Underground Railroad and Appalachia

As the Underground Railroad helped guide fugitive slaves to freedom, what dangers and challenges confronted both the fugitives and those who helped them?

The National Archives provides a lesson plan that explores the chronology of abolition. Entitled "From Slavery to Juneteenth: Emancipation and Ending Enslavement: Finding a Sequence," this activity asks students to place in proper sequence "key events related to both the expansion of slavery and the emancipation of enslaved people by placing documents in chronological order. Documents were chosen to call attention to the struggle’s length, the steps forward and back, and the variety of people (from enslaved people themselves to abolitionists and politicians) who played a role in ending the institution of slavery."

The lesson plans below are catered to specific sites or states, but can still illustrate the experience of the Underground Railroad and teach valuable lessons. These plans can also be presented and taught as written, or can serve as a starting point to stimulate more ideas and conversations for the classroom.