The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. The enslaved who risked escape and those who aided them are also collectively referred to as the “Underground Railroad”.
Why was the Underground Railroad a secret?
The Underground Railroad was a secret system developed to aid fugitive slaves on their escape to freedom. Involvement with the Underground Railroad was not only dangerous, but it was also illegal. So, to help protect themselves and their mission secret codes were created.
What did Underground Railroad volunteers do?
What kinds of things did Underground Railroad volunteers do? Men and women who operated Underground Railroad stations hid enslaved people in their homes, shops, churches, schools, and barns. Conductors drove enslaved people hidden in wagons or coaches to the next station.
Was there an Underground Railroad during slavery?
During the era of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, places, and people that helped enslaved people in the American South escape to the North. The name “Underground Railroad” was used metaphorically, not literally.
How did the Underground Railroad impact slavery?
The work of the Underground Railroad resulted in freedom for many men, women, and children. It also helped undermine the institution of slavery, which was finally ended in the United States during the Civil War. Many slaveholders were so angry at the success of the Underground Railroad that they grew to hate the North.
How many slaves escaped on the Underground Railroad?
The total number of runaways who used the Underground Railroad to escape to freedom is not known, but some estimates exceed 100,000 freed slaves during the antebellum period.
Who discovered the Underground Railroad?
In the early 1800s, Quaker abolitionist Isaac T. Hopper set up a network in Philadelphia that helped enslaved people on the run.
Where did the Underground Railroad go?
Routes. Underground Railroad routes went north to free states and Canada, to the Caribbean, into United States western territories, and Indian territories. Some freedom seekers (escaped slaves) travelled South into Mexico for their freedom.
Is Tim Ballard LDS?
After growing up in California, Ballard attended Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he went on a church mission to Chile and then graduated cum laude from BYU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Political Science.
How many children are trafficked each year?
Though statistics regarding the magnitude of child trafficking are difficult to obtain, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 10,000 children are trafficked each year.
Does the Underground Railroad still exist?
It includes four buildings, two of which were used by Harriet Tubman. Ashtabula County had over thirty known Underground Railroad stations, or safehouses, and many more conductors. Nearly two-thirds of those sites still stand today.
How many slaves escaped to Canada using the Underground Railroad?
In all 30,000 slaves fled to Canada, many with the help of the underground railroad – a secret network of free blacks and white sympathizers who helped runaways.
What happened in the Underground Railroad?
The Underground Railroad— the resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, through the end of the Civil War—refers to the efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape.
What happened after the Underground Railroad?
After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act as part of the Compromise of 1850 the Underground Railroad was rerouted to Canada as its final destination. Thousands of slaves settled in newly formed communities in Southern Ontario. Suddenly their job became more difficult and riskier.
Underground Railroad
runaway slaves and antislavery activists who disobeyed the law to assist them in their quest for freedom are the subjects of this gripping documentary. Eric Foner has had a greater impact on our knowledge of American history than any other researcher. The Pulitzer Prize–winning historian has reconfigured the national tale of American slavery and liberation once more, this time with the help of astounding material that has been brilliantly uncovered. Foner’s latest book, Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad, describes how New York was a vital way station on the Underground Railroad’s journey from the Upper South through Pennsylvania and on to upstate New York, the New England coast and Canada.
Until recently, historians paid little attention to this chapter of anti-slavery struggle, which is now receiving more attention.
Before a student alerted Foner to the existence of the Record of Fugitives, which was collected by abolitionist newspaperman Sydney Howard Gay in New York City, it was unknown to academics.
A runaway long forgotten, James Jones of Alexandria, according to Gay’s account, “had not been treated cruelly but was bored of being a slave” is mentioned in the records.
- Foner reports that many fugitives went away because they were being physically abused as much as they did out of a yearning for freedom, using terms such as “huge violence,” “badly treated,” “rough times,” and “hard master” to describe their experiences in prison.
- The late 1840s saw him rise to prominence as the city’s top lawyer in runaway slave cases, frequently donating his services without payment, “at tremendous peril to his social and professional status,” according to Gay.
- Lucian Napoleon was an African-American furniture polisher and porter who may have been born a slave in either New York or Virginia.
- He appears on the very first page of the Record, escorting a fugitive to the railway station, which is where the story begins.
- A few blocks away from Gay’s office in lower Manhattan, Napoleon resided in a house near the ferry dock, where travellers arriving from Philadelphia and other parts of the country debarked.
- A reporter for the Brooklyn Eagle wrote in 1875 about the then-elderly man that “few would have imagined.
For the duration of its existence, Foner writes, “it drove runaway slaves to the forefront of abolitionist awareness in New York and gained support from many people beyond the movement’s ranks.” In doing so, it brought the intertwined concerns of kidnapping and escaped slaves into the greater public eye.” The publication of Gateway to Freedom raises the total number of volumes authored by Foner on antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction America to twenty-two publications.
