changes color to show the population of enslaved and free blacks in the North vs. the South. Students can read actual interviews with ex-slaves, including a few who escaped on the Underground Railroad. Afterwards, students are encouraged to imagine their own stories and write their narrative online, which could potentially appear on Scholastic.com.

The Scholastic teacher’s activity guide includes a collection of images, documents, and interviews of people who lived through this historic time and also a lesson plan helping to explain the Fugitive Slave Act of 1854.

Renita Burns also reported for this story.