The Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom

By Muzzy Lane Software, National Geographic Education

Business  Category






Skills and Ideas Taught:
Students will:

  • Identify key challenges of the journey on the Underground Railroad, including physical and political geography
  • Explore historic events from multiple perspectives
  • Examine the choices an escaping slave may have had to make, from a historical perspective
  • Understand historic events surrounding slavery and the Underground Railroad from multiple perspectives
  • Recognize the contributions of key historic figures, including Harriet Tubman, Thomas Garrett, William Still, and Frederick Douglass
  • Discover primary and secondary source artifacts
  • Identify factors in historical context that affected people’s decision-making

Goal or Challenge: You are a slave. You belong to a farmer who owns a tobacco plantation on the eastern shore of Maryland. Six long days a week you tend his field. But not for much longer . . . What will you do? Make your choices well as you embark on your journey to freedom.

Primary Audience:  Students in Grades 6-10, in a variety of settings both in and out of the classroom.

Assessment Approach: The the outcome of the player’s journey will depend on the choices they make, with multiple outcomes possible.

Description: The Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom is a “choose your own journey” style game that incorporates 3-D experiences as students make a series of choices that affect their journey. Played from a first-person perspective, the game immerses students in the action as they play the role of a slave escaping from a southern plantation and heading north toward freedom. Along the route, students make key decisions that will lead them to one of several possible outcomes. Along their journey, students will encounter challenges and meet key historical figures who provide help and inspiration.

Game Engine: Sandstone (Muzzy Lane Software)

Operating System:  Web, iOS, Android

Platform:  Personal Computer

Special Hardware:  None