The Underground Railroad (10 page)

Professor Tuesday rubbed the back of his neck and blinked twice. “Slavery and the time of the Underground Railroad represent terrible parts of our nation's history. It is frightening to think about how cruel people can be.” The professor thought for a moment. “Maybe I'll visit Tamika sometime this week and talk to her. I think it would be a good idea for her to learn more on the subject and not give in to her fears.”

“That's a great idea,” I said. Mr. Spinner agreed.

“Now,” said the professor, “do you remember your assignment from last week? What can you tell me about Eliza Harris and Laura Haviland?”

I took out the notes that Mr. Spinner helped me to prepare and started to tell Professor Tuesday about what I had learned so far.

“Eliza Harris was a slave woman who lived a few miles south of the Ohio River. She was owned by Tomas Davis. Early in her life, two of her children died, but her youngest child lived.”

“Very good! Very good!” said the professor. “Go on.”

“She discovered that she was going to be sold to another plantation in the south. That meant she would be separated from her only child forever. Before a slave wagon came to pick her up, she took her baby boy and escaped into the night. It was late in the winter, and she ran toward the Ohio River. She thought that she could get across the frozen river on the ice. Eliza and her child arrived at the river in the morning only to find that the ice was starting to melt and break up. That made crossing very difficult and very dangerous.”

“Yes,” said the professor. “I believe she ran away in 1838.”

“Tired, cold, and hungry, Eliza and her child were helped by a white man, named Charlie Shaw, who lived in a cabin by the river. But in a short time she heard dogs barking and baying. Slave catchers were on her trail. She ran out onto the broken ice with her baby in her arms and jumped from ice flow to ice flow until she reached the Ohio side of the river. She was guided to the home of John Rankin, a man widely known to help runaway slaves.”

“You are one sharp cookie,” said Mr. Spinner.

“That's not all that happened,” I said. “Mr. Rankin gave Eliza and her child some food and warm clothing, then helped her to get transportation to Levi Coffin's house. From there, she eventually made it north to Sandusky, Ohio. During her trip, she cut her hair and dressed like a man. To help fool slave hunters, she dressed up her son to look like a girl. Eventually, she crossed Lake Erie to Canada in a steamboat. She was really smart and really brave.”

“Excellent! Excellent!” said the professor. “You really did your homework.”

I was pretty proud of myself. “Harriet Beecher Stowe's book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, was about her escape. It was a very popular book, and it helped a lot of people understand how evil and cruel slavery was.”

“What did you learn about Laura Haviland?” the professor asked.

“Well,” I answered. “Laura Haviland was a Quaker who lived in southeastern lower Michigan in a town called Adrian. I also found out something interesting about the Quakers.”

“What was that?” asked Mr. Spinner.

“Quakers are a very religious people who have strong beliefs about the value of every person, regardless of race or color. They were against slavery, but some of them also believed that helping slaves escape was against the laws of the United States. So, some Quakers did not help slaves. Laura Haviland left the Quaker faith for a time because she believed that slavery was against God's Law. She eventually became a Methodist minister in Lenawee County.”

“Did you learn anything else about Laura Haviland?” the professor asked.

“Lots,” I said. “Many believe that her house was the first stop in Michigan's Underground Railroad. She helped lots of slaves escape, especially those who crossed the Ohio River near Cincinnati. She and her friend, Elizabeth Margaret Chandler, ran an organization called the Raisin Anti-Slavery Society. Their society did a lot to make people aware of the problems with slavery, but not everybody agreed with them. I even read that a couple of their meetings were interrupted by gunfire. Pretty scary, huh?”

“Anything else?” Mr. Spinner asked as he sat forward on the edge of his seat.

“Laura and her husband, Charles, started the Raisin Institute, a school that welcomed African-Americans as well as white students. And,” I added, “she wrote magazine and newspaper articles about how horrible slavery was.”

“What did you find most interesting in your studies?” the professor asked.

