Henry’s Freedom Box
Objective: Students will examine and contrast the Northern States and the
Southern States involvement in and issues with slavery before the Civil War.
Book Summary: The life of Henry “Box” Brown is told
in this story. He was born a slave a lost everyone he
loved during slave trades. He decided to mail himself in
a box to the North so he could be free.
Setting: America in the Mid-1800’s. Starting in the
South and traveling to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Author: Ellen Levine
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Henry’s Freedom Box
New York, Scholastic Press 2007
Links to Resources:
• Beginning of Slavery in America
• Map Free vs. Slave States
• Map of Slave Populations
• Underground Railroad
• Slave Narratives
• Slavery Photographs
• Timeline of African American
History
Rachel Webster-Winthrop University- October 2010
Would you send yourself
in a box to escape slavery?
• Activity:
• Pretend you are a slave.
List the pros and cons of
using the Underground
Railroad to secretly
escape from slavery.
Then using the list to
write at least two
paragraphs explaining
why you would or
would not try to escape.
Photo from: http://loc.gov/pictures/item/98504563/
Photo from: http://loc.gov/pictures/item/2004665363/
How would you represent the
need for freedom for all slaves?
• Activity
• Imagine you are a free man in the
Northern part of the United
States during the slavery time
period. Create an advertisement
to free the slaves. Include a
visual, a slogan(catchy saying),
and 2-3 facts about slavery.
Photos from: http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/D?rbaapcbib:2:./temp/~ammem_iInc::
What was slavery like?
HAMMER SONG
•Well, my hammer, (hammer ring)
• Activity
• Write the words to
a slave work song.
You are a slave and
work out on the
field or in the
Audio
factory and sing
this song everyday.
http://dl.lib.brown.edu/catalog/catalog.php?verb=render&id=107368
1349281250&view=pageturner&pageno=1
Got a ten-pound hammer, (hammer ring)
Cap'n went to Houston, (hammer ring)
To git me a hammer, (hammer ring)
Way down in de bottom, (hammer ring)
Hew out de live oak, (hammer ring)
Son, you got fever, (hammer ring) (2)
Said, come here, nigger, (hammer ring)
Don't you see you got fever? (hammer ring)
Oh, sergeant . . . .
Ain't got no fever.. . . . . Better get to rollin'. . .
. . gonna hang you.
Oh, cap'n..
Hammer am a ringin'
Ringing for de captain,
Rignin' for de sergeant.
What de matter wid my pardner?
Oh, my hammer, (hammer ring)
Way down in the timber.
I'm goin' to Austin, (hammer ring)
Have a talk wid de Gov'nor.
I heard dat sergeant
Talkin' to Marble Eye.
Link from LOC: http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/lomax:@field(DOCID+st0012)
Standards
NCSS: II. Time, Continuity, and Change
South Carolina Standard 4-6: The student
will demonstrate an understanding of the
Civil War and its impact on America.
 4-6.3: Explain how specific events and issues
led to the Civil War, including the sectionalism
fueled by issues of slavery in the territories.