- His previous book, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won the award.
- What led to the publication of this book?
- This all began with a single document, the Record of Fugitives, which was accidentally pointed out to me by a Columbia University student who was researching Sydney Howard Gay and his journalistic career for his final thesis.
- She was in the manuscript library when I asked her about it.
- Because it was not catalogued in any form, it was practically unknown.
- In this period, what was it like in New York?
- As a result of their tight relationships with cotton plantation owners, the merchants in this city effectively dominated the cotton trade.
Industry players including as the shipbuilding industry, insurance corporations, and financial institutions that assisted in the financing of slavery All of the time, there were Southerners in the area.
No matter how many times Lincoln ran for president, he never won New York City.
What if there were many Underground Railroads?
This was an important collection of roads that I refer to as the metropolitan corridor since it connected cities all along the East Coast from Boston to Washington, D.C.
How many there are is a mystery.
‘Oh, you could draw a map,’ someone thought.
As much as we want to think we were well-prepared, it was not exactly so.
Rather, it was haphazardly put together.
However, there were these little networks of people who kept in touch with one another and were willing to aid fugitives in their pursuit of justice.
No one appeared to be doing anything about it since it was so widely publicized.
How did fleeing slaves make their way to New York City’s Ellis Island?
We tend to think of runaway slaves as people who go through the woods, and that was certainly true in the past, but from the 1840s through the 1850s, many of them arrived in New York via railroad.
A large number of people arrived in New York via boat.
When I was growing up, there were many black people working on ships.
They are mostly nameless, but their actions contributed to bringing the issue of slavery to the forefront of public debate.
Activists on the ground, as well as local opposition, had an impact that echoed all the way up to the national level.
In addition to the biographies of these individuals, I wanted to draw attention to the fact that their activities had a significant impact on national politics and the outbreak of the American Civil War. Activism Historiography of African Americans Recommended Videos about American History
Quaker Abolitionists
The Society of Friends (Quakers) is often regarded as the first organized group to actively assist escaped enslaved persons. In 1786, George Washington expressed dissatisfaction with Quakers for attempting to “liberate” one of his enslaved servants. Abolitionist and Quaker Isaac T. Hopper established a network in Philadelphia in the early 1800s to assist enslaved persons who were on the run from slavery. Abolitionist organisations founded by Quakers in North Carolina lay the basis for escape routes and safe havens for fugitive slaves during the same time period.
What Was the Underground Railroad?
The Underground Railroad was first mentioned in 1831, when an enslaved man named Tice Davids managed to escape from Kentucky into Ohio and his master blamed a “underground railroad” for assisting Davids in his liberation. When a fugitive slave called Jim was apprehended in 1839 in Washington, the press said that the guy confessed his plan to travel north along a “underground railroad to Boston” while under torture. The Vigilance Committees, which were established in New York in 1835 and Philadelphia in 1838 to safeguard escaped enslaved persons from bounty hunters, rapidly expanded their duties to include guiding enslaved individuals on the run.
MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: Harriet Tubman and her fellow fugitives used the following strategies to escape through the Underground Railroad:
How the Underground Railroad Worked
The majority of enslaved persons aided by the Underground Railroad were able to flee to neighboring states like as Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 made catching fugitive enslaved persons a lucrative industry in the deep South, and there were fewer hiding places for them as a result of the Act. The majority of fugitive enslaved people were on their own until they reached specific places farther north. The escaping enslaved people were escorted by individuals known as “conductors.” Private residences, churches, and schools were also used as hiding places throughout the war.
The personnel in charge of running them were referred to as “stationmasters.” There were several well-traveled roads that ran west through Ohio and into Indiana and Iowa.
The Little-Known Underground Railroad That Ran South to Mexico.
Fugitive Slave Acts
The Fugitive Slave Acts were a major cause for many fugitive slaves to flee to Canada. This legislation, which was passed in 1793, authorized local governments to catch and extradite fugitive enslaved individuals from inside the borders of free states back to their places of origin, as well as to penalize anybody who assisted the fleeing enslaved people. Personal Liberty Laws were introduced in certain northern states to fight this, but they were overturned by the Supreme Court in 1842. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was intended to reinforce the preceding legislation, which was perceived by southern states to be insufficiently enforced at the time of passage.
The northern states were still considered a danger zone for fugitives who had managed to flee.
Some Underground Railroad operators chose to station themselves in Canada and sought to assist fugitives who were arriving to settle in the country.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was the most well-known conductor of the Underground Railroad during its heyday. When she and two of her brothers fled from a farm in Maryland in 1849, she was given the name Harriet (her married name was Tubman). She was born Araminta Ross, and she was raised as Harriet Tubman. They returned a couple of weeks later, but Tubman fled on her own again shortly after, this time making her way to the state of Pennsylvania. In following years, Tubman returned to the plantation on a number of occasions to rescue family members and other individuals.
