Underground Railroad

The Civil War
Introduces young readers to the harrowing true story of the American Civil War and its immediate aftermath. A surprisingly detailed battle-by-battle account of America's deadliest conflict ensues, culminating in the restoration of the Union followed by the tragic assassination of President Lincoln

Kindle Available

Civil War Days: Discover the Past with Exciting Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes
Dozens of projects and activities that will take you back to the days of the American Civil War Travel back to 1862 and spend a year with the Wheelers, an African American family in New York City, and the Parkhursts, a white family in Charleston, South Carolina,

There once was an invisible train that ran without tracks. This railroad transported slaves to freedom through a network of "stations" led by secret "conductors." George Washington noted the existence of these efforts as early as 1786. And by 1831, this growing freedom network was called the "Underground Railroad." Thousands of slaves found freedom through this human train in the 1800s.

Runaway slaves from the South would seek refuge in states where slavery was prohibited. Conductors on the railroad would hide escaped slaves in their homes and teach them secret codes and phrases to help them find the next safe house along the railroad. This continued until they reached freedom.

One of the most famous conductors along the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery, but through perseverance, was able to help herself and hundreds of others obtain freedom. After 25 years of slavery in Maryland, Harriet learned she was going to be separated from her family and sold, so she planned her escape. A neighbor told her of two houses where she would be safe. She traveled to the first house in the back of a wagon covered with a sack, and then made her way to Philadelphia on her own. Harriet described freedom as "heaven."

In Philadelphia, Harriet cooked and sewed to save enough money to rescue her family. She eventually helped 300 slaves gain freedom. Harriet became known as "Moses" because she ventured 19 times into the South or "Egypt." Harriet used music, Bible verses, and folklore to alert escaped slaves of danger and give them directions to safe houses.

During the Civil War, Harriet was a nurse to sick and wounded Union soldiers. She also taught newly-freed men and women how to care for themselves. In World War II, a ship was named in her memory, and in 1995, the federal government honored her accomplishments with a postage stamp.

Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom:
The Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery

Night Boat To Freedom
Night Boat to Freedom is a wonderful story about the Underground Railroad, as told from the point of view of two "ordinary" people who made it possible. Beyond that, it is a story about dignity and courage, and a devotion to the ideal of freedom.

Fugitive African Americans Fording the Rappahannock River. Rappahannock, Virginia, August 1862
Fugitive Slaves on the Underground Railroad

More Pictures

Kindle Available

A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation

Kindle Available

Harriet Tubman: Imagining a Life:
A Biography
Travel with Tubman along the treacherous route of the Underground Railroad. Hear of her friendships with Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and other abolitionists.

Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman conductor on the Underground Railroad

Freedom Train
The Story of Harriet Tubman
Harriet escaped North, by the secret route called the Underground Railroad. Harriet didn't forget her people. She risked her life to lead them on the same secret, dangerous journey

**DVDs**
Race To Freedom The movie took me inside the Underground Railroad and showed how people of all walks of life were involved in assisting African-Americans in helping them cross into Canada.	Whispers of Angels Defiant, brave and free, the great abolitionists Thomas Garrett, William Still and Harriet Tubman, along with hundreds of lesser known and nameless opponents of slavery, formed a Corridor of Courage stretching from Maryland's eastern shore through the length of Delaware to Philadelphia and beyond -- making the Underground Railroad a real route to freedom for enslaved Americans before the Civil War.	Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad, "the first civil rights movement," was no mere act of civil disobedience. The secret network of guides, pilots, and safe-house keepers (the Railroad's "conductors") was built by runaway slaves who, over the decades, communicated their experiences through songs and secret gestures, and were supported by abolitionists (many of them former slaves) who risked their own freedom to help free the enslaved. The "passengers" risked their lives.

More on the Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman
Kids Zone Exhibits
Picture Album
Civil War Summary
Civil War Cooking
Civil War Exhibits
Women in the War
Young Reader Books

