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Underground Railroad Worksheet

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Underground Railroad Worksheet

Read the source card, then complete the activities. The Underground Railroad was not a real railway: it was a network of people and places that helped enslaved people seek freedom. Use evidence from the source card and what you know to explain your thinking.

Source card: A network of courage

In the United States during the 1800s, slavery forced many people to work without freedom or pay. Some tried to escape to places where slavery was illegal. The Underground Railroad was a secret, informal network that helped some escapees travel. It was not underground and it did not use trains. People sometimes used railway words as code: a helper who guided someone might be called a “conductor,” and a safe place to rest might be called a “station.” The network had no single route or leader. Some people offered food, shelter, information or directions; others travelled with escapees. Black communities, formerly enslaved people, and white abolitionists all contributed. The risks were serious. Escapees could be captured and returned to slavery, while helpers could face arrest, fines or violence. The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act increased the danger by requiring escaped enslaved people found in the United States to be returned, even from states where slavery was illegal. Routes and choices varied. Some people travelled north within the United States; some continued to Canada, where slavery had been abolished. Others sought freedom in different ways. No single story represents everyone’s experience.

Read the evidence

Answer each question. For written responses, use complete sentences and refer to details from the source card where possible.

1.Which statement best explains what the Underground Railroad was?

A railway built beneath American cities
A secret network that helped some enslaved people escape
A government service that transported people north

2.In the railway code used by some helpers, what was a “conductor”?

A person who guided an escapee
A train driver
A person who wrote new laws

3.True or false? The Underground Railroad had one official route and a single leader.

TrueFalse

4.Complete the sentence: A safe place where someone could rest might be called a “”.

5.Name two kinds of help people in the network might offer.

6.Why was the network dangerous for both escapees and helpers? Give one risk for each group.

7.What did the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act require, according to the source card?

8.The source mentions that some people continued to Canada. Why might Canada have been a destination for people seeking freedom?

9.A classmate says, “The Underground Railroad was a train line.” Use two details from the source card to correct this claim.

10.Historical thinking: Why is it important to remember that “no single story represents everyone’s experience”? Use one detail from the source card in your answer.