Underground Railroad

Abolitionists helped slaves in their attempts to become free people. They helped to find homes for the slaves to hide in and were also active in many states (The Freedom Sympathizers and Fighters).

The Underground Railroad was a huge success lasting for decades and freed around one hundred thousand slaves by 1850 (History.com). The events of the railroad happened all over the country, each trip different and all routes kept secret, but slaves from the South would escape in small groups of three to five in an attempt to pass the Ohio River to Northern Free states. Slaves mainly traveled by foot in small groups, occasionally a slave would travel by boat or train, but wagon or foot was easiest as the night provided cover and there were set up safe houses (Wikipedia). The underlying causes of the Underground Railroad was as a means of escape from the harsh lives most slaves lived. The events that caused the construction of the Underground Railroad are unknown but is believed to be started by Quakers in the late 1700s (History.com). The Underground Railroad was a huge success bringing thousands of slaves into freedom a year, giving them hope for a better

The Underground Railroad was the path that slaves took while escaping. It consisted of stations or "depots" (houses), " conductors" (those who lived in the homes), "tracks" ( the actual trail they took) and even " station masters" and "presidents" who led the efforts in their area. The railroad analogy was used to describe many aspects of this anti-slavery activity. The code helped those involved in freeing the slaves communicate with each other without others understanding.

Thousands of enslaved african americans lived in the south and was ⅓ of the south’s population, slavery violated the rights of human rights of thousands of african americans. If it wasn't for Abraham Lincoln and thousands of his supporters, The underground railroad saved the lives of thousands of african americans. The most famous legend is Harriet Tubman, she herself saved the lives of thousands and was

The fugitive slaves had to go through a long a perilous journey to reach their freedom while traveling along the Underground Railroad. In a very short time, the fugitive slaves had to travel great distances usually on foot, boats or trains were used very infrequently. They had to put their life on a stake while escaping as they had no or very diminutive amount of food and no protection from the slave catchers chasing them. The fugitive slaves were pursued by the slave owners as well as other men. The slave owners used to publish reward posters offering payment for the capture of their property to entice others to assist in the capture of their slaves. The fugitives would get severely punished if they were apprehended. Their punishment for running away was to be branded, flogged, jailed, killed and even sold back into slavery. The Underground Railroad was successful because the slave owners had no clue about the routes and even no one from the system knew the entire routes. Each conductor was responsible for leading the slaves from one station to the following and then the next conductor would lead them to the next station. This would continue until the whole route was traversed. The integrity of the routes as well as the fugitive slaves

The Underground Railroad which many of you have heard the term before in your history classes was actually started around 1780. The Civil War started in 1861 many years later this passage contributed to the war. The Underground Railroad was a word that was used to describe a network of places to meet, unknown routes, passages and safe homes used by slave to escape into Canada from the United States for freedom. The Railroad was estimated to free 1,000 slaves a year in total the freed an estimated 100,000 between 1810 and 1850. The “conductors” of the railroad would act as a slave and go on the plantation and would convince slaves that they were slaves and could be free with their help but they would need to do as

This is how Harriet Tubman even as a child, helped a slave reach freedom and it was a big part of what inspired her to gain her own freedom and want to help other slaves escape. Even though Harriet Tubman was never taught to read or write she was very strong willed, religious and smart and she believed that people had the right to be free and did not think it was right to beat people just because they did not have white skin. Harriet was determined to be free and help others, “she would become a beacon of hope to other slaves, “Moses” helping to set her people free”. (Harriet Tubman Moses of the Underground Railroad 23)

The Underground Railroad gave runaway slaves a sense of hope because it sheltered them and helped free slaves so they could start a new life. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret tunnels used to house runaway slaves as they tried to escape slavery and make it to the Northern States. The network of tunnels extended through 14 Northern States and Canada until fugitive slave hunters could not get them.