Tubman was distraught until she had a vision of God, which led her to join the Underground Railroad and begin escorting other fugitive slaves to the Maryland state capital.
Frederick Douglass
In his house in Rochester, New York, former enslaved person and celebrated author Frederick Douglasshid fugitives who were assisting 400 escapees in their journey to freedom in Canada. Reverend Jermain Loguen, a former fugitive who lived in the adjacent city of Syracuse, assisted 1,500 escapees on their journey north. The Vigilance Committee was established in Philadelphia in 1838 by Robert Purvis, an escaped enslaved person who later became a trader. Josiah Henson, a former enslaved person and railroad operator, founded the Dawn Institute in Ontario in 1842 to assist fugitive slaves who made their way to Canada in learning the necessary skills to find work.
Agent,” according to the document.
John Parker was a free Black man living in Ohio who worked as a foundry owner and who used his rowboat to ferry fugitives over the Ohio River.
William Still was a notable Philadelphia citizen who was born in New Jersey to runaway slaves parents who fled to Philadelphia as children.
Who Ran the Underground Railroad?
The vast majority of Underground Railroad operators were regular individuals, including farmers and business owners, as well as preachers and religious leaders. Some affluent individuals were active, including Gerrit Smith, a billionaire who stood for president on two separate occasions. Smith acquired a full family of enslaved people from Kentucky in 1841 and freed them from their captivity. Levi Coffin, a Quaker from North Carolina, is credited with being one of the first recorded individuals to assist escaped enslaved persons.
Coffin stated that he had discovered their hiding spots and had sought them out in order to assist them in moving forward.
Finally, they were able to make their way closer to him. Coffin eventually relocated to Indiana and then Ohio, where he continued to assist fugitive enslaved individuals no matter where he was.
John Brown
Abolitionist John Brown worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and it was at this time that he founded the League of Gileadites, which was dedicated to assisting fleeing enslaved individuals in their journey to Canada. Abolitionist John Brown would go on to play a variety of roles during his life. His most well-known duty was conducting an assault on Harper’s Ferry in order to raise an armed army that would march into the deep south and free enslaved people at gunpoint. Ultimately, Brown’s forces were beaten, and he was executed for treason in 1859.
- The year 1844, he formed a partnership with Vermont schoolteacher Delia Webster, and the two were jailed for assisting an escaped enslaved lady and her young daughter.
- Charles Torrey was sentenced to six years in jail in Maryland for assisting an enslaved family in their attempt to flee through Virginia.
- After being apprehended in 1844 while transporting a boatload of freed slaves from the Caribbean to the United States, Massachusetts sea captain Jonathan Walker was sentenced to prison for life.
- John Fairfield of Virginia turned down the opportunity to assist in the rescue of enslaved individuals who had been left behind by their families as they made their way north.
- He managed to elude capture twice.
End of the Line
Operation of the Underground Railroad came to an end in 1863, during the American Civil War. In actuality, its work was shifted aboveground as part of the Union’s overall campaign against the Confederate States of America. Once again, Harriet Tubman made a crucial contribution by organizing intelligence operations and serving as a commanding officer in Union Army efforts to rescue the liberated enslaved people who had been freed. MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: Harriet Tubman led a daring Civil War raid after the Underground Railroad was shut down.
Sources
Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad is a book about the Underground Railroad. Fergus Bordewich is a Scottish actor. A Biography of Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom Catherine Clinton is the first lady of the United States. Who Exactly Was in Charge of the Underground Railroad?
‘Henry Louis Gates’ is a pseudonym for Henry Louis Gates. The Underground Railroad’s History in New York is a little known fact. The Smithsonian Institution’s magazine. The Underground Railroad’s Dangerous Allure is well documented. The New Yorker is a publication dedicated to journalism.
A secret network that helped slaves find freedom
It was during the late 18th Century that a network of hidden passageways was established in the United States, which became known as the “Underground Railroad” by the 1840s. The network was designed to be ambiguous, with supporters typically only knowing of a few links between one another. The actual number of enslaved African Americans who were aided by this network to escape and find a path to freedom will always be a mystery, although some estimates place the total as high as 100,000. During his installation, Night Coming Tenderly, Black, photographer Dawoud Bey reimagines landmarks along the slave trade routes that passed through Cleveland and Hudson, Ohio and on their way to Lake Erie and the journey to freedom in Canada.
- Influenced by African-American photographer Roy DeCarava, whose work is known for presenting the black subject as it emerges from a darkened photographic print, Bey adopts a similar method to depict the darkness that afforded slaves with safe shelter as they made their way towards freedom.
- This provided an opportunity for abolitionists to employ newly developed railroad language as a code.
