My Life as a Slave

Questions from scholastic.com--answers by Julia Eileen Moser

Imagine the year is 1870. You were once a slave who escaped on the Underground Railroad. You have been asked to share the story of your courageous journey and to describe the brave people who helped you along the way. Answer any or all of the questions below.

To help you answer these questions, think about what you’ve learned in this online activity, from the background slideshows to the story of the slave who escaped from Kentucky. If you want to learn even more, read the “Slave Stories.”

Type your answers in the box under each question. When you’re done, you can print out your story to share a hard copy with friends and family.

QUESTION 1Tell me about your life as a slave. Where did you live? What kinds of work did you do? What were some of the hardest things about your life?
Answer: I lived in Kentucky. I watched Ms. Barry's children for her in the afternoons, and in the mornings I picked cotton in the fields until 11:30. My siblings Mary and Gregory worked in the corn in the mornings, and then Gregory swapped to "waiter" duty- delivering lunch for Ms. Barry and her children while Mary doubled back with an ear of corn for her to split with our 2 year old brother Paul in the slave cabin, until Gregory and I got back at 8:59 for a quick "dinner" before settling on the hard straw mattress on the floor.

QUESTION 2Tell me about your escape from the South. Why did you decide to flee? How did you travel? How did you find your way? How did you survive? How did you feel?
Answer: One night, when I came back to the slave cabin after a particularly long and tiring day, I walked in the door and looked around- and decided that we had to leave. I conveyed this message to the family when Gregory came back with tomato sauce all over himself and a scared expression on his face, which soon turned into a determined one when we decided on a plan. At midnight the next day, Gregory, (who knew the kitchen best) stole 4 pears, 7 ears of corn, and 1 large turkey. He signaled to us and we each took a share of the load and hit the road. We walked quite a long way before anything happened. It was a bit scary as we followed the North Star, occasionally feeling for moss on the trees.


QUESTION 3Tell me about the people you encountered on the Underground Railroad. What kinds of people did you come across? What are some of the different ways that they helped you? How did the abolitionists influence the Underground Railroad?
Answer: The next night we were traveling by the Ohio River when we saw a black man standing in the thicket. He beckoned to us. We were about to go over when we heard a pack of dogs. They obviously knew we were gone back in Kentucky. I shouted "Quickly!" and pulled everyone into the water just as the dogs rounded the corner. I then remembered that none of us could swim. I grasped frantically for something, ANYTHING, to pull us to safety. I grabbed a ledge, pulled,--and yanked us onto the other side of the Ohio River! We had crossed without knowing it. We waved to the black man on the other side-and the dogs-and left. I soon saw a candle in a window and led everyone to the door. That is how we traveled for weeks, knocking on doors, hiding in the Underground Railroad.


QUESTION 4Tell me about when what happened after you reached freedom. Where did you settle? Why did you choose that place? What kind of work did you do? What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you feel starting your new life?
Answer: Finally, we made it to Canada. We started looking around, to see if anyone knew where we might make a living. We tried a door. It was locked. We knocked. There was something strangely familiar about the voice that told us to enter. "We were wondering if you------------" Gregory gasped. The woman standing in the doorway gasped. When I looked in, I saw why. "Mom? Dad?" We had a group hug. We're still living here today, happily ever after.

On "Study of a Lady Feeding Goldfish" by Edward Coley Burne-Jones

Outside tonight, my mother feeds the goldfish in our little outdoor goldfish tank. Their names are Minnie, Laurie, and Sharky. The eldest is Laurie, then Sharky, and finally Minnie. Minnie swims to the top to get her share first, but Sharky and Laurie stay by the bottom, waiting for some to float down to them. Laurie floats up a bit. As they swim about, mouthing the fish food, Mother rushes back inside the put the can back away. We would not want to lose it. She returns with a cloth and dabs at the outside of the tank a bit, so that they/we can see us/them better. My fish are so funny.

On Charles Barber's "Suspense"

In my bed, our dog Phillip and kitten Toffee sit on my covers as I say grace. Phillip drools on my egg. Toffee looks longingly at the milk in my cereal bowl. I intend to give them each a bit, but I will have to cut the pieces off with my fork, because I have the flu and do not wish them to catch it. I finish grace and cut off a small piece of toast for Phillip and a small spoonful of milk for Toffee. When he finishes, Phillip trots over to the other end of the bed, and brings back a bunch of red flowers from on top of my get-well cards, and Toffee brings the card that came with them. I give them each a pat on the head and with a soft ''Mrow'' a ''Ruff, ruff,'' (and the sneaking of 1 last piece of toast) they left the room. I love my pets.

On Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom

Titles: Eight Cousins-Rose in Bloom

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Main Characters: Eight cousins-Rose, Uncle Alec, Phebe, Rose's cousins. Rose in Bloom-Rose, Uncle Alec, Charlie, Mac, Phebe.

Summaries: Eight Cousins is about a girl named Rose who has been adopted by her Uncle Alec. He begins to use a cure for her miserableness and by the end she is fine again. Rose is scared of her cousins at first, but she soon gets to know them well. She makes friends with the cook's helper, Phebe. In Rose in Bloom, the sequel, Rose comes back from a 2 year journey with Phebe, and suddenly any number of young men are in love with her, including her cousin Charlie. Towards the end of the book, Charlie dies and Rose and her cousin Mac fall in love with eachother. My favorite part is when Mac writes Rose a book of poems.

On Landseer's "Monarch of the Glen"

In the glen, my dad the head stag stands in one of the only un-singed patches of grass left. He has just led the rest of us back safely from the area of the wildfire and is standing, tired but triumphant, at the head of a line of deer who followed him to safety. There is still smoke in the air behind us. My mother rushes from the end of the line and ushers us away quickly to see if we can find any thing left for us to eat. We search for a long time before the stamp of a hoof from over by a dried up stream makes us run over to a ledge. I gasp. A whole field of berries and plenty of shelter, just waiting for us to move in. We gallop down and I hope we'll be living here for a long time yet.

On "Comical Dogs" by Landseer

In the living room, our dogs Maria from Spain and and Commander Chihuahua from Scotland, are dressed up in Mother's bonnet and Father's beret. They look adorable!

Commander Chihuahua: "Yip, yip!" (We look ridiculous!)

We decided that it was too cold for them to go without clothing, and now they look snug as 2 bugs in a rug.

Maria: "Ruff!" (Says who?)

No, no! Maria! Commander Chihuahua! That's Mother's favorite bonnet! Oh dear. They're trying to take off the hats.

Maria: ''Yip ruff ruff.'' (If you thought we were cold, a blanket would have sufficed.)

Mother , I think maybe we should give them a blanket instead.

Dogs: '' Bark!'' (Great idea!)

On "Girl Rocking a Cradle" by Nicolaes Maes

In our living room, I rock the baby to sleep. Her name is Sally, and mine is Cynthia. Sally was just born last month. She is so cute! The week after she was born, almost all our relatives came over to our place to meet the new baby and congratulate my mother. That's where she got this blanket. It was a gift from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Patrick. The cradle was mine when I was her age. Now I'm 4 years old and I get to be a big sister! When Sally gets older, I can teach her all sorts of things. I love to be a big sister. This morning Sally gurgled at me when she woke up, and I gave her her bottle. She makes a lot of funny noises. Thanksgiving is coming soon and we'll have everyone here again. I hope Sally likes it. It'll be her first Thanksgiving!