Of the 6.5 million immigrants who survived the crossing of the Atlantic and settled in the Western Hemisphere between 1492 and 1776, only 1 million were Europeans. The remaining 5.5 million were African. An average of 80 percent of these enslaved Africans—men, women, and children—were employed, mostly as field-workers. Women as well as children worked in some capacity. Only very young children (under six), the elderly, the sick, and the infirm escaped the day-to-day work routine. Slaves began to rebel against the cruel acts, and many risked their lives to escape to a better life. This created a major problem for slave owners because they were losing their free workforce.
Materials: U.S. map, colored pencils and a pastel colored marker
1. Experience a trip on the Underground Railroad and read the information on the Fugitive Slave Act.
2. Using your marker, trace the route of the Underground Railroad trip taken by the runaways.
3. Color all of the states that you travel through, and include your map in your end-of-project packet.
BONUS: Eighty percent of the 5.5 million (5,500,000) Africans were field slaves. If we estimated that each field slave worked twelve hours a day. How many hours of work was done in two days? |
