Underground Railroad

Routes to Freedom (M,O)
Map of routes used in the Underground Railroad; from NatGeo Education

Journey to Freedom (T)
Collection of resources related to the Underground Railroad from the National Park Service

How Slaves Found Their Way North (Y)
In this lesson plan archived in the Wayback Machine, students learn about natural and human-made clues that helped enslaved individuals find their way north through the Underground Railroad. Then, they create a quilt with clues about routes to freedom.

The Underground Railroad  (M,O,T)
Africans in America resource bank from PBS.org

The Underground Railroad   (T)
Resources for teachers from Scholastic.com

Underground Railroad  (M,O,T)
Extensive coverage from History.com

Underground Railroad Education Guide (T)
Printable guide from History.com

5 Secret Codes Used to Communicate in the Underground Railroad (Y,M,O)
"In order to avoid detection, Harriet Tubman and others used a variety of codes and signals to communicate along the route to freedom." From History.com

The Little-Known Underground Railroad That Ran South to Mexico (M,O,T)
"Unlike the northern free states, Mexico didn’t agree to return people who had fled slavery." From History.com

What Happened to Freedom-Seekers after Escaping Slavery (M,O,T)
"Discover the Underground Railroad, and why it was not the end, but the beginning of a new chapter in the struggle for freedom." From PBS Learning Media with support materials for students and teachers

Underground Railroad Sites in Indiana  (Y, M, O, T)
Indiana has a rich history of Underground Railroad operations. Many escaped slaves traveled across the Hoosier State in the years before and during the Civil War.

The Underground Railroad Teachers Guide  (Y, M, O, T
This guide from Scholastic (archived in the Wayback Machine) covers the material in the interactive resource The Underground Railroad: Escape from Slavery.

Harriet Tubman Readers Theater  (Y, M)
A multiple-role reader's theater script to learn about Harriet Tubman, an American hero, and the Underground Railroad. Grades 1-6; archived on the Wayback Machine

Underground Railroad List of Sites  (Y, M, O, T)
From the National Parks Service

Pathways to Freedom: Maryland and the Underground Railroad  (Y, M, O, T)
This comprehensive site offers primary source documents, events, museums, and people who worked the Underground Railroad in Maryland.

John Brown Museum  (Y,M,O,T)
Reverend Samuel Adair and his wife, Florella were peaceful abolitionists who came to Kansas and settled near Osawatomie, an abolitionist community and a center of conflict during "Bleeding Kansas." The Adair cabin was a station on the Underground Railroad, and Florella's half brother, John Brown, used this cabin as his headquarters. The cabin survived the Battle of Osawatomie, where John Brown and 30 free-state defenders fought 250 proslavery militia in 1856, and stands on the battle site today. Learn more about the Adairs, John Brown, and others who struggled to survive the border war when you visit the John Brown Museum.

Levi Coffin House  (Y,M,O,T)
This registered National Historic Landmark is a Federal-style brick home built in 1839. It was part of the legendary Underground Railroad for fleeing slaves of pre-Civil War days. Levi and Catharine Coffin were legendary for helping many former slaves escape to freedom in the North. During the 20 years they lived in Newport, the Coffins helped more than 2,000 slaves reach safety.