KS3 Slavery: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

The aim of this lesson is to analyse why enslaved people escaped from their enslavers and evaluate the significance of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.

The lesson begins by asking why enslaved people decided to escape, what routes they might take and how they would prepare for such a dangerous journey. Students consider the risks involved and the reasons why someone might choose to leave plantation life behind.

A source scholarship activity focuses on an 1838 advertisement seeking the return of a runaway enslaved man. Students use key inference questions to analyse the source and read between the lines, considering what the advertisement reveals about the reasons for escape and why the enslaver was so determined to recapture him.

The second part of the lesson examines the Underground Railroad and the different roles played by those who helped freedom seekers escape and relocate to the Northern states. Harriet Tubman’s contribution is explored in greater depth, with students completing an extended written task evaluating her significance and impact.

The lesson concludes by examining a selection of famous escapes. Students debate which were the most daring, interesting, fortunate and well known, using evidence to justify their choices.

The lesson is enquiry based, with a key question introduced using a lightbulb enquiry at the beginning and revisited at the end, allowing students to demonstrate how their thinking and understanding have developed.

Included in this lesson:
Fully editable PowerPoint lesson
Escape routes and preparation
Runaway slave advertisements
Source scholarship and inference
The Underground Railroad
Freedom seekers and those who helped them
Harriet Tubman & evaluating significance and impact
Extended written task
Famous escapes
Debate and judgement
Retrieval practice
Suggested teaching strategies
Differentiated materials

Please leave a review, which would be gratefully received.