Renowned Underground Railroad “conductor” Harriet Tubman was known to point fugitives North to West Chester, West to Kennett Square or East to Delaware County and Philadelphia. Because of the strong support from Quakers in these areas, these routes were considered reasonably secure.
What role did the Quakers play in the Underground Railroad?
- Quakers played a huge role in the formation of the Underground Railroad, with George Washington complaining as early as 1786 that a “society of Quakers, formed for such purposes, have attempted to liberate” a neighbor’s slave.
Who were the Quakers in the Underground Railroad?
The Quaker campaign to end slavery can be traced back to the late 1600s, and many played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad. In 1776, Quakers were prohibited from owning slaves, and 14 years later they petitioned the U.S. Congress for the abolition of slavery.
Who is the Quaker who was the president of the Underground Railroad?
Levi Coffin Known as the “president of the Underground Railroad,” Levi Coffin purportedly became an abolitionist at age 7 when he witnessed a column of chained enslaved people being driven to auction.
Who was nicknamed Moses for being a conductor of the Underground Railroad?
Harriet Tubman is called “The Moses of Her People” because like Moses she helped people escape from slavery. Harriet is well known as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Using a network of abolitionists and free people of color, she guided hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North and Canada.
Who was the most famous operator or conductor on the Underground Railroad?
Our Headlines and Heroes blog takes a look at Harriet Tubman as the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. Tubman and those she helped escape from slavery headed north to freedom, sometimes across the border to Canada.
Who were the conductors on the Underground Railroad?
Underground Railroad conductors were free individuals who helped fugitive slaves traveling along the Underground Railroad. Conductors helped runaway slaves by providing them with safe passage to and from stations. They did this under the cover of darkness with slave catchers hot on their heels.
Who are Quakers and what do they believe?
Quakerism is a religious movement begun by George Fox in the 17th century. Quakers believe that all people have access to the inner light of direct communion with God. They believe in the spiritual equality of all people, pacifism, consensus, and simplicity.
Who founded 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.
How old was Levi Coffin when he died?
Levi Coffin was born in North Carolina on October 28, 1798 into a Quaker family who greatly influenced by the teachings of John Woolman a Quaker preacher, who believed slaveholding was not compatible with the Quaker beliefs and advocated emancipation.
Is Gertie Davis died?
Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in the South to become a leading abolitionist before the American Civil War. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom in the North along the route of the Underground Railroad.
Why did Harriet Tubman have seizures?
Harriet Tubman began having seizures after a traumatic brain injury when she was around 12 years old. The brain damage meant she experienced headaches and pain throughout her life as well as seizures and possibly narcolepsy (falling asleep uncontrollably).
How old would Harriet Tubman be today?
Harriet Tubman’s exact age would be 201 years 10 months 28 days old if alive. Total 73,747 days. Harriet Tubman was a social life and political activist known for her difficult life and plenty of work directed on promoting the ideas of slavery abolishment.
8 Key Contributors to the Underground Railroad
Isaac Hopper, an abolitionist, is shown in this image from the Kean Collection/Getty Images. As early as 1786, George Washington expressed dissatisfaction with a “organization of Quakers, founded for such reasons,” which had sought to free a neighbor’s slave. Quakers were instrumental in the establishment of the Underground Railroad. Slavery was opposed in especially in Philadelphia, where Isaac Hopper, a Quaker who converted to Christianity, created what has been described as “the first working cell of the abolitionist underground.” Hopper not only protected escaped slave hunters in his own house, but he also constructed a network of safe havens and recruited a web of spies in order to get insight into their plans.
Hopper, a friend of Joseph Bonaparte, the exiled brother of the former French emperor, went to New York City in 1829 and established himself as a successful businessman.
READ MORE: The Underground Railroad and Its Operation
2. John Brown
Isaac Hopper, an abolitionist, is shown in this image from the Kean Collection/Getty Images collection. As early as 1786, George Washington expressed dissatisfaction with a “organization of Quakers, founded for such reasons,” which had sought to free a neighbor’s slave. Quakers were instrumental in the establishment of the Underground Railroad. Slavery was opposed in especially in Philadelphia, where Isaac Hopper, a Quaker who converted to Christianity, created what has been dubbed “the first working cell of the abolitionist underground,” according to one source.
A tailor by profession, whose speciality was exploiting legal loopholes to secure the liberation of enslaved individuals in the courts of justice.
His work with runaway slaves continued there, and at one time he had to defend his Quaker bookstore from an anti-abolitionist crowd that had assembled outside.
3. Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where she experienced repeated violent beatings, one of which involving a two-pound lead weight, which left her with seizures and migraines for the rest of her life. Tubman fled bondage in 1849, following the North Star on a 100-mile walk into Pennsylvania, fearing she would be sold and separated from her family. She died in the process. She went on to become the most well-known “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, participating in around 13 rescue missions back into Maryland and rescuing at least 70 enslaved individuals, including several of her siblings.
As a scout, spy, and healer for the Union Army, Tubman maintained her anti-slavery activities during the Civil War, and is believed to have been the first woman in the United States to lead troops into battle. Tubman died in 1865. When Harriet Tubman Led a Civil War Raid, You Should Pay Attention
4. Thomas Garrett
‘Thomas Garrett’ is a fictional character created by author Thomas Garrett. The New York Public Library is a public library in New York City. The Quaker “stationmaster” Thomas Garrett, who claimed to have assisted over 2,750 escaped slaves before the commencement of the Civil War, lived in Wilmington, Delaware, and Tubman frequently stopped there on her route up north. Garret not only gave his guests with a place to stay but also with money, clothing & food. He even personally led them to a more secure area on occasion, arm in arm.
