Electronic Journal
January 22, 1997

Today we talked about we knew about the Underground Railroad. We knew that people tried to run away from the slavery. There were houses that were safe for slaves to go to these were stops on the Underground Railroad. That the slaves followed the big dipper to the North star to find their way, and sang about it in the story the drinking gourd. Harriet Tubman led runaway slaves on the underground rail road.

We listened to the book on tape "Nightjohn" by Gary Paulsen and wrote down these facts and feelings.

How I feel by Alegra:
I thought it was awful that the slavery people hit with whips and guns. I would want to run away if I got whipped. I would want to run away with all of my family.

How I Feel: by Quaddy
1. Babies got taken away from their parents.
2. Slaves has to chew on tabacco.
3. If slaves found money the master will take it from them.
4. The master said they can't pray.
5. The master will sell people at the sell stan.
6. The master likes to carry the whip and gun with hem.
7. The new people has no clothes.
8. The master poured the food in a trough.
9. Don't sleep on a bed.
10. The master said no slaves can not read or write.

How I feel by Tashay
I think that he should stop whipping slaves. I feel bad that masters had to sell their mother and had keep there mother away from there family. They should let them eat there food then chew tobacco leaves. I think that they should let them keep the thing they fould. They should not did that to the boy when they had whipping all the way to there home with no clothes. They should give him his clothes. Master should let them read and when they read they should not whipping them. I feel that they should not let them run ten miles. They should not let them have guns.

How I feel by Shalaya
That mothers and babies were seperated made me feel sorry for them. That everyone should be treated the equally. The slaves had to eat out of the trof like pigs. The mothers were seperated from their babies. Sometimes their mothers were killed, and the babies were used as slaves.Soney had to chew tobacco on the leaves to kill bugs. They were not supposed to go to church or pray, so Soney's mother prayed in a whisper. She prayed that God would set them free. She didn't know what free was. She learned what free meant. Since slaves were unable to read and write, they were forced to communicate from person to person. Over time this network of communication from slave to slave became known as the grapevine, thus creating the popular phrase and song title "I heard it through the grapevine."