served as a became a writer and a self-taught doctor.

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 11 #3215 Underground Railroad Reading Passages Leaders of the Underground Railroad (cont.)

John Fairfield Henson later walked more than 400 miles John Fairfield was born into a white, back to Kentucky to rescue the family of slaveholding family. For many his friend, James Lightfoot. They were years, Fairfield traveled through the too fearful to flee so he ended up helping Southern states posing as a slave trader another group of 30 slaves who lived but carefully seeking slaves who wanted more than 50 miles away. These fugitives to escape. Using his perfect cover as a from several states banded together to slaver, he managed to bring hundreds of escape, and he led them across the slaves to freedom in the North. He was River through and on to . especially adept at locating and rescuing A year later, Henson returned to Kentucky the wives and children of men who had for the Lightfoot family, who had finally escaped to freedom. Fairfield was still decided they wished to escape. With slave trying to bring out fugitives when he was catchers hot on their trail, Henson helped killed during a slave revolt in in them organize their escape and led them to 1860. Canada. Later in life he became a minister. Henson was also the first fugitive slave to have an audience with Josiah Henson, a Maryland slave, was Queen Victoria in England. whipped with more than 100 lashes for trying to protect his mother from a vicious Richard Daly overseer. His ear was nailed to the Richard Daly was a trusted slave who whipping post and then cut off. Josiah’s lived in Kentucky near the . father was sold and never seen again. He was married to a slave and had four Josiah was beaten so badly by another children but chose not to escape and leave overseer that he could never lift his arms them. However, he helped more than 30 above his head again. He finally ran away slaves escape by ferrying them across the through the wilderness of Indiana and Ohio River at night and then passing the Ohio with his sick wife and his children. runaways on to an agent of the Facing starvation and threatened by Underground Railroad. When his wife hungry wolves, Henson and his family died at the age of 20, Daly escaped with eventually made it to Canadian soil. He his children before they could be learned how to work and survive in separated and sold away. Canada and taught other fugitives the lessons he had learned about growing crops and living as a free person.

#3215 Underground Railroad 12 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Reading Passages Leaders of the Underground Railroad (cont.)

John Parker escapes of the people he helped, which By all standards, John Parker was an were published after ended. exceptional man. He was a freed black Still helped move escapees along the who lived and owned a foundry in the network through to , antislavery community of Ripley, Ohio. , and Canada. One of his One of 500 black conductors of the “passengers” was his long-lost brother Underground Railroad, Parker spent many Peter, who his mother had been forced to nights secretly rowing a boat across the leave when she escaped decades before. wide expanse of the Ohio River looking Still used a quirk in the law to free the for fugitives. slaves of a U.S. ambassador who had been Many nights he ventured through the brought to Philadelphia and desired plantations of northern Kentucky looking freedom. In his later years, Still became a for runaways to help. Once he went to successful businessman who supported rescue a couple, but they would not leave blacks in their struggle for equality. without their baby who was forced to Reverend John Rankin sleep at the foot of their owner ’s bed as The Reverend John Rankin was a true insurance against their escape. Parker believer in the abolitionist cause. A slipped into the house, grabbed the baby, determined and fiery Presbyterian knocked a candle and a loaded pistol of f a minister, he tried to convince his Kentucky stand, and raced away with the baby and neighbors of the evils of slavery. When he couple. He got them across the river and moved to Ripley, Ohio, Rankin became a hidden before the owner could find them. leader in the Underground Railroad. He Parker became a legend among fugitive and his wife helped move untold numbers slaves and an enemy to slave catchers. of escaping slaves along the route to freedom. Working with many black and William Still was the son of an escaped white supporters, they secretly moved slave named Charity, who on her second runaways into safe locations. attempt managed to run away from her Eliza Harris, who crossed the Ohio River Maryland owners with her two daughters. with her child in her arms, was hidden by She joined her free husband in a Rankin in his own home. In the year after backcountry area of New Jersey. As a her escape, Eliza returned hoping to find young man, William went to work for the her remaining slave children. John Rankin Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia and helped her return to Kentucky and escape was soon involved in all of the ef forts to again, this time with her other five help fugitives escape. He began to keep children. detailed accounts of the adventures and