Despite this, he persisted in his efforts.
He also stated that “if any of you know of any poor slave who needs assistance, please send him to me, as I now publicly pledge myself to double my diligence and never miss an opportunity to assist a slave to obtain freedom.”
5. William Still
William Still is a well-known author and poet. Photograph courtesy of the Hulton Archive/Getty Images Many runaways traveled from Wilmington, the final Underground Railroad station in the slave state of Delaware, to the office of William Still in adjacent Philadelphia, which was the last stop on their journey. The Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, which provided food and clothing, coordinated escapes, raised funds, and otherwise served as a one-stop social services shop for hundreds of fugitive slaves each year, was chaired by Still, who was a free-born African American.
Still ultimately produced a book in which he chronicled the personal histories of his guests, which offered valuable insight into the operation of the Underground Railroad as a whole.
His assistance to Osborne Anderson, the only African-American member of John Brown’s company to survive the Harpers Ferry raid, was another occasion when he was called upon.
6. Levi Coffin
Charles T. Webber’s painting The Underground Railroad depicts fleeing slaves Levi Coffin, his wife Catherine, and Hannah Haydock providing assistance to the group of fugitive slaves. Getty Images/Bettina Archive/Getty Images Levi Coffin, often known as the “president of the Underground Railroad,” is said to have been an abolitionist when he was seven years old after witnessing a column of chained slaves people being taken to an auction house. Following a humble beginning delivering food to fugitives holed up on his family’s North Carolina plantation, he rose through the ranks to become a successful trader and prolific “stationmaster,” first in Newport (now Fountain City), Indiana, and subsequently in Cincinnati, Kentucky.
In addition to hosting anti-slavery lectures and abolitionist sewing club meetings, Coffin, like his fellow Quaker Thomas Garrett, stood steadfast when hauled before a court of law.
His writings state that “the dictates of humanity came in direct conflict with the law of the land,” and that “we rejected the law.”
7. Elijah Anderson
The Ohio River, which formed the border between slave and free states, was referred to as the River Jordan in abolitionist circles because it represented the border between slave and free states. Madison, Indiana, was an especially appealing crossing point for enslaved persons on the run, because to an Underground Railroad cell established there by blacksmith Elijah Anderson and several other members of the town’s Black middle class in the 1850s. With his fair skin, Anderson might have passed for a white slave owner on his repeated travels into Kentucky, where would purportedly pick up 20 to 30 enslaved persons at a time and whisk them away to freedom, sometimes accompanying them as far as the Coffins’ mansion in Newport.
An anti-slavery mob devastated Madison in 1846, almost drowning an agent of the Underground Railroad, prompting Anderson to flee upriver to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where he eventually settled.
8. Thaddeus Stevens
Mr. Thaddeus Stevens is an American lawyer and senator. Bettmann Archive courtesy of Getty Images; Matthew Brady/Bettmann Archive Thaddeus Stevens, a representative from Pennsylvania, was outspoken in his opposition to slavery. The 14th and 15th amendments, which guaranteed African-American citizens equal protection under the law and the right to vote, respectively, were among his many accomplishments, and he also advocated for a radical reconstruction of the South, which included the redistribution of land from white plantation owners to former enslaved people.
Despite this, it wasn’t until 2002 that his Underground Railroad activities were brought to light, when archeologists uncovered a hidden hiding hole in the courtyard of his Lancaster house.
Seward, also served as Underground Railroad “stationmasters” during the era.
Underground Railroad
An informal network of secret passageways and safe homes used by fleeing slaves in the United States of America on their trip north to “Free States” or Canada has been known as the Underground Railroad since the 1840s, when the name was first used. In addition to twenty-nine states, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean were included in the territory. Along with many others, Quakers played an important role in the event. It was referred to as a “Underground Railroad” because it was kept hidden, and as a “Railroad” because it indicated the route taken by fleeing slaves on their way to freedom.
- “Stockholders” were those who made contributions of money or products to aid the cause.
- “Conductors” were people who planned the routes and who frequently assisted and accompanied the slaves in their quest for freedom on the Underground Railroad.
- Stations were typically between 10 and 20 miles apart, and the travelers either walked between them or hid in covered wagons or carts with false bottoms while traveling between stations.
- The exact date when the Underground Railroad got its inception is unknown.
According to Washington’s letter to Robert Morris, a slave had escaped from one of his neighbours, and “a society of Quakers, organized for such reasons, had sought to liberate him.acting in a manner abhorrent to justice.in my judgment highly impolitic with respect to the State.” Over 3,000 persons were employed by the Underground Railroad by 1850, according to historical records.
African Americans such as Harriet Tubman (a former slave who made 19 journeys to help first her own family and then other slaves) made the most significant contributions, but many others were also involved, including members of Methodist and other evangelical groups, as well as Quakers and other religious groups.
- Among the other Underground Railroad Quaker strongholds were Salem, Iowa; Newport; Alum Creek; Cass County; Farmington; and New Bedford, Massachusetts.
