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The Underground Railroad
Slavery, as we have seen over the past two days, was an extremely divisive issue in the 1800's. Many in the North found, or grew to believe, that slavery was an unnecessary and inhumane institution, while those in the South defended Slavery, claiming that it was an economic necessity.
Congress... refused to act... or more correctly, it couldn't act because it did not want to risk starting a Civil War.
So... many people took matters into their own hands. Refusing to let slaves be stuck enduring the awfulness of plantations due to a deadlocked congress, abolitionists developed the Underground Railroad to help smuggle enslaved African Americans out of the South to free land.
Escape routes stretched from the Southern slave states through the North, to Canada, where slavery was illegal. Fugitive slaves traveled secretly, using the cover of night and a series of safe houses, barns, and haylofts to disguise their route and protect them along the way.
Ultimately, thousands of anti-slavery campaigners, both black and white, risked their lives to operate the railway.
Task
Over the next few days, you will explore the Underground Railroad more in-depth. You will use your books and the internet to research various topics related to the Underground Railroad and the Anti-Slavery movement.
As you research, your goal will be to put together a presentation that could be shown to younger students (think middle school students) to explain the Underground Railroad. Your presentation can be in various formats, including:
- Google Presentation
- Prezi
- Website (weebly or google site)
- Project Board (if you choose this choice, it is your responsibility to print everything you will need and assemble it)
YOU MAY COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT WITH A PARTNER OR INDIVIDUALLY, IT IS UP TO YOU. IF YOU CHOOSE TO COMPLETE IT WITH A PARTNER, BOTH PARTNERS WILL RECEIVE THE SAME GRADE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT ON ALL SECTIONS EXCEPT THE HISTORICAL FICTION SECTION
To guide your presentation, you will need to include multiple elements identified throughout this site.
If you fail to include an element, you will lose points.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND REVIEWING EACH OF THE ELEMENTS FIRST, deciding what to do and when (time frame), and working on them, making the most use of your time.
While you are planning and preparing this as a presentation, you will not be required to give the presentation as all of the presentations would be on the same topic.
Be sure to review the rubric section of the site. This is how you will be graded. This assignment will count as a major grade, so it is important you work diligently and put forth a good effort.
As a final note, plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated and will result in an automatic zero.
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