- Some think that Sweet Chariot was written as a direct reference to the Underground Railroad and that it was sung as a signal for slaves to prepare for their own emancipation.
- The ability to imagine the sense of space and the environment from the perspective of another person, according to him, represented a significant paradigm change.
- “I’ve never thought of myself as a ‘portrait photographer,’ but rather as a photographer who has collaborated with a human subject in order to create my work,” Bey shares.
- Throughout her life, she worked as a nurse, a union spy, and a supporter of the suffragette movement.
- Following that, she risked her life as a conductor on repeated return voyages in order to save at least 70 people, including her elderly parents and other family members, who had been trapped.
- Following its demise, a large number of individuals traveled considerable distances north to British North America (present-day Canada).
- “There was one moment while photography on a hill overlooking Lake Erie that was unlike any other I’d had in the year and a half that I was working on the project,” Bey recalls.
At that point, I realized that this was a real location where a large number of fleeing slaves had congregated.” The exhibitionNight Coming Tenderly, Blackby Dawoud Bey is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, in the United States, through April 14, 2019.
Underground Railroad
It was during the late 18th Century that a network of hidden passageways was established in the United States, which became known as the “Underground Railroad” in the 1840s. Intentionally ambiguous, the network was constructed such that supporters were only aware of a few ties between one another. Despite the fact that the precise number of enslaved African Americans who were assisted by this network will never be known, some estimates place the total as high as 100,000. During his installation, Night Coming Tenderly, Black, photographer Dawoud Bey reimagines landmarks along the slave trade routes that passed through Cleveland and Hudson, Ohio and on their way to Lake Erie and the journey to freedom in Canada.
- Influenced by African-American photographer Roy DeCarava, whose work is known for presenting the black subject as it emerges from a muted photographic print, Bey utilizes a similar method to depict the darkness that afforded slaves with safe shelter as they made their way to freedom.
- Because of this, abolitionists were able to employ newly developed railroad language as a code to protect themselves.
- It was dubbed “station master” to hide slaves, and it was called “conductor” to direct people through the maze of tunnels.
- Some think that Sweet Chariot was written as a direct reference to the Underground Railroad and that it was sung as a signal for slaves to prepare for their own abolition.
- The ability to imagine the sense of space and the environment from the perspective of another person, according to him, was a significant leap in his work.
- As Bey explains, “I have never considered myself a “portrait photographer” so much as a photographer who has collaborated with human subjects to create his or her work.
- Over the course of her life, she worked as a nurse, spied for the labor union, and advocated for women’s suffrage.
- As a result, she risked her life as a conductor on many return voyages in order to save at least 70 people, including her elderly parents and other members of her family.
- Many individuals traveled considerable distances north to British North America when it was abolished (present-day Canada).
In one of Bey’s photographs, taken from the top of a cliff overlooking Lake Erie, “there was a moment that was unlike any other in the year and a half that I had spent creating the work.” “Standing there, preparing to take the shot, I was struck by the unexplainable yet unseen presence of hundreds on either side of me, all of whom were looking at me and waiting to see what I would do next.
The realization that this was a real location where so many fleeing slaves had arrived hit me like a ton of bricks.” Night Coming Tenderly, Black, an exhibition by Dawoud Bey, is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, USA, through April 14, 2019.
Underground Railroad “Stations” Develop in Iowa
Iowa shares a southern border with Missouri, which was a slave state during the American Civil War. The abolitionist movement (those who desired to abolish slavery) built a system of “stations” in the 1840s and 1850s that could transport runaways from the Mississippi River to Illinois on their route to freedom. Activists from two religious movements, the Congregationalists and the Quakers, played crucial roles in the abolitionist movement. They were also involved in the Underground Railroad’s operations in the state of New York.
- According to one source, there are more than 100 Iowans who are participating in the endeavor.
- The Hitchcock House, located in Cass County near Lewis, is another well-known destination on the Underground Railroad in one form or another.
- George Hitchcock escorted “passengers” to the next destination on his route.
- Several of these locations are now public museums that are available to the general public.
- Individual families also reacted when they were approached for assistance.
- When the Civil War broke out and the Fugitive Slave Law could no longer be enforced in the northern states, a large number of slaves fled into the state and eventually settled there permanently.
- It was determined that segregated schools and discrimination in public accommodations were both unconstitutional in Iowa by the Supreme Court.
Iowa: A Free State Willing to Let Slavery Exist
Slavery has been a contentious topic in the United States since its inception, and it continues to be so today. As new states entered the Union, the early fights did not revolve over slavery in the South but rather its expansion. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 created an east-west line along the southern boundary of Missouri, which would remain in place for the rest of time, separating free and slave settlement. States to the south may legalize slavery, whilst states to the north (with the exception of slave state Missouri) were prohibited from doing so.