- Thomas Garrett (1789 – 1871), a Quaker, is credited with assisting almost 2,700 slaves in their escape from slavery and was known as the “station master” of the final Underground Railroad station, which was located in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Quaker Levi Coffin (1798 – 1877), who lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, was known as the “President of the Underground Railroad” because of his work on the Underground Railroad.
- Some Quakers, however, did not believe that acting outside the law was justified, despite their empathy for the slaves’ condition.
- By the middle of the nineteenth century, it is believed that over 50,000 slaves had escaped from the slave states of the South through the use of the Underground Railroad.
- It is possible that federal marshals who failed to apprehend an accused runaway slave may be fined $1,000.
The Underground Railroad did not come to an end as a result of the Fugitive Slave Act. With the abolition of slavery at the conclusion of the American Civil War, it came to a logical conclusion (1861-65).
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad, a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and to Canada, was not run by any single organization or person. Rather, it consisted of many individuals – many whites but predominently black – who knew only of the local efforts to aid fugitives and not of the overall operation. Still, it effectively moved hundreds of slaves northward each year – according to one estimate,the South lost 100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850. An organized system to assist runaway slaves seems to have begun towards the end of the 18th century. In 1786 George Washington complained about how one of his runaway slaves was helped by a “society of Quakers, formed for such purposes.” The system grew, and around 1831 it was dubbed “The Underground Railroad,” after the then emerging steam railroads. The system even used terms used in railroading: the homes and businesses where fugitives would rest and eat were called “stations” and “depots” and were run by “stationmasters,” those who contributed money or goods were “stockholders,” and the “conductor” was responsible for moving fugitives from one station to the next.For the slave, running away to the North was anything but easy. The first step was to escape from the slaveholder. For many slaves, this meant relying on his or her own resources. Sometimes a “conductor,” posing as a slave, would enter a plantation and then guide the runaways northward. The fugitives would move at night. They would generally travel between 10 and 20 miles to the next station, where they would rest and eat, hiding in barns and other out-of-the-way places. While they waited, a message would be sent to the next station to alert its stationmaster.The fugitives would also travel by train and boat – conveyances that sometimes had to be paid for. Money was also needed to improve the appearance of the runaways – a black man, woman, or child in tattered clothes would invariably attract suspicious eyes. This money was donated by individuals and also raised by various groups, including vigilance committees.Vigilance committees sprang up in the larger towns and cities of the North, most prominently in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. In addition to soliciting money, the organizations provided food, lodging and money, and helped the fugitives settle into a community by helping them find jobs and providing letters of recommendation.The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family, who made many daring rescues, Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves, and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom. |
Underground Railroad – Ohio History Central
According to Ohio History Central This snapshot depicts the “Freedom Stairway,” which consists of one hundred stairs going from the Ohio River to the John Rankin House in Ripley, which served as a station on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. Presbyterian clergyman and educator John Rankin (1793-1886) spent most of his time working for the abolitionist anti-slavery struggle. The home features various secret rooms, some of which were used to hide freedom fighters. An illuminated sign was erected in front of the home to signal that it was safe for anyone seeking freedom to approach it.
- An underground railroad system of safe homes and hiding places that assisted freedom seekers on their journeys to freedom in Canada, Mexico, and other countries outside of the United States was known as the Underground Railroad (UR).
- Although it is unknown when the Underground Railroad had its start, members of the Society of Friends, often known as the Quakers, were actively supporting freedom seekers as early as the 1780s, according to historical records.
- As early as the late 1700s, slavery was outlawed in the vast majority of Northern states.
- African Americans were forced to flee the United States in order to genuinely achieve their freedom.
- Despite the fact that slavery was outlawed in Ohio, some individuals were still opposed to the abolition of the institution.
- Many of these individuals were adamantly opposed to the Underground Railroad.
- Other people attempted to restore freedom seekers to their rightful owners in the aim of receiving prizes for their efforts.
Over three thousand slaves were rescued from their captors and granted freedom in Canada thanks to the efforts of Levi Coffin, a Cincinnati man who lived in the late 1840s and early 1850s.
His house was perched on a three hundred-foot-high hill with a panoramic view of the Ohio River.
He gave the freedom seekers with sanctuary and kept them hidden until it was safe for them to proceed farther north in their quest for independence.
These individuals, as well as a large number of others, put their lives in danger to aid African Americans in their journey to freedom.
They typically chose to live in communities where there were other African Americans.
A total of eight communities along the Lake Erie shoreline served as embarkation locations for the freedom seekers’ journey to Canada, including Ashtabula, Painesville, Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo, Huron, Lorain, Conneaut, and Conneaut.
It is still unknown exactly how the Underground Railroad came to be known by that moniker.
In 1831, a freedom seeker called Tice Davids fled from his slave owners in Kentucky, where he had been held since birth.
Davids had arrived at the coast only a few minutes before him. Following the arrival of his boat, the holder was unable to locate Davids and concluded that he “must have gone off on a subterranean path.”
