It Happened on the Underground Railroad
- 30 specific chapter questions:
CH. 1 “Baker’s Special”
p. 1
1. What was it in Barney Ford’s upbringing or character that allowed him to overcome all the obstacles/setbacks in his life? Which did you think was the most difficult to overcome?
Ch. 2 “Seven Years in Hiding”
p. 5
1. How do you think Harriet Jacobs survived hiding for seven years in such a tiny space?
CH. 3 “The Devil”
p. 13
1. What may have gone through the minds of James Lindsey Smith and his former mistress, whom he knew as Mrs. Sarah Langston, as they dined together on his visit home as a free man? Whose life changed the most?
CH. 4 “The House on the Hill”
p. 18
1.”Eliza’s” escape over the frozen Ohio River became legendary. Do you think that she realized the risk she was taking or was she too desperate to think clearly?
CH. 4 “The House on the Hill”
p. 18
1. What made the slave catcher Chancey Shaw have a change of heart and let “Eliza” and her baby go? Do you think that this experience changed him? Why or why not?
CH. 5 “I Have Come Back”
p. 23
1. What was it that made the Rankin family so fearless? Was it admirable or reckless for John Rankin to put his life in danger?
CH. 6 “The Twelver-Year Mistake”
p. 27
1. What do you think happened to Solomon Northup in the end?
CH. 7 “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes”
p. 35
1. Did the Chesters meet their just reward in the end? Is it possible to reason with a person who is convinced that they are not in the wrong?
CH. 8 “My Better Half”
p. 41
1. Why was Tom’s master convinced that Tom wanted nothing to do with freedom while neighboring plantation owners were suspicious of him? What do you think happened after Tom’s master was duped?
CH. 9 “Reading the Stars”
p. 47
1. What do you feel was Barney Ford’s greatest achievement and why?
CH. 10 “The Art of Passing”
p. 53
1. What was the scariest moment during Ellen Craft’s escape and why?
CH. 11 “At What Price?”
p. 59
1. Did the number of slaves being secreted away on the ship Pearl have anything to do with the ship being seized? Would a lesser number of escapees not have necessitated a search? How so?
CH. 11 “At What Price?”
p. 59
1. Do you think Captain Daniel Drayton and Captain Sayres would have served their full prison term if President Fillmore had not granted them an unconditional pardon? Why or why not?
CH. 12 “Caught Between Black and White”
p. 63
1. In what ways were the Cameron family kind to the Walker family?
CH. 13 “The Eleventh Hour”
p. 70
1. Which incident in Samuel D. Burris’ life may he have found to be the most incomprehensible?
CH. 13 “The Eleventh Hour”
p. 70
1. At what point in the story did you feel that Samuel D. Burris would not survive the ordeal? Do you think that he remained hopeful even when the situation was so dire? Why or why not?
CH. 14 “The Letter of the Law”
p. 74
1. Ruel Daggs sought compensation for the loss of service for his nine slaves? Does this seem reasonable to you?
CH. 15 “This Side Up”
p. 79
1. Henry “Box” Brown was so devastated after losing his family that he sought a means of escape that was life-threatening. What accounts for the fact that he then never searched for his family after he was a free man?
CH. 16 “Read All About!”
p. 85
1. Why did Mrs. Adams have her trunk (with Lear Green hidden inside) shipped to the anti-slavery office in Philadelphia instead of her own house? Did she feel that she was in danger?
CH. 17 “Remember Me”
p. 89
1. Describe the emotions of both William and Peter Still when they each realized that they were brothers. Who might have found it harder to believe
and why?
CH. 18 “Mission Impossible”
p. 95
1. What was it that motivated Seth Concklin to help Peter Still when he was a complete stranger to him? At what point did Concklin realize that his own situation was hopeless?
CH. 19 “Up a Tree”
p. 101
1. How were runaway slaves able to cope with the constant fear of being recaptured? Do you think that this stress took a toll on them or motivated them to continue on their flight to freedom?
CH. 20 “Downriver”
p. 106
1. John Fairfield masterfully carried out his escape schemes. What was it that allowed him to be so successful and why did he not fear getting caught?
CH. 21 “Where To, Sir?”
p. 111
1. All records of Ann Maria Weems disappeared after 1861. What may have been the reason for this and what do you think became of her?
CH. 22 “Not My Child”
p. 118
1. Do you think that Margaret Garner’s actions were justifiable? Explain.
CH. 22 “Not My Child”
p. 118
1. Could you have done the same as Margaret Garner did in order to spare your own children from a life of abuse?
CH. 23 “Freedom Train”
p. 123
1. How could a runaway slave such as John Thompson cope with being remanded to slavery after successfully escaping along a 600-mile journey? What caused some slaves to give up after failed escape attempts and others to keep on trying?
CH. 24 “In the Dark of Night”
p. 128
1. Arnold Gragston must have known that he would never see the pretty young girl he helped escape ever again. Why did he go back to help her escape and what propelled him to continue in his work of assisting others to freedom? Why didn’t Arnold escape himself years earlier than he did?
CH. 25 “What Goes Around Comes Around”
p. 133
1. What do you think went through Mattie J. Jackson’s mind on her eighth escape attempt when the bundle of clothes around her waist began to slip? Why did she bother to take her clothes anyway?
CH. 26 “On a Dare”
p. 139