The Underground Railroad

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about the American slavery system and its impact on American history and culture?

Teaching Suggestion: Present this question as a class discussion, setting up the story and themes presented in The Underground Railroad.

• The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones details how extensively the slavery system was used to build the United States of America, and how the consequences of this system reverberate in American society to this day.
• "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" by Frederick Douglass: a speech by former slave turned abolitionist activist Frederick Douglass
• "The Case for Reparations" by Ta-Nehisi Coates: an article (with audio reading) that explores the systemic ripple effect of slavery on contemporary Black American life
• "Attempts to Justify Slavery": a BBC guide on the arguments used by white Americans to justify the enslavement of Black Africans and Americans
• "Underground Railroad": a History.com guide on the history and important figures of the Underground Railroad
• Some literary works that explore American slavery are