See Also
- “The Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad,” by Charles L. Blockson, et al. Hippocrene Books, New York, NY, 1994
- Levi Coffin, Hippocrene Books, New York, NY, 1994. Levi Coffin’s recollections of his time as the rumored President of the Underground Railroad. Arno Press, New York, NY, 1968
- Dee, Christine, ed., Ohio’s War: The Civil War in Documents, New York, NY, 1968. Ohio: A Four-Volume Reference Library on the History of a Great State (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2007)
- Fess, Simeon D., ed. Ohio: A Four-Volume Reference Library on the History of a Great State (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2007). Gara, Larry, and Lewis Publishing Company, 1937
- Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company. The Liberty Line: The Legend of the Underground Railroad is a documentary film about the Underground Railroad. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press, 1961
- Ann Hagedorn, ed., Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1961. Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad is a book about the heroes of the Underground Railroad. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2002
- Roseboom, Eugene H. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2002
- The period from 1850 to 1873 is known as the Civil War Era. The Underground Railroad: From Slavery to Freedom (Columbus, OH: Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, 1944)
- Siebert, Wibur H. “The Underground Railroad: From Slavery to Freedom.” RussellRussell, New York, 1898
- Siebert, Wilbur Henry, New York, 1898. Ohio was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Lesick, Lawrence Thomas
- Arthur W. McGraw, 1993
- McGraw, Arthur W. The Lane Rebels: Evangelicalism and Antislavery in Antebellum America is a book about the Lane family who were antislavery activists in the antebellum era. Roland M. Baumann’s book, The Scarecrow Press, was published in 1980 in Metuchen, NJ. The Rescue of the Oberlin-Wellington Train in 1858: A Reappraisal Oberlin, OH: Oberlin College Press, 2003
- Levi Coffin and William Still, editors. Fleeing for Freedom: Stories of the Underground Railroad is a collection of short stories about people fleeing for freedom. Ivan R. Dee Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, 2004.
Thomas Garrett – Wikipedia
Thomas Garrett | |
---|---|
Garrett around 1850 | |
Born | August 21, 1789Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | January 25, 1871 (aged 81)Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
Occupation | Abolitionist,Underground Railroadstation master |
Years active | 1813–1865 |
Thomas Garrett (August 21, 1789 – January 25, 1871) was an American abolitionist and Underground Railroad leader who lived during the period leading up to the American Civil War. Threats, intimidation, and attacks were leveled against him as a result of his efforts to end slavery. A $10,000 reward (equivalent to $311,080 in 2020) was set up to bring him to justice. He was apprehended and convicted in the Hawkins case. Over the course of his life, he was responsible for assisting more than 2,500 African Americans in escaping slavery.
Personal life
Thornfield, his boyhood home in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was the setting for this film. Garrett’s parents, Sarah Price and Thomas Garrett, welcomed him into the world on August 21, 1789, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. The family was a member of the QuakerDarby Friends Meeting in Darby, Pennsylvania. He and his family were residents of “Riverview Farm,” which was their family farm. Garrett married Mary Sharpless in 1813, and the couple went on to have five children together.
- Wilmington was a good place for him to start his career because it was a rising city.
- He set up a station at his home at 227 Shipley Street, where he lives.
- In 1830, he remarried to Rachel Mendenhall, the daughter of Eli Mendenhall, who was also his first wife.
- When Thomas’ father died in 1839, the original estate was divided between his brothers Issac and Edward, who called their holdings “Fernleaf Farm” and “Cleveland Farm,” respectively.
- Tom Thornfield’s mansion, “Thornfield,” which was built in 1800 and in which he resided until 1822, is still standing today in what is now the Drexel Hillneighborhood of Upper Darby (as a private property).
Career
He grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, in Thornfield, his childhood home. On August 21, 1789, Garrett was born to Sarah Price and Thomas Garrett inUpper Darby, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. The family was a member of the QuakerDarby Friends Meeting in Darby, North Yorkshire. He and his family were residents of “Riverview Farm,” their family’s property. Garrett wed Mary Sharpless in 1813, and the couple went on to have a family of five children together. When he relocated to Wilmington, Delaware in 1822, he became a member of the Wilmington Meeting.
- Due to its location as the final city before Philadelphia, within a free state, it was also a prime location for Underground Railroad activities.
- It was 1828 when Mary passed away.
- It became out that they were parents to a son!
- However, most of the old farm has been preserved as Arlington Cemetery.
Thomas’s house, “Thornfield,” which he constructed in 1800 and in which he resided until 1822, still survives today (as a private residence) in what is now the Drexel Hillneighborhood of Upper Darby, where he was born and raised.
Anti-slavery activities
At the age of 24, when he was 24 years old, he embarked on a lifelong campaign to abolish slavery. One of the Garretts’ employees, a free black woman, was abducted by slave dealers with the intent of selling her into slavery in the Deep South, according to legend. Garrett saved her life and made it his life’s mission to defend African Americans for the rest of his days.
Quaker and abolitionist
After turning 24 in 1813, he began actively campaigning against slavery in earnest. One of the Garretts’ employees, a free black woman, was abducted by slave dealers with the intention of selling her into slavery in the Deep South, according to legend. Garrett saved her life and made it his life’s mission to defend African Americans for the rest of his years on earth.
Underground Railroad
Garrett was a stationmaster on the Underground Railroad in Delaware, where he collaborated with William Still in Philadelphia and John Hunn farther down theDelmarva Peninsula to complete his mission. Among those who benefited from his assistance was the family of Henry Highland Garnet. In his home at 227 Shipley Street, Garrett didn’t have to hide anything from slave hunters or the slave system since he was so outspoken in his opposition to slavery and the slave system. Despite the fact that the authorities were aware of his actions, he was never apprehended.