“The story of Eliza Harris was really interesting,” I said. “But I was surprised to learn about how many women spoke out strongly against slavery,” I said. “I think I was most interested in learning about how tough Harriet Beecher Stowe and Laura Haviland were in a time when women weren't even allowed to vote.”

“Very true,” answered the professor. “It's also important to note that both Harriet Beecher Stowe and Laura Haviland were powerful writers. Their writing did a great deal to make others aware of the terrible problem of slavery. In 1839, Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote a play that included the line, ‘The pen is mightier than the sword.' Those women fought slavery with their pens and their hearts.”

“I am very proud of you,” Mr. Spinner said. “You did a wonderful job of researching.”

“So, professor,” I said, “where do we go from here?”

“I think I am going to call Tamika,” the professor answered. “I should even pay her a visit sometime this week.”

“Maybe if you invited her mother to come along next time, she won't be so scared,” I suggested.

“That's a great idea,” Mr. Spinner added. “Can I come along next week, too? This is really interesting stuff.”

“Sure! Sure!” said the professor with a wink and a smile. “The more, the merrier.”

P
rofessor Tuesday called Tamika the next day. Tamika was at her piano lesson, so the professor talked with her mother.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Jones. I was hoping to talk to Tamika,” the professor said. “Her friend, Jesse, told me that studying about slavery and the Underground Railroad has been a little scary for her. I also heard that she has been having bad dreams.”

“Oh, my,” Tamika's mother replied, “I didn't know that. She was very excited about her study of George DeBaptiste, but she has been acting strangely lately. She wasn't feeling well for a couple of days. I wonder if her stomach ache had anything to do with her bad dreams?”

“I don't really know,” answered the professor. “But I'd like a chance to talk with her.”

“Of course, professor,” said Tamika's mother. “You are welcome to visit any time.”

Professor Tuesday swallowed hard. “I don't usually like to go out on Thursdays. As you may know, my favorite day of the week is Tuesday. But I think it's important that we meet. I don't want her to be scared, but I think learning about this part of history is important for her.”

“I totally agree,” said Tamika's mother. “If you can, why don't you stop by tomorrow evening? How does 7:00 PM sound?”

“I'll be there,” answered the professor. Then he wrote down Tamika's address.

The very next day, Professor Tuesday was fumbling around in his office. “Where did I put that?” he muttered to himself as he looked through his desk and file cabinets. As the day wore on, the piles of papers, books, and junk got higher and higher. The professor searched all day long. Just before he gave up, he found the box he wanted.

“Aha! Aha!” the professor shouted, “there you are!”

Professor Tuesday opened the box, inspected the item inside, and looked at his watch. “My goodness,” he said, “where has this day gone?” He grabbed the box, locked his office door, and headed for Tamika's house.

At 7:00 PM sharp, the professor pulled up in his Tuesdaymobile in front of Tamika's house. Nearly everyone in town knows Professor Tuesday by his crazy car. It's bright blue with red stripes and yellow stars. The Tuesdaymobile has a long, whip-like antenna with an orange ball on the end. The orange ball helps him find his car when he goes to the mall. It also has a yellow thing on top that lights up and spins when the professor pushes a special button on his instrument panel.

All of Tamika's neighbors stared at the Tuesdaymobile as it pulled up in front of her house. Professor Tuesday climbed out and walked up to the house. He knocked on the door and Tamika opened it.

“Hello, Tamika,” the professor said. “I heard you were sick last week?”

“Yeah, I had a bad stomach ache,” she said quietly.

“I hope you are feeling much better now. Is your mother home?”

“MOM!” Tamika yelled over her shoulder. “Professor Tuesday is here.”

Tamika flopped down on the couch in the living room. In a few moments, her mother and father walked into the room.

“Forgive us,” Tamika's mom said, “we were just cleaning up after dinner.” Mr. and Mrs. Jones shook hands with Professor Tuesday.