The majority of Iowans were ready to allow slavery to continue in the South.
They enacted legislation in an attempt to deter black people from settling in the state.
Iowa did have a tiny community of abolitionists who believed that slavery was a moral wrong that should be abolished everywhere.
This increased the likelihood that Nebraska, which borders Iowa on its western border, would become a slave state. The majority of Iowans were opposed to the idea. The Republican Party has evolved as a staunch opponent of any future expansion of slavery into western areas in the United States.
Supporting Questions
- $200 Reward: Poster for the Return of Formerly-Enslaved People, October 1, 1847 (Document)
- “Effects of the Fugitive-Slave-Law” Print, 1850 (Image)
- Fugitive Slave Law, 1850 (Document)
- Poster for the Return of Formerly-Enslaved People, October 1, 1847 (Document)
- Poster for the Return of Formerly-Enslaved People, October 1, 1847 (Do
How did runaway slaves rely on the help of abolitionists to escape to freedom?
- Article from the Anti-Slavery Bugle titled “William and Ellen Craft,” published on February 23, 1849 (Document)
- Anti-Slavery Bugle Article titled “Underground Railroad,” published on September 16, 1854 (Document)
- “A Presbyterian Clergyman Suspended for Being Connected with the Underground Railroad” Article published on November 8, 1855 (Document)
- William Maxson Home in West Liberty, Iowa, circa 1890 (Image)
- “Fugitive
How did some runaway slaves create their own opportunities to escape?
- Article from the Anti-Slavery Bugle titled “William and Ellen Craft,” published on February 23, 1849 (Document)
- Anti-Slavery Bugle Article titled “Underground Railroad,” published on September 16, 1854 (Document)
- “A Presbyterian Clergyman Suspended for Being Connected with the Underground Railroad” Article published on November 8, 1855 (Document)
- “Fugitive Slave Case Was Tried” The Daily Gate City Article published on April
$200 Reward: Poster for the Return of Formerly-Enslaved People, October 1, 1847
- After escaping enslavement, many people depended on northern whites to guide them securely to the northern free states and eventually to Canadian territory. For someone who had previously been forced into slavery, life may be quite perilous. There were incentives for capturing them, as well as adverts such as the one seen below for a prize. More information may be found here.
“Effects of the Fugitive-Slave-Law” Illustration, 1850
- Written in strong opposition to the Runaway Slave Act, which was approved by Congress in September 1850 and expanded federal and free-state duty for the return of fugitive slaves, this letter is full of anger. The bill called for the appointment of federal commissioners who would have the authority to enact regulations. More information may be found here.
Fugitive Slave Law, 1850
- As a result of the Fleeing Slave Law of 1850, it became unlawful for anybody in the northern United States to aid fugitive slaves in their quest for freedom. This statute supplemented the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act with additional clauses addressing runaways, and it imposed even harsher sanctions for interfering with their escape. More information may be found here.
Anti-Slavery Bugle Article – “William and Ellen Craft,” February 23, 1849
- In this article from the abolitionist journal, The Anti-Slavery Bugle, the narrative of Ellen and William Craft’s emancipation from slavery is described in detail. Ellen disguised herself as a male in order to pass as the master, while her husband, William, claimed to be her servant as they made their way out of the building. More information may be found here.
Anti-Slavery Bugle Article – “Underground Railroad,” September 16, 1854
- The Anti-Slavery Bugle article indicates the number of runaway slaves in northern cities in 1854, based on a survey conducted by the organization. This group contained nine slaves from Boone County, Kentucky, who were seeking refuge in the United States. Their captors were said to be on the lookout for them in Cincinnati, and they were found. More information may be found here.
“A Presbyterian Clergyman Suspended for Being Connected with the Underground Railroad” Article, November 8, 1855
- This newspaper story was written in Fayettville, Tennessee, in 1855 and is a good example of historical journalism. When Rev. T. B. McCormick, a priest in Indiana, was suspended for his membership in the Underground Railroad, the article details his ordeal in detail. In the narrative, he is accused of supporting escaped slaves on their way to freedom. More information may be found here.
William Maxson Home in West Liberty, Iowa, 1890
- It was published in the Fayetteville, Tennessee, newspaper in 1855, and is a good example of historical journalism. When Rev. T. B. McCormick, a clergyman in Indiana, was suspended for his membership in the Underground Railroad, the article tells what happened. In the narrative, he is accused of supporting fugitive slaves on their way out of the country. More information may be found at:
“Fugitive Slave Case Was Tried” – A Daily Gate City Article, April 13, 1915
- This newspaper story from Fayettville, Tennessee, was published in 1855. The article tells how Rev. T. B. McCormick, a priest in Indiana, was suspended for his involvement with the Underground Railroad. In the narrative, he is accused of helping fugitive slaves in their escape. More information may be found at
“The ‘Running of Slaves’ – The Extraordinary Escape of Henry ‘Box’ Brown” Article, June 23, 1849
- This newspaper story was first published in Fayettville, Tennessee, in 1855. The article explains how a priest in Indiana, Rev. T. B. McCormick, was suspended from his position because he was a member of the Underground Railroad. He is accused in the account of helping fugitive slaves in their escape. Continue reading this article.