Apart from accommodation and meals, Garrett regularly gave her with money and shoes to enable her to continue her missions of rescuing runaways from slavery and bringing them to safety.
Both were free individuals at the time of Tubman’s rescue, but Tubman’s father was on the run from the authorities after he was caught hiding fugitive slaves in his home.
He claimed to have “only assisted 2,700” people before the Civil War brought slavery to an end.
Fugitive Slave Act trial
His fellow QuakerJohn Hunn, on the other hand, was sued in federal court for assisting theEmeline and Samuel Hawkinsfamily of seven slaves owned by two owners in escaping. This was despite the fact that their lawyer colleague John Wales had managed to free them from imprisonment the previous year when a magistrate granted a writ of habeas corpus. Hunn and Garrett, on the other hand, were sued by the two slaveowners. The trial, which took place in the New Castle Court House, was presided over by Chief Justice Roger B.
Bayard, Jr.
Garrett and Hunn were found guilty of breaking the Fugitive Slave Act by assisting a family of slaves in their attempt to elude capture and flee.
In the words of Kathyleen Lonsdale, quoting the American Friends Service Committee, “the fine was so high that it left him financially ruined, yet Thomas Garrett stood up in Court and said, “Judge, thy judgment has left me not a dollar, but I wish to say, on behalf of all in this courtroom, that anyone knows of a fugitive who wants a safe haven and a friend, send him to Thomas Garrett and he will befriend him.” A lien was placed on his home until the fine was paid, and although Hunn ended up losing his home in a sheriff’s sale, Garrett continued to operate his iron and hardware company while also assisting fugitive slaves on their journey to freedom.
Traffic via Garrett’s station had grown by 1855, and according to Sydney Howard Gay, over 50 fugitives who had been supported by Garrett landed in New York during the period from 1855 to 1856.
American Civil War
During the American Civil War, Garrett’s mansion was defended by free African Americans from the city of Wilmington. Wilmington’s African Americans paraded Garrett through the streets in an open barouche with the words “Our Moses” written on it in celebration of the passage of the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote.
Death
His body was interred at the Quaker Meeting House in Wilmington on January 25, 1871, where he died. His coffin was brought to his final resting place by freed blacks on their backs and shoulders.
Legacy
- As a tribute to the two Underground Railroad agents and friends, the city of Wilmington dedicated Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park in 1993. Historical monuments commemorating Garrett have been constructed in the Drexel Hill district of Upper Darby in Pennsylvania and Wilmington in Delaware. Thornfield, located at 3218 Garrett Road in Upper Darby, is still a private residence near the historic monument on Garrett Road
- However, it has been restored.
See also
- Delaware’s Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs published “The People: Thomas Garrett” in the alphabetical order. abcd”QuakersSlavery: Thomas Garrett”.web.tricolib.brynmawr.edu. Retrieved on June 17, 2021
- Abcd”QuakersSlavery: Thomas Garrett”.web.tricolib.brynmawr.edu. The Underground Railroad Map was retrieved on June 17, 2021. National Park Service’s “Network to Freedom” program The title is “Items of Interest from Various Locations.” The American Gas Light Journal, Volume 75, Numbers 7–12, July–December 1901
- Milt Diggins’ “Principio” was published by the Historical Society of Cecil County. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011, through theWayback Machine
- John Thomas Scharf is a writer and poet (1888). Delaware’s history spans 1609 through 1888. Theodore J. Richards, p.827. Obtainable on November 27, 2013. William Chandler is a well-known author and poet. Theodore Garret
- Thomas Garret Page 192 of Foner’s book
- “National Historic Landmark Nomination” (PDF) from the National Park Service. Obtainable on January 6, 2015
- “Thomas Garrett”, Harriet Tubman.com
- “Thomas Garrett Sr. | Stationmaster on the Underground Railroad”, HMdb
- “Thomas Garrett Sr. | Stationmaster on the Underground Railroad
- Station Master of the Underground Railroad: The Life and Letters of Thoma Garrett, by James A. McGowan, is a book about a woman who worked as a station master on the Underground Railroad. McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2005
- Claus Bernet (2010). “Thomas Garrett,” says the narrator. Traugott was born in Bautz (ed.). The Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) is a collection of biographical and bibliographic information on churches (in German). 31. Nordhausen: Bautz, cols. 484–486.ISBN978-3-88309-544-8
- 32. Nordhausen: Bautz, cols. 484–486.ISBN978-3-88309-544-8
- 33. Nordhausen: Bautz, cols. 484–486.ISBN978-3-88309-544-8
- 34. Nordhausen: Bautz, cols. 484–486.ISBN978-3-88309-544-8
External links
- Biography at Spartacus Educational
- Thomas Garrett documents in the Garrett, McCollin, and Vail family papers housed atHaverford College QuakerSpecial Collections
- Thomas Garrett papers in the Garrett, McCollin, and Vail family papers located atHaverford College QuakerSpecial Collections
Quaker Abolitionists
A biography of Thomas Garrett may be found at Spartacus Educational; the Garrett, McCollin, and Vail family papers can be found at Haverford College QuakerSpecial Collections; and other sources include the Thomas Garrett papers in the Garrett, McCollin, and Vail family archives.