“It's nice to meet you,” said Mr. Jones. “Tamika has told us how you have been helping her and Jesse learn about the Underground Railroad. It's nice of you to do that.”

“Thank you,” said the professor, “but it's no trouble. I enjoy working with young people. It's fun to watch them get excited about history.”

While the adults talked, Tamika just sat there quietly and hung her head.

“I missed seeing you on Tuesday,” the professor said to Tamika.

Tamika looked down as she talked. “I don't think I want to learn about slavery and the Underground Railroad anymore.”

“Why, sweetheart?” her father asked.

“I don't like it,” she answered quietly. “Besides, I've got a lot of homework and I don't have time to see the professor.”

Professor Tuesday swallowed hard before continuing. “I heard that you've been having nightmares. Is that true?”

“Jesse wasn't supposed to tell,” Tamika said.

“Why didn't you say anything to me?” her mother asked, placing her hand on Tamika's shoulder.

“I didn't want to worry you,” Tamika said.

Tamika's mother stood up. “I'm going to get a glass of water. Professor, would you like something?”

“Yes, please,” the professor answered. “I'd love a glass of water.”

Her mother went into the kitchen. After a few moments, she came back with water for everyone.

“Thank you,” said the professor as he took a glass. After he took a sip of water, he continued. “What is really bothering you, Tamika?”

“All this stuff about slavery and danger scares me,” she said.

“To be honest,” the professor added, “it scares me a bit, too. In fact, I've had nightmares about the Underground Railroad, myself. I had a bad dream about you, me, and Jesse being chased by slave catchers. It was very scary. But all of us are perfectly safe,” the professor said calmly. “The Critter Cam helps us see the past. None of us will be harmed at all.”

“I know,” Tamika said. Her voice was shaky. “It's just that I don't want to see it. I don't even want to think about it.”

“Honey,” her mother said carefully, “bad things did happen to African-Americans back then. Slaves who defied their owner's commands or ran away from their masters were treated harshly; some were even killed. But those who were brave, and those who helped them, changed the world. Don't you see how important that is?”

“I guess,” Tamika said as she rubbed her eyes.

Professor Tuesday suddenly remembered something. He pulled out the box he had found in his office and handed it to Tamika. “I want you to have this,” he said.

Tamika took the box from him. “What is it?”

The professor shrugged his shoulders twice. “Jesse and Mr. Spinner came to my office on Tuesday. Your friend shared information about Eliza Harris and Laura Haviland, two brave women who lived in the 1800s. Laura Haviland lived in Michigan. She fought for the freedom of slaves almost her entire life and even started a school to help them learn to read and write. Something that slave masters would never allow.”

“What about that Eliza person?” Tamika asked.

“Eliza Harris,” the professor said. A gentle smile crossed his face. “She is what this gift is all about.”

“What do you mean?” Tamika asked.

“Another abolitionist woman named Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book about Eliza's life. I am giving you a very old, very valuable copy of that book,
Uncle Tom's Cabin
.”

Tamika opened the box. Inside was a dusty old book, just like the professor said.

“Thank you,” Tamika said shyly. “I'm not crazy about reading, but maybe my mom or dad will read it with me.”

“Of course we will,” her mother replied.

“You may be interested in knowing that Eliza Harris and her baby escaped slavery,” the professor noted. “At great danger, she crossed the icy Ohio River and managed to make her way to Canada.”

“Where did she live in Canada?” Tamika asked. “My family lived in Canada.”

“She lived out her life in southern Ontario,” the professor said. “There were several famous settlements in that area of Canada, including Buxton and Chatham.”

Tamika's mother gasped out loud. “That's where our family came from long ago. Do you think our relatives knew her?”

“That very well could be,” answered the professor.

“Tamika,” her mother said, “I know that learning about slavery can be scary, but I think this is something you should know. Would you feel better if I came along with you to see the professor next time?”

Tamika nodded her head slowly.

“Good! Good!” said the professor. “Come to my office next Tuesday. I've got a wonderful surprise for you.”