Henry “Box” Brown Song and the Engraved Box, 1850
- This newspaper story was written in Fayettville, Tennessee, in 1855 and is a good example of historical journalism. When Rev. T. B. McCormick, a priest in Indiana, was suspended for his membership in the Underground Railroad, the article details his ordeal in detail. In the narrative, he is accused of supporting escaped slaves on their way to freedom. More information may be found here.
“The Resurrection of Henry ‘Box’ Brown at Philadelphia” Illustration, 1850
- Henry “Box” Brown, a slave who escaped from Richmond, Virginia, in a box measuring three feet long, two and a half feet deep, and two and a half feet broad, is depicted in a somewhat comical but sympathetic manner in this artwork. In the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society’s administrative offices. More information may be found here.
Robert Smalls: “The Steamer ‘Planter’ and Her Captor,” June 14, 1862
- The escape of Robert Smalls and other members of his family and friends from slavery was chronicled in detail in an article published in Harper’s Weekly. Smalls was an enslaved African American who acquired freedom during and after the American Civil War and went on to work as a ship’s pilot on the high seas. More information may be found here.
“A Bold Stroke for Freedom” Illustration, 1872
- The image from 1872 depicts African Americans, most likely fleeing slaves, standing in front of a wagon and brandishing firearms towards slave-catchers. A group of young enslaved persons who had escaped from Loudon by wagon are said to be shown in the cartoon on Christmas Eve in 1855, when patrollers caught up with them. More information may be found here.
Additional Resources:
- Several African Americans, perhaps fleeing slaves, are seen with firearms pointed at slave hunters in an image from 1872. A group of young enslaved persons who had escaped from Loudon by wagon are said to be shown in the cartoon on Christmas Eve in 1855, according to legend. More information may be found at:
- The image from 1872 depicts African Americans, most likely fleeing slaves, standing in front of a wagon and waving firearms towards slave hunters. The cartoon is said to portray the night of Christmas Eve in 1855, when patrollers apprehended a group of young enslaved individuals who had fled from Loudon, Tennessee, via wagon. More information may be found at
Iowa Core Social Studies Standards (8th Grade)
The content anchor requirements for Iowa Core Social Studies that are most accurately reflected in this source collection are listed below. The subject requirements that have been implemented to this set are appropriate for middle school pupils and cover the major areas that make up social studies for eighth grade students in the United States.
- The content anchor criteria for Iowa Core Social Studies that are most accurately reflected in this source collection are listed below: For eighth grade students, the curriculum requirements that have been implemented to this set are appropriate for middle school pupils and include the core disciplines that make up social studies in general.
The Underground Railroad
At the time of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, locations, and individuals that assisted enslaved persons in the American South in their attempts to flee to freedom in the northern states. Subjects History of the United States, Social StudiesImage
Home of Levi Coffin
A network of routes, locations, and individuals existed during the time of slavery in the United States to assist enslaved persons in the American South in their attempts to go north. Subjects Social Studies, History of the United States of America
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A network of routes, locations, and individuals existed during the time of slavery to assist enslaved persons in the American South in their attempts to flee to the North. Subjects Social Studies, History of the United StatesImage
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Harriet Tubman
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Harriet Tubman?
In the United States, Harriet Tubman, née Araminta Ross, (born c. 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland, U.S.—died March 10, 1913 in Auburn, New York) was an abolitionist who managed to escape from slavery in the South and rise to prominence before the American Civil War. As part of the Underground Railroad, which was an extensive covert network of safe homes built specifically for this reason, she was responsible for guiding scores of enslaved persons to freedom in the North. Araminta Ross was born into slavery and eventually assumed her mother’s maiden name, Harriet, as her own.
- When she was approximately 12 years old, she reportedly refused to assist an overseer in punishing another enslaved person; as a result, he hurled an iron weight that accidently struck her, causing her to suffer a terrible brain injury, which she would endure for the rest of her life.
- Tubman went to Philadelphia in 1849, allegedly on the basis of rumors that she was due to be sold.
- In December 1850, she made her way to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was reunited with her sister and two children who had joined her in exile.
- A long-held belief that Tubman made around 19 excursions into Maryland and assisted upwards of 300 individuals out of servitude was based on inflated estimates in Sara Bradford’s 1868 biography of Tubman.
- If anyone opted to turn back, putting the operation in jeopardy, she reportedly threatened them with a revolver and stated, “You’ll either be free or die,” according to reports.