Quakers and the Issue of Slavery
The fact that North Carolina’s Quakers did not have a disagreement on slavery during the early years is noteworthy. In reality, antislavery feeling among Quakers developed gradually over a long period of time. Slavery was not banned by Quaker philosophy, despite the fact that issues of conscience periodically arose in the community. A New Jersey Quaker called John Woolman, on the other hand, took up the antislavery cause in the 1750s and went throughout the country to preach against the ills of slavery.
- Woolman thought that slavery fostered a callousness toward humanity that was demeaning to both the slaveholder and the captive, and he advised slaveholders to cease their relationship with slavery as soon as possible.
- Many of these Quakers came with a strong antipathy of slavery in their hearts.
- Local gatherings were increasingly tense as a result of the buying and selling of persons.
- It may come as a surprise to learn that the most important issue confronting North Carolina Friends was the manumission, or freeing, of their own slaves.
Quaker Dilemma: Manumission in North Carolina
It was not until 1741 that a colonial ordinance was passed prohibiting the manumission of slaves, save as a prize for excellent, or meritorious, service to the government. County courts had the ability to determine the merits of service in each individual instance, and if freedom was granted, freed slaves were given six months to leave the state before they were forced to return. In exchange for their service in the American Revolution, many former slaves were emancipated. As the topic of slavery became more contentious, many Quaker slaveholders found themselves in a difficult situation.
- However, it was against the law for them to release their slaves just because they wished to or because they believed they should.
- Newby’s petition triggered a spirited discussion that returned in meetings for over two years after it was first presented to the board.
- When Newby and 10 other Quaker slaveholders realized they were in breach of the 1741 statute, they released forty slaves.
- Officials were outraged and accused the Quakers of seeking to instigate a slave revolt in order to gain control of the country.
This action marked the beginning of a lengthy series of legal fights between the state of North Carolina and the Quaker community in the state. These fights lasted long into the nineteenth century and caused significant suffering among the Quakers.
Quaker Efforts at Freeing Slaves
It was in 1808 that the North Carolina Yearly Meeting took action to alleviate the difficulties of its slaveholding members. The Yearly Meeting took advantage of a 1796 legislation that permitted organizations to purchase and sell property, and empowered its members to transfer ownership of their slaves to the Yearly Meeting itself. When the Society of Friends acquired about eight hundred slaves in 1814, it was one of the state’s greatest slaveholders, ranking second only to the Southern Baptist Convention.
- They were often given greater freedom than they had been used to having as plantation slaves, which was a significant improvement.
- The committee made certain that the revenues from their labors went to a fund to care for them and eventually relocate them to free regions in the North and West.
- The North Carolina Manumission Society, which was founded in 1816, was one such lobbying organization.
- Members of the group, known as Manumissionists, fought for the gradual liberation of slaves.
- They also sent representatives to national antislavery conventions and advocated for more black educational opportunities.
- Undoubtedly, the Underground Railroad was the most well-known of the Quaker antislavery activities of the nineteenth century.
- Escaped slaves were reported to have slept outside the New Garden Meetinghouse in Guilford County, North Carolina, until they could start their journey at night to avoid detection.
- Other antislavery organizations discovered the central Piedmont to be a good field for planting their views, no doubt as a result of the impact of the Quakers.
Kids History: Underground Railroad
Civil War is a historical event that occurred in the United States. During the American Civil War, the phrase “Underground Railroad” was used to describe a network of persons, residences, and hiding places that slaves in the southern United States used to flee to freedom in the northern United States and Canada. Is it possible that there was a railroad? The Underground Railroad wasn’t truly a railroad in the traditional sense. It was the moniker given to the method by which individuals managed to flee.
- Conductors and stations are two types of conductors.
- Conductors were those who were in charge of escorting slaves along the path.
- Even those who volunteered their time and resources by donating money and food were referred to as shareholders.
- Who was employed by the railroad?
- Some of the Underground Railroad’s conductors were former slaves, such as Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery by way of the Underground Railroad and subsequently returned to assist other slaves in their escape.
- They frequently offered safe havens in their houses, as well as food and other supplies to those in need.
- B.
What mode of transportation did the people use if there was no railroad?
Slaves would frequently go on foot during the night.
The distance between stations was generally between 10 and 20 miles.
Was it a potentially hazardous situation?
There were those trying to help slaves escape, as well as those who were attempting to aid them.
In what time period did the Underground Railroad operate?
It reached its zenith in the 1850s, just before the American Civil War.
How many people were able to flee?
Over 100,000 slaves are said to have fled over the railroad’s history, with 30,000 escaping during the peak years before the Civil War, according to some estimates.
This resulted in a rule requiring that fugitive slaves who were discovered in free states be returned to their masters in the south.
Slaves were now had to be carried all the way to Canada in order to avoid being kidnapped once more by the British.
The abolitionist movement began with the Quakers in the 17th century, who believed that slavery was incompatible with Christian principles.
