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Classroom · Grades 6–12

Ellen Craft

Ellen and William Craft escaped slavery by exploiting the very assumptions about race, gender, class, and disability that held slavery in place.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 6–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 2 (Time, Continuity, and Change) and 5 (Individuals, Groups, and Institutions); C3 D2.His.2.6-8, D2.His.4.9-12
Reading
Ellen Craft (profile)

Big Idea

Ellen and William Craft escaped slavery by exploiting the very assumptions about race, gender, class, and disability that held slavery in place.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Ellen Craft, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Each piece of Ellen Craft’s disguise solved a specific problem. What was the sling for, and what does it tell you about the laws governing enslaved people?
  2. Why did passing through Baltimore pose the greatest danger of the journey, even though the Crafts were almost free?
  3. How did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 change life for the Crafts in Boston, and how did Bostonians respond?
  4. Ellen Craft could not write when she escaped. Why might the Crafts have chosen to publish their story in 1860, more than ten years later?

Activity

Students trace the Crafts’ route from Macon to Philadelphia on a map, marking each change of train or steamer. At each stop (25–35 minutes in small groups), they use the narrative to record the danger the Crafts faced there and how the disguise answered it. Each group closes with a short paragraph explaining which moment they judge the most dangerous and why.

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Ellen Craft.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/ellen-craft/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Ellen Craft. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/ellen-craft/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Ellen Craft.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/ellen-craft/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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