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Jonathan Walker were often disguised as females, and many In 1844 Jonathan Walker was a white females were dressed as workingmen or shipbuilder who tried to help seven slaves clothed in simple Quaker garb. This escape to the Bahamas. They were clothing covered even the faces and hands caught, and the slaves were returned to of the escapees. Runaways were often their owners. Walker was taken to hidden in the false bottoms of wagons and Florida, made to pay a heavy fine, put on moved to other stations along the route to public display so that people could throw freedom. rotten eggs at him, and branded on the Levi visited freed slaves in Canada and hand with “SS” indicating a slave stealer. came back more determined than ever to Walker went North where he was a raise money for freed blacks and assist popular speaker at abolitionist meetings those on the run. For more than 25 years, and helped other slaves escape. the Coffin home was a way station, hiding Levi and Catherine Coffin place, and refuge for more than 2,500 slaves on the run. Their organization of Levi and Catherine Coffin, members of freed blacks, dedicated fellow , the Quaker faith which opposed slavery, and determined antislavery advocates was ran the Underground Railroad’s “Grand a constant source of help to fugitive Central Station.” As a young man, Levi slaves. Coffin, his family, and his began helping slaves escape in his associates were often threatened by angry community of New Garden, North slave owners and gangs of slave catchers, Carolina. He made it a point to give food but they stayed at their posts until the and clothing to runaways and help them Civil War ended slavery. find a place to hide and a route North. When he moved to Newport, Indiana, in Other Heroes 1826, his red brick home became a No one knows the names of all of the stopping place for over 100 runaways a people who helped slaves escape along the year as they passed through on their way Underground Railroad, and the stories of to Canada. He often hid fugitives in a many of them are lost forever. One group space under the eaves of his house in an of five families in southern Ohio helped attic with a bed that covered their hiding hide more than 1,000 runaways. Dr. place. Nathan Thomas of Michigan helped as Levi and his wife Catherine often helped many as 1,500 slaves reach freedom, and slaves travel through areas patrolled by a Maryland preacher named Charles slave catchers by disguising them. Males Torrey helped some 400 slaves escape.

#3215 Underground Railroad 14 ©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Leaders of the Underground Railroad Quiz

Directions: Read pages 11–14 about the leaders of the Under ground Railroad. Answer each question below by circling the correct answer.

1. Which conductor of the Underground 6. Which Philadelphia leader discovered Railroad later served with the Union that one of his “passengers” was his army as spy, scout, and nurse? own long-lost brother, Peter? a. William Wells Brown a. William Still b. Harriet Tubman b. Jonathan Parker c. Levi Coffin c. Richard Daly d. Josiah Henson d. John Fairfield 2. Who walked more than 400 miles back 7. Who hid Eliza Harris in his home, to Kentucky to rescue the family of his helped her escape, and then helped her friend, James Lightfoot? return to Kentucky to find her other a. Richard Daly children? b. John Rankin a. Levi Coffin c. Levi Coffin b. Harriet Tubman d. Josiah Henson c. John Rankin 3. Who rescued most of her family and d. Jonathan Walker over 300 other slaves on 20 trips into 8. Who helped disguise slaves when they the South? stopped at her home? a. Charity Still a. Catherine Coffin b. Eliza Harris b. Harriet Tubman c. Harriet Tubman c. Eliza Harris d. John Fairfield d. John Parker 4. Which state offered a $10,000 reward 9. Who rowed many fugitive slaves across for the capture of Thomas Garret? the Ohio River? a. Virginia a. John Rankin b. Delaware b. John Parker c. Kentucky c. William Still d. Maryland d. Thomas Garrett 5. Which Michigan doctor helped more 10. Which Delaware Quaker lost all of his than 1,500 fugitive slaves? possessions to pay fines for helping a. Charles Torrey fugitive slaves escape? b. Nathan Thomas a. Thomas Garrett c. Jonathan Walker b. Levi Coffin d. Richard Daly c. John Rankin d. John Fairfield

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Page 21 6. c 6. Kansas 1. b 7. c 7. Maine 2. c 8. d 8. 3. a 9. a 9. Michigan 4. d 10. b 10. Minnesota 5. c Page 25 11. New Hampshire 6. d 1. b 12. New Jersey 7. b 2. d 13. New York 8. b 3. c 14. Ohio 9. a 4. b 15. Oregon 10. d 5. a 16. Pennsylvania Page 22 6. b 17. Rhode Island 1. conductors 7. c 18. 2. terminals 8. c 19. West Virginia 3. ticket agents 9. a 20. Wisconsin 4. train ran off the track 10. d Page 42 5. smooth trip Page 41 1. Indiana, Ohio, Illinois 6. pilots Slave States 2. Pennsylvania 7. brakemen 1. Alabama 3. New Jersey, Rhode Island 8. stationmasters 2. Arkansas 4. Ohio, New York, Maine, 9. stations 3. Delaware Michigan, Vermont, New 10. passengers 4. Florida Hampshire, Minnesota Page 23 5. Georgia 5. Cuba and the Bahamas 1. b 6. Kentucky 2. d 7. Louisiana 3. c 8. Maryland 4. d 9. 5. b 10. Missouri 6. a 11. 7. c 12. South Carolina 8. a 13. Tennessee 9. b 14. 10. a 15. Virginia Page 24 Free States 1. a 1. California 2. b 2. Connecticut 3. b 3. Illinois 4. d 4. Indiana 5. a 5. Iowa

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