Ducksters’ Lewis Hayden House is located in the town of Lewis Hayden. The Lewis Hayden House functioned as a station on the Underground Railroad during the American Civil War. Information on the Underground Railroad that is both interesting and educational
- Civil War (History) During the American Civil War, the phrase “Underground Railroad” was used to describe a network of persons, residences, and hiding places that slaves in the southern United States used to flee to freedom in the Northern United States and Canada. Is it possible that that was a train? In reality, the Underground Railroad was not a railroad at all. A term was given to the method by which individuals managed to get away from their situation. No one knows how it obtained its name in the beginning, but the “underground” portion of the name comes from the secrecy with which it operated, and the “railroad” half of the name comes from the manner it was utilized to carry people. Conductors and stations are two types of people that work in the transportation industry. In its organization, the Underground Railroad made use of railroad slang. Conductors were those who were in charge of leading slaves along the journey. Stations or depots were the names given to the hideouts and dwellings where slaves took refuge while traveling. In other cases, shareholders included those who donated money or food in order to assist others. Located within the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Levi Coffin House is a historic structure. Is it true that the railroad employed thousands of people? Conductors and secure locations for slaves to stay along the route were given by a large number of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Former slaves, such as Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad and then returned to assist other slaves in their escape, served as conductors on the Underground Railroad. Many white people who believed that slavery was immoral, like as Quakers from the north, lent their assistance as well. Aside from hiding places in their houses, they frequently offered food and other supplies to those in need. Harriet Tubman was a pioneering woman who H. B. Lindsley was an American author and poet who lived during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. It’s unclear how people got about without a train system. A arduous and risky journey, traveling on the Underground Railroad was an experience. When slaves were traveling on foot at night, they were called “night runners.” Their plan was to slip from one station to the next in the hopes of not being discovered. A typical distance between stations was 10 to 20 miles. They would sometimes have to wait for a long period of time at one station before they were confident that the next station was secure and ready for them to go. What made you think it was risky? It was quite risky, to be honest with you. Both for the slaves attempting to flee and for those attempting to aid them in their endeavors Assisting fugitive slaves was against the law, and conductors were subject to execution by hanging in several southern states. Was the Underground Railroad operational at any point in time? From around 1810 through the 1860s, the Underground Railroad was active. As recently as the 1850s, it reached its zenith just prior to the American Civil War. Eastman Johnson’s A Ride for Liberty – The Fugitive Slaves is a historical novel about fugitive slaves who escape from their captors. The number of those who made it out is unknown. There is no way to know exactly how many slaves fled because they lived in obscurity. More than 100,000 slaves may have fled over the railroad’s history, with 30,000 of them making their escape during the peak years preceding the Civil War, according to some estimates. The Fugitive Slave Act was enacted in the United States in 1850, making slaves fugitives. Because of this, escaped slaves who were discovered in free states were required by law to be returned to their southern masters. For the Underground Railroad, this made things even more difficult. Slaves were now had to be carried all the way to Canada in order to avoid being seized once more by the British Empire. Abolitionists Those who believed that slavery should be abolished and that all present slaves should be freed were known as abolitionists. Abolitionist movements began with the Quakers in the 17th century, who believed that slavery was incompatible with Christian principles. When slavery was abolished in the United States in 1780, Pennsylvania was the first state. By the Ducksters, Lewis Hayden House is named after the author Lewis Hayden House. A station on the Underground Railroad, the Lewis Hayden House was built in 1836. The Underground Railroad: Interesting Facts and Myths
Activities
- This page is the subject of a ten-question quiz
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- Learn about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad by reading this article.
HistoryCivil WarHistoryCivil War Works Cited
Quaker Accounts of the Underground Railroad in the Region of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
The Civil War is one of the works cited.
- Slavery was opposed in a variety of ways, with the primary goal being the abolition of the practice. Because it involved a relatively small number of individuals, the Underground Railroad was not the primary goal of the anti-slavery movement—the primary goal was the abolition of slavery as a system
- Those who worked on the Underground Railroad were well aware that it was the fugitives themselves who had taken the initiative and assumed the majority of the risks associated with escaping
- In writing about the Underground Railroad, the role of free and “self-emancipated” African American communities in assisting fleeing enslaved individuals, defending fugitives in the North, and avoiding the capture and slavery of free African-Americans has frequently been downplayed or minimized. A greater amount of investigation is required
- The legal component of the Underground Railroad is critical. Abolitionism and its supporters employed anti-kidnapping and “personal liberty” legislation not just to prevent the slavery of free people, but also to impede the return of runaway slaves. The participation of white persons on the Underground Railroad created fundamental problems regarding the balance between the legal obligations of citizens and the moral and religious responsibilities of individuals to follow their consciences and/or obey the will of God. The amount of organization on the Underground Railroad varied depending on the time period and location. A small number of “agents” and “station masters” were active in well-traveled routes, sometimes supporting hundreds of fugitives over the course of many years. Another person or group of people may be involved in a single occurrence, at the most. Some fugitives, possibly many, managed to escape with little or no assistance from the Underground Railroad
- Anti-slavery and abolitionist militants were frequently split on the tactics and purposes of abolitionist struggle. Abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass were both active in the movement, although they disagreed on the need of political activity. Quakers, who were anti-slavery by long held conviction and practice, were divided on the subject of collaborating with non-Quakers in reform groups. Some, such as Thomas Garrett and Lucretia Mott, were involved in abolitionist groups on a regular basis. Those who did not join the organized abolitionist movement included active Underground Railroad operatives such as Samuel Moore of Bucks County and John Jackson of Darby, Delaware County, who stayed outside of the organization. Secret hiding places for fleeing slaves, which were frequently mentioned in local tradition, appear to have played a minor role in the Underground Railroad. While escaped slave tales and the accounts of Underground Railroad conductors mention sheltering in cellars, attics, barns, and fields, secret chambers, if they existed at all, appear to have played a significant role in the twentieth century mythology of the Underground Railroad.