Unconditional Surrender U. S. Grant and the Civil War This is the best juvenile biography on Ulysses S. Grant by a wide margin. Marrin has done an excellent job in introducing Grant to a young audience. I highly recommend it.	Weapons and Strategies of the Civil War For grades 3-6 which packs 48 pages with color photos and 30 links providing quality Internet sites for more research. Chapter notes, a bibliography and an index round out information and assure not just accuracy, but constant updates to research information.	A Ballad of the Civil War A wonderful chapter book for children that should help them to appreciate the fact that some people could not defend a person's right to own other people and to understand that sad era that ended in the "brothers' war." It has four chapters with a prologue and a closing author's note. The conversations that Tom has with the household slave "Uncle Roger" provide some unique insight into the dilemma that slaves faced in the antebellum South	Fields of Fury The American Civil War Written for young readers a stirring account of the greatest conflict to happen on our nation's soil, the Civil War, bringing to life the tragic struggle that divided not only a nation, but also friends and family. well-organized, well-executed, kid-friendly history of the Civil War was a brilliant idea if there ever was one. It's difficult to imagine anyone doing a better job than McPherson at breaking down this complex, interrelated series of events.
Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad is the retelling of a man's recollections of his first experience helping an escaped slave. The book brings the underground railroad down to the level primary students can comprehend. This book makes for wonderful discussions regarding overcoming one's fears, going against the norm and doing what you believe to be morally correct.	Kindle Available The Glory Cloak: A Novel of Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton From childhood, Susan Gray and her cousin Louisa May Alcott have shared a safe, insular world of outdoor adventures and grand amateur theater -- a world that begins to evaporate with the outbreak of the Civil War. Frustrated with sewing uniforms and wrapping bandages, the two women journey to Washington, D.C.'s Union Hospital to volunteer as nurses.	Clara Barton Founder of the American Red Cross Young Clara Barton is shy and lonely in her early days at boarding school. She is snubbed by the other girls because she doesn't know how to talk to them. But when she gets an opportunity to assist the local doctor, her shyness disappears, and Clara begins to discover her true calling as a nurse.	Kindle Available Civil War Days: Discover the Past with Exciting Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes Dozens of projects and activities that will take you back to the days of the American Civil War Travel back to 1862 and spend a year with the Wheelers, an African American family in New York City, and the Parkhursts, a white family in Charleston, South Carolina, Eleven-year-old Emily Parkhurst and twelve-year-old Timothy Wheeler are eager to share the fun, adventure, and hard work of their daily lives. Along the way, they'll show you how to play the games they play and make the toys and crafts they make.
Kindle Available Civil War on Sunday Mary Pope Osborne's tremendously popular Magic Tree House series launches into a new realm, as Jack and Annie are challenged to save Camelot. Young readers will effortlessly learn the basics of Civil War history, while losing themselves in another gripping tale that has turned many a nonreader into a bookworm. (Ages 5 to 8)	Clara Barton: Spirit of the American Red Cross Ready To Read - Level Three Clara Barton was very shy and sensitive, and not always sure of herself. But her fighting spirit and desire to help others drove her to become one of the world's most famous humanitarians. Learn all about the life of the woman who formed the American Red Cross.	Kindle Available The Civil War for Kids History explodes in this activity guide spanning the turmoil preceding secession, the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, the fierce battles on land and sea, and finally the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. Making butternut dye for a Rebel uniform, learning drills and signals with flags, decoding wigwag, baking hardtack, reenacting battles, and making a medicine kit bring this pivotal period in our nation's history to life.	Eye Witness Civil War Eyewitness Civil War includes everything from the issues that divided the country, to the battles that shaped the conflict, to the birth of the reunited states. Rich, full-color photographs of rare documents, powerful weapons, and priceless artifacts plus stunning images of legendary commanders, unsung heroes, and memorable heroines
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War All of the "If you Lived at the Time of..." books are great for kids, and also a nice, quick read for adults! What I like about them is their layout, which is easy for readers to follow. Each page begins with a question, "Would you have seen a battle in the South?" for example. Nicely drawn illustrations accompany each answer.	Day Of Tears Through flashbacks and flash-forwards, and shifting first-person points of view, readers will travel with Emma and others through time and place, and come to understand that every decision has its consequences, and final judgment is passed down not by man, but by his maker.	Kindle Available The Civil War Introduces young readers to the harrowing true story of the American Civil War and its immediate aftermath. A surprisingly detailed battle-by-battle account of America's deadliest conflict ensues, culminating in the restoration of the Union followed by the tragic assassination of President Lincoln	The Boys War With the many boys who fought in the civil war most of them lied about their age. A lot of them wrote letters or had a diary. Johnny Clem had run away from his home at 11. At age 12 he tried to enlist but they refused to let him join because he was clearly too young. The next day he came back to join as a drummer boy.
The Journal of James Edmond Pease: A Civil War Union Soldier, Virginia, 1863 James was only 15 when he joined, but he was able to get in. Nobody really liked him cause he was unlucky. One day in the confusion he charged ahead of his company and scared off all the Confederates single handed. After that, he became well liked by most people and soon rose Corporal. He showed his bravery when he spent a week in enemy territory. By the end of the war he rose up to Second Lieutenant.	Night Boat To Freedom Night Boat to Freedom is a wonderful story about the Underground Railroad, as told from the point of view of two "ordinary" people who made it possible. Beyond that, it is a story about dignity and courage, and a devotion to the ideal of freedom.	Behind the Blue and Gray The Soldier's Life in the Civil War Civil War reading can be very dry, but not this book. Delia Ray takes us on a soldiers journey beginning with enlistment and ending with a soldiers life after the war, using quotes from actual letters and diaries strategically placed throughout the book.	Grace's Letter to Lincoln Many important details of the time period help to make the reader understand what life was like then. It also includes photos of the actual letters written between Grace and Mr. Lincoln
Turn Homeward, Hannalee During the closing days of the Civil War, plucky 12-year-old Hannalee Reed, sent north to work in a Yankee mill, struggles to return to the family she left behind in war-torn Georgia. "A fast-moving novel based upon an actual historical incident with a spunky heroine and fine historical detail."--School Library Journal.	My Brothers Keeper Virginia Dickens is angry. Her father and brother Jed have left her behind while they go off to Uncle Jack's farm to help him hide his horses from Confederate raiders. It's the summer of 1863 and Pa and Jed believe 9-year-old Virginia will be out of harm's way in the sleepy little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.	Kindle Available I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina 1865 Not only is 12-year-old Patsy a slave, but she's also one of the least important slaves, since she stutters and walks with a limp. So when the war ends and she's given her freedom, Patsy is naturally curious and afraid of what her future will hold.	Numbering The Bones The Civil War is at an end, but for thirteen-year-old Eulinda, it is no time to rejoice. Her younger brother Zeke was sold away, her older brother Neddy joined the Northern war effort,. With the help of Clara Barton, the eventual founder of the Red Cross, Eulinda must find a way to let go of the skeletons from her past.
Kindle Available Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America The evolution of black society from the first arrivals in the early seventeenth century through the Revolution	Voice of Freedom A Story About Frederick Douglass Interesting for both children and adults, this book does much to evoke the strong-minded, highly-principled person who inspired so many others	Eye Witness Civil War Eyewitness Civil War includes everything from the issues that divided the country, to the battles that shaped the conflict, to the birth of the reunited states. Rich, full-color photographs	A Ballad of the Civil War A wonderful chapter book for children that should help them to appreciate the fact that some people could not defend a person's right to own other people and to understand that sad era that ended in the "brothers' war."
Moon Over Tennessee A Boy's Civil War Journal A moving personal narrative in the form of a journal, this powerful poem tells the story of one boy's journey into war	Abe Lincoln's Hat Step into Reading Abraham Lincoln, started out in life as an absent-minded lawyer. How did he nudge his memory? He stuck letters, court notes, contracts, and even his checkbook in his trademark top hat.	Abe Lincoln The Boy Who Loved Books Children of all ages will enjoy reading this book and realizing that a love of books, as Abraham Lincoln did, can change a persons life and move him or her to become a great person	The President Is Shot!: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Grade 6-10 --Description of the violent end to Lincoln's life. Holzer provides the Civil War context of the event and then details April 14 and 15, 1865. Why Murder Lincoln?, to demonstrate that this president was not always the universally beloved icon that students see him as today.
The Big Book of the Civil War Fascinating Facts About the Civil War, Including Historic Photographs, Maps, and Documents	Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman Harriet escaped North, by the secret route called the Underground Railroad. Harriet didn't forget her people. Again and again she risked her life to lead them on the same secret, dangerous journey.	Civil War Volume 1 Chester Comix with Content From the pages of the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia comes Chester the Crab to teach kids about our country's past in colorful and witty comic books from the creative pen of Bentley Boyd. In the Civil War Volume 1 the War Between the States begins as the South secedes, the first fights break out, the Iron Giants clash and Antietam occurs.	Kindle Available A Yankee Girl at Fort Sumter Tale of a girl and her family from Boston living in Charleston, SC during the months leading up to the beginning of the Civil War by the attack on Fort Sumter. The reader senses the inhunanity of slavery through Sylvia's experiences.
I've Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad The Blackburn case was the first serious legal dispute between Canada and the United States regarding the Underground Railroad. The impassioned defense of the Blackburns by Canada's lieutenant governor set precedents for all future fugitive-slave cases		Petersburg Sieges That Changed the World Describes the details and significance of the Virginia Civil War battle called the Siege of Petersburg	The Civil War Songbook This collection of "War Between the States" music has been the standard one in the re-enacting circuit for many years now. The sheet music is published just as it was originally and it contains some of the best known classic songs.