- One such example was evading capture on Saturday evenings since the story would not emerge in the newspapers until the following Monday.
- It has been stated that she never lost sight of a runaway she was escorting to safety.
Abolitionists, on the other hand, praised her for her bravery.
Her parents (whom she had brought from Maryland in June 1857) and herself moved to a tiny farm outside Auburn, New York, about 1858, and remained there for the rest of her life.
Tubman spied on Confederate territory while serving with the Second Carolina Volunteers, who were under the leadership of Col.
Montgomery’s forces were able to launch well-coordinated attacks once she returned with intelligence regarding the locations of munitions stockpiles and other strategic assets.
Immediately following the Civil War, Tubman relocated to Auburn, where she began caring for orphans and the elderly, a practice that culminated in the establishment of the Harriet Tubman Home for IndigentAged Negroes in 1892.
Aside from suffrage, Tubman became interested in a variety of other issues, including the abolition of slavery.
A private measure providing for a $20 monthly stipend was enacted by Congress some 30 years after her contribution was recognized. Those in charge of editing the Encyclopaedia Britannica Jeff Wallenfeldt was the author of the most recent revision and update to this article.
What is the best way to describe the Underground Railroad in textbooks? Read the following passages from American History textbooks with care, and then respond to the questions that follow them: 1. Can you identify any commonalities that emerge from the numerous depictions of the Underground Railroad that you read? 2. What is the definition of the Underground Railroad in textbooks? 3. Which personalities or incidents do they tend to draw attention to the most frequently? 4. What do they have to say about the scope and duration of Underground Railroad operations, specifically?
Which terms, such as network or safe homes, are used the most frequently, and what significance does this have for the study?
Last but not least, after much research and reading, how would you characterize the Underground Railroad?
Thomas A.
Kennedy, The American Spirit, 9th ed., Vol.1 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998), 403-404.
By 1850, southerners were calling for a new and more strict fugitive-slave statute that was more in line with their values.
For example, unlike cattle thieves, the abolitionists who conducted the Underground Railroad did not individually profit from their acts of illegality.
In some respects, the moral judgements of the abolitionists were even more galling than actual larceny.
According to estimates, the South was losing around 1,000 runaways each year in 1850, out of a total population of over 4 million slaves.
The principle, on the other hand, weighed decisively in the favor of the slavemasters.
However, according to a southern senator, while the loss of property is felt, the loss of honor is felt even more acutely.
In the early 1800s, there were a number of petty uprisings that took place.
Turner and his supporters were responsible for the deaths of around 60 white people before being apprehended.
Other ways of protest included interfering with the plantation’s daily operations by feigning illness or working slowly, among other measures.
The Underground Railroad, a network of white and African American citizens who assisted escaped slaves on their journey to the United States, provided assistance.
She made at least 19 visits and transported more than 300 slaves to freedom during her time on the mission.
Liberty or death: if I couldn’t have one, I’d accept the other, since no one would ever take my life if I didn’t have to.
Bragdon, Samuel Proctor McCutchen, and Donald A.
343.
The title was chosen in order to invoke memories of the Underground Railroad.
Enslaved persons were brought out of the South, ensuring their freedom.
They not only looked after African Americans once they arrived in the United States, but they also risked their lives to travel inside the slave states and free those who were still enslaved.
Once she had escaped, she returned to the South on many occasions, releasing more than 300 enslaved persons in the process.
Alan Brinkley’s American History: A Survey, Eleventh Edition (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2003), pages 312 and 340, is an excellent resource.
Some black people sought to resist by fleeing the scene.
However, the chances of making a successful escape, particularly from the Deep South, were impossibly slim to non-existent.
As a result, from 1840 onward, abolitionism proceeded via a variety of channels and spoke in a variety of tones.
Another school of thought held that abolition could only be achieved by a protracted, patient, and peaceful fight; they referred to this as “instant abolition gradually realized.” At initially, such moderates relied on moral persuasion to get them to change their minds.
When that failed to generate results, they moved to political action, attempting to persuade the northern states and the federal government to lend their support wherever they could.
They collaborated with the Garrisonians in assisting fugitive slaves to seek shelter in the northern United States or Canada through the so-called underground railroad system (although their efforts were never as highly organized as the terms suggests).
The Underground Railroad was established by certain abolitionists.
Runaways were escorted to stations where they might spend the night by trained conductors.
Others were religious structures such as churches or caves.
Harriet Tubman, for example, was a fearless conductor who had escaped from slavery herself.
She was responsible for the emancipation of more than 300 slaves, including her own parents.
Slave owners offered a $40,000 bounty for her apprehension if she could be apprehended.
Divine and colleagues’ The American Story, 3rd edition (New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007), and in Robert A.
Thousands of slaves took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction and longing for freedom.