Documents and Readings
- Dr. Edwin Fussell has written on the Underground Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania
- William T. Kelley has written about the Underground Railroad on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware
- And others have written about the Underground Railroad in other parts of the country. In this collection, you will find documents relating to abolitionism, the Underground Railroad, kidnapping, and Quakers in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- George S. Truman’s The Sharon Female Academy in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- And Chester County (Pennsylvania) documents relating to abolitionism, the Underground Railroad, kidnapping, and Quakers.
Underground Railroad
When describing a network of meeting spots, hidden routes, passages, and safehouses used by slaves in the United States to escape slave-holding states and seek refuge in northern states and Canada, the Underground Railroad was referred to as the Underground Railroad (UR). The underground railroad, which was established in the early 1800s and sponsored by persons active in the Abolitionist Movement, assisted thousands of slaves in their attempts to escape bondage. Between 1810 and 1850, it is estimated that 100,000 slaves escaped from bondage in the southern United States.
Facts, information and articles about the Underground Railroad
Aproximate year of birth: 1780
Ended
1780 is a rough estimate.
Slaves Freed
Estimates range between 6,000 and 10,000.
Prominent Figures
Harriet Tubman is a historical figure. William Still is a well-known author and poet. Levi Coffin is a fictional character created by author Levi Coffin. John Fairfield is a well-known author.
Related Reading:
The Story of How Canada Became the Final Station on the Underground Railroad Harriet Tubman’s Legacy as a Freedom Fighter and a Spion is well documented.
The Beginnings Of the Underground Railroad
Canada’s Role as the Final Station of the Underground Railroad Harriet Tubman’s Legacy as a Freedom Fighter and as a Spione
The Underground Railroad Gets Its Name
Owen Brown, the father of radical abolitionist John Brown, was a member of the Underground Railroad in the state of New York during the Civil War. An unconfirmed narrative suggests that “Mammy Sally” designated the house where Abraham Lincoln’s future wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, grew up and served as a safe house where fugitives could receive food, but the account is doubtful. Routes of the Underground Railroad It was not until the early 1830s that the phrase “Underground Railroad” was first used.
Fugitives going by water or on genuine trains were occasionally provided with clothing so that they wouldn’t give themselves away by wearing their worn-out job attire.
Many of them continued on to Canada, where they could not be lawfully reclaimed by their rightful owners.
The slave or slaves were forced to flee from their masters, which was frequently done at night. It was imperative that the runaways maintain their eyes on the North Star at all times; only by keeping that star in front of them could they be certain that they were on their trip north.
Conductors On The Railroad
A “conductor,” who pretended to be a slave, would sometimes accompany fugitives to a plantation in order to lead them on their journey. Harriet Tubman, a former slave who traveled to slave states 19 times and liberated more than 300 people, is one of the most well-known “conductors.” She used her shotgun to threaten death to any captives who lost heart and sought to return to slavery. The Underground Railroad’s operators faced their own set of risks as well. If someone living in the North was convicted of assisting fugitives in their escape, he or she could face fines of hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which was a significant sum at the time; however, in areas where abolitionism was strong, the “secret” railroad was openly operated, and no one was arrested.
His position as the most significant commander of the Underground Railroad in and around Albany grew as time went on.
However, in previous times of American history, the phrase “vigilance committee” generally refers to citizen organizations that took the law into their own hands, prosecuting and hanging those suspected of crimes when there was no local government or when they considered the local authority was corrupt or weak.
White males who were found assisting slaves in their escape were subjected to heavier punishments than white women, but both were likely to face at the very least incarceration.
The Civil War On The Horizon
Events such as the Missouri Compromise and the Dred Scott decision compelled more anti-slavery activists to take an active part in the effort to liberate slaves in the United States. After Abraham Lincoln was elected president, Southern states began to secede in December 1860, putting an end to the Union’s hopes of achieving independence from the United States. Abolitionist newspapers and even some loud abolitionists warned against giving the remaining Southern states an excuse to separate. Lucia Bagbe (later known as Sara Lucy Bagby Johnson) is considered to be the final slave who was returned to bondage as a result of the Fugitive Slave Law.
Her owner hunted her down and arrested her in December 1860.
Even the Cleveland Leader, a Republican weekly that was traditionally anti-slavery and pro-the Fugitive Slave Legislation, warned its readers that allowing the law to run its course “may be oil thrown upon the seas of our nation’s difficulties,” according to the newspaper.
Following her capture, Lucy was carried back to Ohio County, Virginia, and punished, but she was released at some time when Union soldiers took control of the region. In her honor, a Grand Jubilee was celebrated on May 6, 1863, in the city of Cleveland.
The Reverse Underground Railroad
A “reverse Underground Railroad” arose in the northern states surrounding the Ohio River during the Civil War. The black men and women of those states, whether or not they had previously been slaves, were occasionally kidnapped and concealed in homes, barns, and other structures until they could be transported to the South and sold as slaves.