For most people, when they hear about the Underground Railroad they immediately think of Harriet Tubman and maybe Frederick Douglass. Most textbooks and history classes only speak briefly of the Underground Railroad and everything it accomplished. One reason for this is because there are so few documents that were kept because it was an illegal and secret movement. It consisted of routes with safe stopping places for fugitive slaves fleeing from the South towards either the free Northern states or Canada. None of it was actually underground, but it got that name because it was kept such a secret from authorities and they also used railroad terminology such as lines, stations, and conductors. Fergus Bordewich decided to write Bound for Canaan

The Underground Railroad is viewed as simply a series of trails that led slave to freedom. It was more than that. What were the motivations behind the creation of it? Were there political involvements? Was it developed with financial gain in mind? The Underground Railroad is another one of those subjects that gets swept under the proverbial carpet. Slavery happened everywhere, whether people want to admit it or not. The Underground Railroad was a positive and a negative thing. Most people don’t comprehend what it fully entailed or the impact that it had on all people. It is important to review the past, so we can make an attempt to not make the same mistakes. The above questions will be answered in a well rounded account of all parties involved from the abolitionists to the slaves and those who were supporters.

     The Underground Railroad, the pathway to freedom which led a numerous amount of African Americans to escape beginning as early as the 1700‘s, it still remains a mystery to many as to exactly when it started and why. (Carrasco). The Underground Railroad is known by many as one of the earliest parts of the antislavery movement. Although the system was neither underground nor a railroad, it was a huge success that will never be forgotten.

The pathways in between the safe house and the plantations would be called lines or even tracks. The pathway was not straight; it was actually “zigzag” as Siebert puts it. The reason for this is because it threw off the hunters in pursuit. In special emergencies the travellers would be transferred off one course and taken to alternative one. Another one of the terms was a passenger. The passengers were the slaves who were runaways. The guides for these runaway slaves, or passengers, were the conductors. The conductors were those who were either free African Americans or Abolitionist who guided the runaways to their destination, which would be a station. The abolitionist or the Underground Railroad conductor was seen as the hero of this time. These people were willing to put it all on the line for what they believed and what they thought to be right, even if that meant breaking the law to do it. The conductors did not keep any track of train schedules, passengers, or even dispatch books because that could be used against the conductors as evidence, at least that is what some historians seem to point out. Larry articulates that, “The conductors were pledged to secrecy and strict obedience, and all transactions were carried on orally through the use of an underground code of secret “signs and signals” which were well understood.” The runaway slaves and the conductors were the only people who knew the location of the Underground Railroad. This is exactly how the Underground Railroad was kept so secretive. Numerous people would believe that every single abolitionist was on board for stealing slaves and assisting them while they were escaping from their masters, but this was not the case. There were many abolitionists who believed that taking slaves was immoral or even useless. There were also some abolitionists who wanted the slaves to be free, but did not

For this critical review, I chose Underground Railroad in Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia by William J. Switala. The purpose of this book was to explain exactly what the underground railroad was, how the slaves communicated with safe places, how it operated, and a few stories of how some of the slaves escaped away to the underground railroad and freedom.

The Underground Railroad was what many slaves used to escape slavery. It was not an actual railroad, although it could easily be compared to one. It was a route, with safe houses and many other hiding spots for the slaves to use. The paths had conductors telling you where to go and people who would drive you to the next safe house. You had to be quick, you had to be strong, and you had to be very courageous. The Underground Railroad led all the way to Canada. There were many people helping the slaves, and even more people that were opposing them. It was no easy task. Many slaves died of sickness or natural causes, gave up and returned back to the plantation, or were caught and either killed or brought back. It was a rough journey but a

“The Underground Railroad was the term used to describe a network of meeting places, secret routes, passageways, and safe houses used by slaves in the U.S. to escape slaveholding states to northern states and Canada.”(History.Net Editors, Paragraph #1). A trip on the Underground Railroad was full of danger. The slaves wanted to get away from their slave owners. Most of this usually happened at night. The big conflict was over the South and North disagreeing about whether slavery should be permitted. It was mainly the South who wanted slaves. This was so they could have people work for them without paying them. The South liked this because they could save their money to buy more slaves