Read the passage from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry.Old Rit taught Harriet the words of that song that the slaves were forbidden to sing, because of the man named Denmark Vesey, who had urged the other slaves to revolt by telling them about Moses and the children of Israel. Sometimes, in the quarter, Harriet heard snatches of it, sung under the breath, almost whispered: "Go down, Moses. . . .” But she learned the words so well that she never forgot them.
Read the passage from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs.Now that the captain was paid for our passage, might he not be tempted to make more money by giving us up to those who claimed us as property? I was naturally of a confiding disposition, but slavery had made me suspicious of every body. Fanny did not share my distrust of the captain or his men. She said she was afraid at first, but she had been on board three days while the vessel lay in the dock, and nobody had betrayed her, or treated her otherwise than kindly.
Read the passages.From the Springtree Neighborhood Association Newsletter:This Saturday, March 27, at 8 a.m., volunteers will be meeting at the park on NW 30th Terrace to begin planting our very own community garden. Those interested in joining should bring a pair of gloves and any gardening supplies you’re willing to share. We’ll provide seeds, small starter plants, and soil for the raised beds. Master gardeners will be in attendance to guide you. Please check in at the blue tent when you arrive.From a letter to the editor of the Center City Gazette:This community is long overdue for a community garden. A community garden provides more than just pretty scenery. It gives those who don’t have space to plant a garden in their own yard the opportunity to grow their own flowers and vegetables. It allows neighbors to get together and share their knowledge with each other in the great outdoors. Every person I’ve talked to is interested in taking part in this project. Now we need the city commission to take action. I encourage everyone to call their commissioners and tell them to open up the vacant lot on NW 30th Terrace to the public. Let us turn that muddy field into a space we can all be proud of!
Read the passage from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs.O, you happy free women, contrast your New Year’s day with that of the poor bond-woman! With you it is a pleasant season, and the light of the day is blessed. Friendly wishes meet you every where, and gifts are showered upon you. Even hearts that have been estranged from you soften at this season, and lips that have been silent echo back, "I wish you a happy New Year.” Children bring their little offerings, and raise their rosy lips for a caress. They are your own, and no hand but that of death can take them from you.But to the slave mother New Year’s day comes laden with peculiar sorrows. She sits on her cold cabin floor, watching the children who may all be torn from her the next morning; and often does she wish that she and they might die before the day dawns. She may be an ignorant creature, degraded by the system that has brutalized her from childhood; but she has a mother’s instincts, and is capable of feeling a mother’s agonies.
Read the excerpts from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground RailroadShe knew that there were slaves who had betrayed other slaves when they tried to escape. Sometimes they told because they were afraid of the master, it was always hard on the ones who were left behind. Sometimes the house servants were the betrayers, they were closest to the masters, known to be tattletales, certain to be rewarded because of their talebearing.Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlThe vessel was soon underway, but we made slow progress. The wind was against us. I should not have cared for this, if we had been out of sight of the town; but until there were miles of water between us and our enemies, we were filled with constant apprehension that the constables would come on board. Neither could I feel quite at ease with the captain and his men. I was an entire stranger to that class of people, and I had heard that sailors were rough, and sometimes cruel. We were so completely in their power, that if they were bad men, our situation would be dreadful. Now that the captain was paid for our passage, might he not be tempted to make more money by giving us up to those who claimed us as property?
Read the passage from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs.Ten days after we left land we were approaching Philadelphia. The captain said we should arrive there in the night, but he thought we had better wait till morning, and go on shore in broad daylight, as the best way to avoid suspicion.I replied, "You know best. But will you stay on board and protect us?”He saw that I was suspicious, and he said he was sorry, now that he had brought us to the end of our voyage, to find I had so little confidence in him. Ah, if he had ever been a slave he would have known how difficult it was to trust a white man. He assured us that we might sleep through the night without fear; that he would take care we were not left unprotected. Be it said to the honor of this captain, Southerner as he was, that if Fanny and I had been white ladies, and our passage lawfully engaged, he could not have treated us more respectfully. My intelligent friend, Peter, had rightly estimated the character of the man to whose honor he had intrusted us.
Read the excerpts from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground RailroadShe knew how accurately he would describe her. One of the slaves who could read used to tell the others what it said on the handbills that were nailed up on the trees, along the edge of the roads. It was easy to recognize the handbills that advertised runaways, because there was always a picture in one corner, a picture of a black man, a little running figure with a stick over his shoulder, and a bundle tied on the end of the stick.Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlIt is not necessary to state how he made his escape. Suffice it to say, he was on his way to New York when a violent storm overtook the vessel. The captain said he must put into the nearest port. This alarmed Benjamin, who was aware that he would be advertised in every port near his own town. His embarrassment was noticed by the captain. To port they went. There the advertisement met the captain’s eye. Benjamin so exactly answered its description, that the captain laid hold on him, and bound him in chains.
Read the passage from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs.He showed me to a little box of a cabin, where sat my friend Fanny. She started as if she had seen a spectre. She gazed on me in utter astonishment, and exclaimed, "Linda, can this be you? or is it your ghost?” When we were locked in each other’s arms, my overwrought feelings could no longer be restrained. My sobs reached the ears of the captain, who came and very kindly reminded us, that for his safety, as well as our own, it would be prudent for us not to attract any attention.
Read the passage from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs.I should not have cared for this, if we had been out of sight of the town; but until there were miles of water between us and our enemies, we were filled with constant apprehension that the constables would come on board. Neither could I feel quite at ease with the captain and his men. I was an entire stranger to that class of people, and I had heard that sailors were rough, and sometimes cruel. We were so completely in their power, that if they were bad men, our situation would be dreadful.
Read the excerpts from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground RailroadWhen Harriet heard of the sale of her sisters, she knew that the time had finally come when she must leave the plantation. She was reluctant to attempt the long trip North alone, not because of John Tubman’s threat to betray her, but because she was afraid she might fall asleep somewhere along the way and so would be caught immediately.She persuaded three of her brothers to go with her. Having made certain that John was asleep, she left the cabin quietly, and met her brothers at the edge of the planation. They agreed that she was to lead the way, for she was more familiar with the woods than the others.Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlReader, my story ends with freedom; not in the usual way, with marriage. I and my children are now free! We are as free from the power of slaveholders as are the white people of the north; and though that, according to my ideas, is not saying a great deal, it is a vast improvement in my condition.
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