Montgomery

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Situated on the Alabama River in the south central part of the state, Montgomery is the capital of Alabama. It is also the seat of Montgomery County. It has a population of 195,690 (1999 est.) within the city, and 314,965 (1996 est.) in the metropolitan area. Although the city is still an economic focal point for cotton and livestock, the business of state government is now predominant. Also of economic importance are food processing and the manufacture of wood products. The city is known for its many fine antebellum houses and buildings, including the capitol with its stately white columns. Montgomery is the seat of Alabama State University (1874) and Auburn University at Montgomery (1967). Maxwell Air Force Base, the site of the Air University, and Gunter Air Force Station are nearby.

 

Often called the Cradle of the Confederacy, Montgomery holds a special place in the history of the South. The city was first settled in 1817, and after the state capital was moved there from Tuscaloosa in 1847, Montgomery thrived as a great cotton market and river port. In February 1861 the government of the Confederate States of America was formed there by the seven seceding states, and Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as its president on the capitol steps. The city served as the capital of the Confederacy until it was replaced by Richmond, Va., in July 1861. Federal troops occupied the city in April 1865, and recovery was slow and painful. In 1955–56 the black population, led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., boycotted the city buses in a successful protest against the segregation of public transportation.

Harriet Tubman
Born into slavery on a farm in Maryland, Harriet Tubman made her way to freedom, then returned to the south nineteen times in order to lead more than 300 more people to freedom on what came to be known as the Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad: Escape from Slavery Teacher Activity Guide
This teacher guide supports the Underground Railroad: Escape From Slavery online activity.

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, 1865
At his second inauguration in 1965, President Lincoln gave one of the most famous speeches in American presidential history.

LESSON PLAN	Train to Freedom As they analyze the life of Harriet Tubman, students learn about the risks taken by conductors and passengers on the Underground Railroad. They...
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Our America Travel back in time to learn about American history from the people who lived it! Read real journal entries from the Colonial Period, The Revolutionar
BOOK INFORMATION	If You Grew Up with Abraham Lincoln "The basic concept of history is made meaningful . . . through . . . well-chosen details of daily life." — School Library Journal