from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad By: Ann Petry (textbook pages 484 – 497)

How much information is enough? In this excerpt from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman leads eleven escaped slaves to freedom in Canada in the mid-1800’s. Use this sentence starter to develop your ideas about the Big Question: It is important to learn about historical figures who challenged slavery because_____________________. As you read: Notice the types of details the author includes to help readers learn about Tubman.

Vocabulary invariably – (adv.) all the time; always (p. 487) People invariably mistake Jon for his twin brother. fugitives – (n.) people fleeing from danger (p. 487) The escaping slaves were fugitives from the law. incentive – (n.) something that makes a person take action (p. 488) Extra pay for overtime labor is an incentive to work longer hours.

Vocabulary Continues dispel – (v.) cause something to go away (p. 489) The facts will dispel any doubts about his innocence. mutinous – (adj.) rebellious (p. 491) The mutinous sailors captured the captain and took charge of the ship. bleak – (adj.) bare and windswept; cold and hard (p. 495) The bleak landscape stretched before them like an old, gray blanket.

Meet Ann Petry (1908 – 1997)

Activating Prior Knowledge Sometimes the only way to do the right thing is to break the law. Being a leader is fun and rewarding. Taking risks is an important part of making changes. With freedom comes responsibility.

Critical Thinking (textbook page 496) 1. Respond: Would you have trusted Harriet Tubman to take you on a long, difficult journey? Why or why not. You might trust her because of her courage, her ability to make quick decisions and evaluate people, and her desire to help others. 2. (a) What does Tubman do when a fugitive wants to go back to the plantation? Tubman points her gun at him and says that if he doesn’t continue, she will shoot him. 2. (b) Analyze: Explain why Tubman feels she must act this way. The returned fugitive would be forced to reveal the secrets of their escape, which would jeopardize other fugitives and their helpers.

Critical Thinking (textbook page 496) 3. (a) Interpret: Tubman says, “We got to go free or die. And freedom’s not bought with dust.” In your own words, interpret that statement. It means, “Freedom is only achieved through struggle and risk. But it is better to struggle than lose our humanity through being slaves.” 3. (b) Make a judgment: Are the results of the Underground Railroad trips worth the risks involved? Why or why not. Freedom is worth the dangers because it is better to struggle to gain freedom then to live and die as a slave. 3. (c) Discuss: Share your judgment with a partner. Then, discuss how your own opinion has or has not changed as a result of your conversation. The outcome of the Underground Railroad trips is worth the risk.

Critical Thinking (textbook page 496) How much information is enough? (a) What kind of information does Petry provide in this narrative essay that you would not find in an encyclopedia entry about Tubman? She includes detailed descriptions of a particular escape; she includes stories that Tubman told the slaves. (b) Does Petry’s approach give you a better idea of what Tubman was like as a person? Why or why not? Yes, because the narrative form allows for direct description of what she said and did and thought.

Reading Skill: Main Idea (textbook page 497) 1. (a) In a chart like the one shown, write at least two supporting details you learned about Harriet Tubman from the essay. 1. (b) Then, based on the details, write a sentence that summarizes the main idea the author conveys about Tubman in a way that maintains the original meaning. Supporting Detail Main Idea If she were caught, she would be hanged. She hid the fact that she did not know the new route. She encouraged the fugitives after they were turned away at their first stop on the Underground Railroad. She knew that the penalty for helping slaves escape would be death. Harriet Tubman was a brave and resourceful woman who risked her life to accomplish a very difficult task.

Reading Skill: Main Idea (textbook page 497) 2. What subtle inferences can you make and what complex conclusions can you draw about why Tubman is an important historical figure? Harriet Tubman’s selflessness and daring was a key element in the success of the Underground Railroad, thus making her an important historical figure.

Literary Analysis: Narrative Essay (textbook page 497) 3. List the two most important events in this narrative essay. The two most important events are Harriet Tubman’s stopping at gunpoint and the fugitive who wants to return, and the group’s arrival to freedom in Canada. 4. (a) Identify at least three people in the narrative and describe their relationship with the author. Thomas Garrett is a Quaker who lives in Wilmington and helps the Underground Railroad. The German farmer and his wife shelter the group for a night. William still lives in Philadelphia and records information about the fugitives. 4. (b) Identify the setting. The setting is Maryland and other states of the mid-Atlantic, the northern United States, and Canada during the winter of 1851 - 1852.

Vocabulary (textbook page 497) Practice: Use your knowledge of the vocabulary words to indicate if the statements are true or false. Explain your answers. 1. Discussing controversial ideas invariably leads to agreement. False. Discussing controversial ideas is unlikely to invariably, or consistently, leads people to agree. 2. Eating a good meal will dispel the feeling of hunger. True. Eating well will dispel, or chase away, feelings of hunger. 3. A mutinous sailor would obey all the captain’s rules. False. Mutinous means “rebellious,” and a mutinous sailor would not obey the captain’s rules.

Vocabulary (textbook page 497) Practice: Use your knowledge of the vocabulary words to indicate if the statements are true or false. Explain your answers. 4. Fugitives often have reason to feel afraid. True. Because fugitives are fleeing from danger, they have a good reason to be afraid. 5. The need to pay bills is an incentive for getting a job. True. Incentive means a reason for doing something, and having bills you need to pay is a reason for getting a job. 6. On a bleak morning, the sun is bright and the air is warm. False. The word bleak implies cheerlessness and dreariness.

Word Power (textbook page 497) Use the context of the sentences and what you know about the Old English suffix –ly to explain each answer. 1. Would someone who is escaping open the door silently? An escaping person would open a door “in a silent way” in order to avoid detection. 2. Why is it best to answer a test question correctly? Answering a test question “in a correct way” will score you points.