The Road to Freedom The Road To Freedom

There's an old friend That I once heard say Something that touched my heart And it began this way…

I was born by the river,

In a little tent..

And just like the river, I’ve been runnin’ ever since

It's been a long, long time comin' But I know a change is gon’ come

It’s been too hard livin’ But I’m afraid to die

Cause I don’t know what’s Out there beyond the sky

It's been a long, long time coming But I know a change is gon’ come

Now I go to the movies And I go downtown

Somebody keep tellin’ me, don’t hang around

It's been a long, long time coming But I know a change is gon’ come

So now I go to my brother And I say brother help me please

But he winds up knocking me Back down on my knees

There were times that I thought I couldn't last for long

But now I think I'm able to carry on

It's been a long, long time coming But I know a change is gon’ come

The Underground Railroad What was it? The Underground Railroad was not literally an underground track. It was a series of secret routes used by enslaved blacks to escape to free northern states and Canada. When was it used? At its height between 1810 and 1850, the Underground Railroad helped more than 30,000 slaves flee from their southern plantations.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 What was the purpose? The law was passed in the 1850s to stop runaway slaves and slow down the Underground Railroad efforts. It allowed slave owners to go to a free state and rightfully take back their slave, and if someone else found a slave, they had the choice to either keep the slave and pay a hefty fine of $1,000 or return the slave to their rightful owner. What happened to the slave? If the slave owner brought back one of their slaves, they would both have to see to a judge. If the slave was set free, the judge would receive $5.00 and if the slave was given back to its owner, he would have gotten $ Most slaves were rarely declared “free.”

Terminology Agents or Shepherds: people who helped slaves find the railroad Conductors: guides Stations: hiding places Abolitionists would fix “tracks.” Stationmasters: hid slaves in their home Passengers or Cargo: escaped slaves Slaves would obtain a “ticket” Stockholders: financial benefactors on the Railroad

You are an African slave working on a southern plantation in You hear there are a number of slaves that you work with that are planning to escape. There is word of some kind of Promised Land in Canada; Should you stay and be faced with working six days a week, ten hours a day farming in fields that will never grow sugar that will taste as sweet as the taste of freedom, or risk it all for the sake of liberty? Yeah, I’m down! Nahh, I’m set.Yeah, I’m down! Nahh, I’m set.

You will continue to live in a one-room shack with twelve others, eating the same cornmeal you do every day. Each day your life is at risk, for one wrong move and you could be beaten with a chair, broom, shovel, knife handles, or even the end of your master’s shoe. The chance of you slipping up could result in a good whippin’ and a visit to the tobacco smokehouse.

Tonight, you will leave after the chores are all done, the sun has gone down, and your master is peacefully sleeping..precisely at 11 o’clock. You must be quiet and can’t be seen.

Next stop: Dover, Delaware Walk through town as discretely as possible, avoiding conversation with anyone. A few miles out of town, you should come to a house with a lantern hanging outside. Let’s chill here. Keep wandering.

IF YOU DON’T STARVE TO DEATH FIRST, YOU WILL BE CAPTURED AND LIFE AS YOU KNOW IT, IS OVER…

Knock on the door and wait for someone to welcome you in. This is your chance to eat and rest up because your next journey is a long, rough travel..

Now to: Kingsbury, New York Here, in this little town, a friend set you up to meet with a woman at a stone chair. She will give you directions to the Goodman farm, 4 ½ miles away. When you reach Fort Ann, look for a house with another glowing lantern.

This is your last stop before reaching the Promised Land. It has been a strenuous, tiring trip and you have crossed through many towns, traveled many miles, and encountered many life-threatening dangers. You’ve made it this far, there is no turning back. Get some rest.

"A man is never more a man than when he embraces adventure beyond his control, or when he walks into a battle he isn't sure of winning. The control we so desperately crave is an illusion.“ John Eldredge