Shows F

Jacob comes to Ben and Rit. Rit is angry and cautious, blaming Jacob for what happened to David. Jacob is a Quaker man who lives nearby who does not own any slaves; he tries to help free them. Harriet has married John Tubman but is still owned by Master Broda. Jacob warns that she is being sold to a Georgia plantation. He tells Ben to send her to him and he can help her escape to the north. Harriet shows up and looks all grown up. She tells her father how she believed for a long time that her husband John would share her beliefs that they could be free and go up north. He does not, however, which upsets her. Ben and David both tell Harriet that her only chance is to find Jacob and go north, but she must learn how to travel the underbrush and through the water so the bloodhounds lose her scent. Her father tells her that the lord has given her a sign. The biggest, brightest star in the sky is the Northern Star. If she follows it, it will lead her to freedom. She runs off to go find Jacob. Harriet is running through the night to find Jacob. The men and their bloodhounds are already on her trail. They decide they will have to wait until morning, but she keeps on running. Harriet arrives at Jacob's house. He welcomes her to the Underground Railroad, and feeds her gives her a change of clothes. He explains that the Railroad is a network of homes and hiding places that is run with the help of Quakers, free black men, and farmers. The overseer knocks and Jacob hides Harriet. They are all looking for her. The overseer tells Jacob that he threatened to beat David more and he confessed about the Underground Railroad. Jacob does not crack and sends the overseer searching in the barn. As soon as he does this, he points Harriet on her way. The overseer returns and insists he knows Harriet is on her way to this farm. Jacob tells him he is more than welcome to wait as he, right in front of the overseer, in code, writes a letter to the next station masters to inform them of Harriet’s arrival. Harriet is running, fighting to stay brave. Back home Rit prays for her and on her journey, Harriet joins in prayer. ("Hush, Hush") Harriet has arrived at the next stop, the farm of Thomas Garrett. Just as she enters, the patrol knocks at the door yelling that a slave was seen entering. They quickly disguise Harriet in full dress and veil and she poses as his cousin Evelyn. The patrol believes it, and Harriet is sent on to her next stop in Philadelphia. Harriet sits in a church in Philadelphia. William Still enters and quickly warns her that she is not safe. There are signs everywhere with her picture and even bounty hunters out to find her. A guard rushes in and corners them both. He demands to see her face but she keeps looking down at the bible. She insists he not bother her because she is reading from the bible. She waves it in his face and quotes passages she knows by heart, pretending to read. This throws the guard off because he knows Harriet is a slave and cannot read or write. He leaves them alone. Harriet has arrived in the north and is doing housework. The difference is, here she has freedom-she is not a slave, though she still must be careful. Sometimes she is lonely and has dizzy spells from when she was beaten. She even imagines her old husband John and sees the overseer and guards coming for her. Meanwhile, the senate realizes how many slaves are escaping into the north and pass more strict laws to try and stop the Underground Railroad. Harriet walks into Vigilant Headquarters where Jacob and William are meeting. Jacob had to leave his farm and head up north because they starting getting more aggressive and violent with him. He tells Harriet her family is fine. Harriet learns from the men that her sister's family is in trouble and needs to be brought north. She insists that she will do it. She knows the way, can handle their baby and swears if caught she will let them torture and even kill her in silence without snitching. She is off, like Moses to lead her people to freedom. The people wait anxiously for Harriet to arrive. ("Wade in the Water") She makes many trips successfully down south leading people to freedom. She became known to all as Moses. On one trip she and Jacob have a problem. Jacob is supposed to get her and her companion forged papers, but is beaten by guards and the printer is burned down. She comes up with the idea that she and the slave will carry him across claiming he is their master who died and is waiting to be laid to rest. She claims the papers were put in with his body but he died from chicken pox. Scared of catching it, the guard lets them through. Harriet makes a trip to save her

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