Underground Railroad Timeline

Name:

Date:

🎯 Learning Targets & Success Criteria

I can... explain key events and dates related to the Underground Railroad and put events in correct chronological order.

Success criteria: I can identify important people and laws, place at least three events in order on a timeline, and write one short explanation about why the Underground Railroad mattered.

Differentiation: Shorter reading passages and sentence starters provided for learners who need support. Advanced learners may research one additional event and add it to the timeline.

Extension: Investigate a local historical person or place connected to the Underground Railroad and share one new fact with the class.

Dyslexia-friendly options: Use a larger sans-serif font, colored overlays, and read-aloud support; provide printed copies with increased spacing.

📚 Part 1: Multiple Choice & Matching (Choose one)

1. What was the Underground Railroad?

A secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom

A system of railroads used for shipping goods

A government agency that issued passports

A school for train conductors

2. Who was Harriet Tubman?

An abolitionist who escaped slavery and guided many to freedom on the Underground Railroad

The author of a famous novel about slavery

A U.S. president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation

A conductor of the first public railroad

3. Which law (passed in 1850) made it more dangerous for escaped people and those who helped them?

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Emancipation Proclamation

13th Amendment

Importation Act of 1808

4. Which action declared freedom for many enslaved people in Confederate states during the Civil War?

Emancipation Proclamation (01/01/1863)

Fugitive Slave Act of 1793

Passage of the 13th Amendment (1865)

The Missouri Compromise

5. Match each event (left) with the correct year or date (right). Draw a line between columns.

A. Fugitive Slave Act (first law)

B. Importation of enslaved people banned

C. Harriet Tubman escapes and later leads rescues

D. Emancipation Proclamation

E. 13th Amendment ratified

1. 12/06/1865

2. 01/01/1863

3. 1808

4. 1793

5. 1849 (escape) / 1850s (rescues)

✏️ Part 2: Short Answers & Creative Timeline

6. In one or two sentences, explain why the Underground Railroad was important.

7. Fill in the blank:

The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States, was ratified on ____________ (MM/DD/YYYY).

8. Timeline drawing: On the line below, mark and label three events—Harriet Tubman's escape (1849), the Emancipation Proclamation (01/01/1863), and the 13th Amendment (12/06/1865). Add short notes about each event.