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

Bad Blood: The Border War That Triggered the Civil War In the years leading up to the Civil War, a bloody conflict between slaveholders and abolitionists focused the nation's eyes on the state of Missouri and the territory of Kansas. Told through the actual words of slave owners, free-staters, border ruffians, and politicians, Bad Blood presents the complex morality, differing values, and life-and-death decisions faced by those who lived on the Missouri-Kansas border	Long Road Back to Kentucky: The 1862 Confederate Invasion The often-overlooked Western campaign of the war with a specific emphasis on Kentucky's involvement in the American Civil War.	History's Mysteries: Family Feud: The Hatfields And McCoys Millions of dollars worth of timber and coal rich land were at stake, the courts were involved and once the national press got wind of what was happening, the backwoods folk found that their fight was being followed nationwide	The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one
Rebel Sabres / The Battle of Brandy Station 1863 Through dramatic reconstructions and eye-witness accounts, this documentary explores the 1863 Battle Of Brandy Station.	Women And The Civil War The many contributions of women in both the North and South are presented in this program describing their roles on and near the momentous battles of the American Civil War	Biography - Abraham Lincoln Preserving the Union Abe Lincoln's presidency in detail. The emotional tragedy and the humorus side of the man. His thoughts on the early commanders and dicussions with Historians. Pictures and details hard to find in other historical documentaries.	American Experience - Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided Abraham Lincoln's legacy as the Great Emancipator reshaped the nation while his tragic death left Mary reclusive and forgotten.

Reference:
National Park Service