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What type of literature is "Escaping to freedom"?
Biography
What is a biography?
The story of a person's life, written by another person
What do writers often use in a biography? Why?
Cause and effect text structure to show why events happened in a person's life
What is the situation of African Americans before 1865?
Most of them were not free. They were slaves with no rights.
What was Henson's life like?
He lived a life of slavery. He lived on a plantation, or large farm, in Kentucky. He had a wife and 4 children. He tried to buy freedom but failed.
What happened that made Henson decide to escape from Riley's farm?
Riley planned to sell him and Henson would have to move to Louisiana, and he might never see his wife and children again! Henson could not accept this.
Was slavery common in North America before 1793?
No
What happened when Eli Whitney invented the “cotton gin”?
This machine made cotton a popular crop. Many people used slaves to work on their farms.
How did Henson escape to Indiana?
The family boarded a small boat and crossed the Ohio River into Indiana.
What did Henson do when his family arrived in Indiana?
They had to move slowly and be careful not to be seen. To make sure no one saw them, Henson's family often traveled at night and slept during the day.
Why did the family travel to Canada?
In Canada, slavery was not allowed.
How long did it take Henson’s family to reach Canada?
More than a month after their daring escape.
What is the “Underground Railroad”?
A set of paths made of people who helped slaves run away.
What is the historical background of the Underground Railroad?
It helped between 40,000 and 100,000 slaves escape. Some people escaped and then returned to the southern states to help others find freedom.
What did people along the Underground Railroad do?
They assisted runaways. They gave them food and a place to stay. They carried runaways closer to freedom in boats or wagons.
What did enslaved people and those who helped them risk by using the Underground Railroad?
They risked being captured and death along the way.
