Closed-Reading Questions

1. What made trying to escape from slavery so dangerous?

Escaping from slavery was dangerous because there were slave catchers. They capture the slaves and return them for money. “Most threatening of all were the slave catchers, ruthless, cunning men who collected cash rewards for capturing escaped slaves.” (pg. 6)

2. Consider the quotation at the end of page 7 in which Tubman refers to her decision to run away. Put this quotation in your own words.

Tubman had to think about why she had the courage to escape. She had the choice of liberty of death, and she could only choose one.

3. Why might the Underground Railroad have been given that name? Explain.

The Underground Railroad was given as a code name so people didn’t think of it as an escape route or hiding place. “The Underground Railroad was not a real railroad. The term was a code name for a network of people, routes, and hiding places that enabled slaves to escape to the North.” (pg. 8)

Critical Thinking Questions

1. To dehumanize someone is to take away his or her human qualities—to make that person feel or appear less than human. In what ways was slavery dehumanizing?

Slavery was dehumanizing because it took away the rights of a person. It made them feel useless and not what they wanted their life to be. Some of the owners ordered them to do tasks that were almost impossible for them. “For months at a time, Tubman lived far from her parents, working for people who mistreated her.” (pg. 7)

2. On page 9, Tarshis notes that in addition to being courageous, successful, and clever, Tubman could be harsh. Do you think leaders sometimes need to be harsh? Explain.

I think that leaders should be harsh to get their word around, but not all the time. If you’re harsh all the time, people won’t stick with you, but it’s good to be harsh once in a while.