Some were able to remain free for years by hiding in marshes or other isolated regions, while a small number managed to flee to the northern United States or Mexico, stowing away on ships or journeying hundreds of miles overland to avoid capture.
The Underground Railroad, an informal network of sympathetic free blacks (and a few whites) who assisted fugitives in their journey north, was a lifeline for many fugitives.
Either they resided too far south to have a hope of reaching free soil, or they were unwilling to abandon their families and friends in order to leave them behind.
They were also the primary conductors of the mythical Underground Railroad, which provided a safe haven for fugitives fleeing slavery during the American Civil War.
Free blacks created vigilance committees in northern towns and cities to safeguard fugitives and frustrate the slave-catchers’ attempts to capture them.
Three-hundred-eighth edition of Gary B.
Escape routes were numerous and varied: forging passes, masquerading as master and servant, concealing one’s sexuality, slipping aboard ships, and professing devotion until one was captured and brought away on a journey to the North by the master.
Founded by abolitionists in 1848, the underground railroad was a network of safe homes and stations where escaped slaves could stop, eat, and sleep before continuing their journey.
It is impossible to estimate how many slaves really fled to the northern United States and Canada, although the numbers were not in the tens of thousands.
Nightly patrols by white militiamen, a major element of southern life at the time, lowered the possibilities of any slave escaping and, in many cases, discouraged slaves from even attempting to flee their masters.
1 to 1877, 2nd edition (Boston, MA: Bedford / St.
382; James L.
1 to 1877, 2nd edition (Boston, MA: Bedford / St.
382; James L.
Following her successful escape from Maryland slavery in 1849, Harriet Tubman bravely returned to the South to transport slaves to freedom, risking her life several times in the process.
As an offshoot of antislavery emotions and opposition to white supremacy that united practically all African Americans in the North, this “underground railroad” operated mostly via black neighborhoods, black churches, and black houses.
W.
Shi provide a narrative history of the United States.
Levi Coffin, a Quaker from North Carolina who migrated to Cincinnati and assisted numerous fugitives, was widely regarded as the country’s first president.
A handful of courageous exiles actually returned to slave nations in order to help plan escapes.
Lewis Paul Todd and Merle Curti’s book, Triumph of the American Nation (Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1986), pages 379 and 380, is a good example of this.
It was neither underground nor a railroad, but it was given this name because its activities were carried out in the dark and in disguise, and because it used railroad terms as code words to communicate with one another.
The railroad’s mission consisted in sheltering fugitive slaves and providing them with food, clothes, and directions to the next stop, among other things.
Harriet Tubman, a former slave who had fled to freedom through the railroad, was the most daring conductor on the line.
It is believed that the Underground Railroad assisted between 40,000 and 100,000 slaves in their efforts to emancipate themselves.
Instructional Materials for Teachers What is the best way to describe the Underground Railroad in textbooks?
Textbook editors are concerned about the lack of hard evidence, but they are also wary of appearing too critical of an institution that has become part of national folklore in the process.
As a result, the text is unsatisfying to read and challenging to teach.
They deserve to know more than just about codes, safe houses, and a brave woman conductor named Tubman; they deserve to know more.
The subject of the Underground Railroad receives an average of 180 words per textbook, according to the American Library Association.
No matter how much more material is included on topics such as abolitionists or the Fugitive Slave Law, the amount of space allocated to the topic rarely surpasses a few pages.
According to eight out of 10 history textbooks, Harriet Tubman is the most heroic figure in the Underground Railroad’s history.
When all of the textbooks are combined, only five historical persons are mentioned in addition to Tubman: Levi Coffin (once), Frederick Douglass (twice), Josiah Henson (once), and Nat Turner (once) (once).
The names of major players such as Lewis Hayden (Boston Vigilance Committee), David Ruggles (New York Vigilance Committee), and William Still are not included in any of the textbooks (Philadelphia Vigilance Committee).
In light of this study, the Underground Railroad Digital Classroom at the House Divided has developed its own definition of the Underground Railroad.
A New Definition of the Underground Railroad Northern abolitionists and free blacks used the Underground Railroad as a metaphor to characterize and advertise their attempts to assist fugitive slaves during the years leading up to the American Civil War.
Activists on the Underground Railroad in the North were openly rebellious of federal legislation enacted to assist in the recapture of fugitive children.
� Vigilance committees in northern cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Detroit constituted the structured heart of this campaign.
William Still in Philadelphia, David Ruggles in New York, Lewis Hayden in Boston, and George DeBaptiste in Detroit were also notable vigilance leaders during this time period.
Even though all of these Underground Railroad personalities operated with relative freedom in the northern United States and Canada, southern operators faced considerable and recurrent hazards and, as a result, kept a somewhat lower profile.
Her numerous rescues inside the slave state of Maryland served as the foundation for her legendary reputation as Moses around the world.
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