• Different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800 (e.g., the influence of the Haitian Revolution and the ending of the Atlantic slave trade, how slaves forged their own culture in the face of oppression, the role of the plantation system in shaping slaveholders and the enslaved, the experiences of escaped slaves).
• How slavery influenced economic and social elements of southern society (e.g., how slavery hindered the emergence of capitalist institutions and values, the influence of slavery on the development of the middle class, the influence of slave revolts on the lives of slaves and freed slaves).
• Slavery prior to the Civil War (e.g., the importance of slavery as a principal cause of the Civil War, the growing influence of abolitionists, children's roles and family life under slavery).

• Runaway Journeys, specifically, "Many Reasons to Leave"
• In addition to the slave narratives presented on this web site, you can recommend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries online collection, Documenting the American South, specifically the following segments:
• The House of Bondage by Octavia V. Rogers Albert (Chapter Four, "Cruel Masters"): http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/albert/albert.html
• Men of Maryland by George F. Bragg (pg. 16, "In 1847, ...."): http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/bragg/bragg.html
• Slave Life in Georgia: A Narrative of the Life, Sufferings, and Escape of John Brown, a Fugitive Slave, Now in England by John Brown (pgs. 35-39, "The black law of Georgia...."): http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/jbrown/jbrown.html
• Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave. Written by Himself by William W. Brown (pgs. 44-45, "When at Natchez...."): http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/brown47/brown47.html
• Narrative of James Williams, an American Slave, Who Was for Several Years a Driver on a Cotton Plantation in Alabama by James Williams (pg. 33, "In my 17th year..."): http://docsouth.unc.edu/williams/williams.html

1. Pose the following questions to students:

   1. What do you know about the fugitive slave migration?
   2. What is your knowledge of the Underground Railroad?
   3. What were the destinations of these runaways?
   4. Did African Americans run to other places?
   5. Why did they run?
   6. What sorts of punishments were waiting for them if they were caught?

1. After they have read The Migrations of Fugitives, specifically "Many Reasons to Leave," ask students questions, such as:

   1. What were the various reasons to leave?
   2. What sort of motivation did African Americans have to leave?
   3. What rights did African Americans have? What was the difference between a freeman and an enslaved person?

2. Assign the links to the narratives to the students. At your discretion, they may read as few or as many as needed; no excerpt is longer than 2,000 words.
3. Once students have read their excerpts, have them list what they have learned about the situations in which the people would leave. You may choose to discuss with students the punishments meted out for such offenses.
4. Using the lists students have created from the readings, tell each student to create a fictional narrative about escaping the conditions of slavery, including why they are leaving, possible punishments should they be captured, and why freedom is so important to them. Make sure students pay special attention so that the narratives sound like first-person narratives giving personal details and habits. Give students time in class to edit and rewrite their narratives. Students will share their narratives with the class.
5. After the class hears the students' narratives, have students openly dialogue about the reasons for escape, such as the separation of family. Have them explore whether there were things more important than freedom to some of these people.
6. Post-lesson discussion: After they have read first-account narratives and Runaway Journeys, ask students to answer this question: What have you learned that you did not know at the onset of this lesson?

You may assess the student narratives with the following rubric and worksheet, or you may adapt your own to serve your needs: