Who Was The Most Famous Conductor On The Underground Railroad? (TOP 5 Tips)

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 some major conductors on the Underground Railroad?

• Harriet Tubman was the most famous conductor for the Underground Railroad. Born an enslaved woman named Araminta Ross, she took the name Harriet (Tubman was her married name) when, in 1849, she escaped a plantation in Maryland with two of her brothers.

Who were the most famous Underground Railroad conductors?

Harriet Tubman, perhaps the most well-known conductor of the Underground Railroad, helped hundreds of runaway slaves escape to freedom.

Who was best known as the lead conductor on the Underground Railroad?

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. After escaping from slavery in the South and reaching Pennsylvania in 1849, Tubman became a conductor for the Underground Railroad. Over a 10-year period, Tubman led, or conducted, more than 300 fugitive slaves along the Underground Railroad to freedom in the North.

Who was important in the Underground Railroad?

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.

Did Harriet Tubman give speeches?

In addition, Tubman’s speeches, if written about in newspapers, were only described and briefly quoted, rather than printed in full, as other abolitionists’ speeches sometimes were. She was illiterate so no written copies of her speeches appeared to be available.

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.

Is Gertie Davis died?

These eight abolitionists helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

What is Harriet Tubman best known for Apex?

Harriet Tubman was a fugitive slave, underground railroad conductor, abolitionist, spy, soldier, Civil War, African American, nurse, known for her work with Underground Railroad, Civil War service, and later, her advocacy of civil rights and woman suffrage.

Who set up 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.

Who ended slavery?

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring “all persons held as slaves… shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free,” effective January 1, 1863. It was not until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, in 1865, that slavery was formally abolished ( here ).

What did Frederick Douglass do?

Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author and public speaker. He became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end the practice of slavery, before and during the Civil War.

Was Harriet Tubman a suffragette?

She was a strong supporter of women’s voting rights, giving speeches on women’s suffrage in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Tubman shared her experiences of suffering in the war and railroad movement, in order to prove that women are equal to men.

Who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) published more than 30 books, but it was her best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin that catapulted her to international celebrity and secured her place in history.

What did Harriet Tubman do as a conductor on the Underground Railroad apex?

Who was Harriet Tubman? She was one of the most famous abolitionists who helped the Underground Railroad (a “conductor”). She was a Union spy and nurse during the Civil War. After she escaped from slavery, she made at least 19 trips on the underground railroad to help others escape.

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

John Brown, an abolitionist, about 1846 GraphicaArtis/Getty Images courtesy of Similar to his father, John Brown actively participated in the Underground Railroad by hosting runaways at his home and warehouse and organizing an anti-slave catcher militia following the adoption of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, which he inherited from his father. The next year, he joined several of his sons in the so-called “Bleeding Kansas” war, leading one attack that resulted in the deaths of five pro-slavery settlers in 1856.

Brown’s radicalization continued to grow, and his ultimate act occurred in October 1859, when he and 21 supporters seized the government arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an effort to incite a large-scale slave uprising.

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

An image of Levi Coffin, his wife Catherine, and Hannah Haydock supporting a group of escape slaves appears in The Underground Railroad, a painting by Charles T. Webber. Getty Images/Betty Mann Archive When Levi Coffin was seven years old, he is said to have watched a column of chained enslaved persons being driven to auction, prompting him to become an abolitionist. He is known as the “president of the Underground Railroad.” 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, Ohio.

Operating openly, Coffin even organized anti-slavery lectures and abolitionist sewing club gatherings.

His writings said that “the mandates of humanity were in direct conflict with the law of the land,” and that “we rejected the law.”

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.

FAMOUS CONDUCTORS

A portrait of Harriet Tubman, around 1885. It is noteworthy that the left side of Ms. Tubman’s face is not obscured by a shadow in this photograph by H. Seymour Squyer, which displays the damage she sustained as a child. The National Portrait Gallery is responsible for the preservation of the original. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, which is available online. Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave from Maryland who rose to prominence as the ” Moses ” of her people, was instrumental in assisting slaves in achieving freedom in Canada and the northern United States.

When the misbehaving slave attempted to flee from his punishment, the overseer slammed him against a big iron weight.

Tubman, who was well aware of the dangers of assisting runaways, is claimed to have refused to allow individuals to change their minds once they had decided to assist them.

According to legend, she allegedly observed: “On my Underground Railroad, I run my train off the tracks and never pick up a passenger.” She was able to purchase a property in Auburn, New York, with the support of her friends, William and Frances Seward.

) Harriet had a long life and was buried with military honors at Ft. Hill Cemetery when she died in 1913. She had a long and fruitful life. Others who assisted slaves in their journey on the Underground Railroad are documented in history:

• William Still, a free-born African-American who has been dubbed the “Father of the Underground Railroad,” documented many first-person tales of persons who were fleeing the slave states of the southern United States. This photograph of William Jackson and his family, taken in 1846, shows them as abolitionists living in Newton, Massachusetts. His complete book, which has more than 800 pages, is accessible for online reading. Their place of residence was a station on the subway system. Today, that house serves as a museum
• John Fairfield, the son of a slave-holding family, is credited with numerous daring rescues and the development of inventive methods to keep escaping slaves safe
• Levi Coffin, who is credited with many slave rescues and the writing of Reminiscences about his and his wife Catherine Coffin’s efforts, is credited with writing Reminiscences about his and his wife Catherine Coffin’s efforts. Others feel his promises of aid were overstated to a significant extent.

There were many more who aided slaves who were attempting to break free from the bonds of American slavery. Due to the fact that much of their labor was carried out in secret, many myths and tales have sprung up around the true stories of the Underground Railroad. Throughout it all, however, one aspect remains indisputably true: the desire to be free is a human emotion so powerful that individuals are willing to go to great lengths to achieve their goal of freedom.

9 Unsung Heroes of the Underground Railroad

With hundreds of people participating in the Underground Railroad’s operation, which spanned from the Deep South all the way to Canada, it’s hardly surprising that the network of underground pathways and safe homes known as the Underground Railroad was so large in scope. Some, like as Harriet Tubman, served as “conductors,” directing rescue efforts, while others, such as John Brown, served as “station masters,” welcoming fugitives into their houses and facilitating their safe journey to safety after their capture.

1. William Still

With hundreds of people participating in the Underground Railroad’s operation, which ran from the Deep South all the way to Canada, it’s not surprising that the network of clandestine pathways and safe homes known as the Underground Railroad was so large and complex. A few, like as Harriet Tubman, served as “conductors,” directing rescue operations; while others, such as John Brown, served as “station masters,” welcoming fugitives into their houses and facilitating their safe transit to safety.

2. John P. Parker

When John P. Parker was 8 years old, a trader in Norfolk, Virginia, removed him from his enslaved mother and sold him to a doctor in Mobile, Alabama. John P. Parker was born into slavery. With the assistance of the doctor’s children, Parker worked as an apprentice in an iron foundry, where he also learned to read and write. Having persuaded one of the doctor’s patients to purchase him at the age of 18, he was given the opportunity to gradually reclaim his freedom with the money he earned from his foundry.

• While all of this was going on, Parker was making regular trips over the Ohio River to transport fugitives from Kentucky back to Ripley’s safe homes (one belonged to John Rankin, a prominent white abolitionist who lived less than a mile from Parker).
• He once anticipated that an enslaversuspecteda married couple would seek to flee, so he kidnapped their infant and placed him in his chamber to sleep.
• The enslaver awakened and chased after Parker, firing his gun, but Parker and his family were able to flee across the river and into Canada.
• Gregg during a series of interviews in the 1880s, but the manuscript remained undiscovered in Duke University’s archives until historian Stuart Seeley Sprague unearthed it and published it in 1996.

Parker’s rescues were recounted to journalist Frank M. Gregg during a series of interviews in the 1880s, but the manuscript remained undiscovered in Duke University’s archives until historian Stuart Seeley Sprague unearthed

3. and 4. Harriet Bell Hayden and Lewis Hayden

At the age of 8, a trader in Norfolk, Virginia, took John P. Parker away from his enslaved mother and sold him to a doctor in Mobile, Alabama, where he grew up. With the assistance of the doctor’s children, Parker apprenticed at an iron foundry while also learning to read and write. He sold himself to one of the doctor’s patients when he was 18 years old, and over the next several years, his earnings from the foundry allowed him to gradually get his independence back. It succeeded, and Parker moved to Ripley, Ohio, where he established himself as a successful foundryman, purchased a home for his family, and developed a number of popular mechanical parts for tobacco machines.

• It was particularly perilous for Parker to go on rescue missions, partly because bounty hunters on the lookout for fugitives were aware of Parker’s whereabouts and partly because Parker himself was a fearless individual.
• Parker intruded on the child’s chamber, delicately yanked him from his bed (where the enslaver was also sleeping), and ran out of the home through the back door.
• These rescues were recounted by Parker to journalist Frank M.
• Parker’s rescues were recounted to journalist Frank M.

5. Henrietta Bowers Duterte

His wife, Henrietta Bowers, was 35 when she married Francis A. Duterte, a Haitian-American undertaker who was also 35 at the time. It should have been a long and happy union because they both hailed from well-respected Philadelphia households and Francis’s mortuary was prosperous; in other words, it should have been a joyful union. However, by the end of the decade, Henrietta was on her own: Her children had all died while they were young, and Francis had also died unexpectedly. Instead of handing over the funeral company to a male, as would have been anticipated at the time, Henrietta took over and transformed it into a particularly secretive station on the Underground Railroad, in addition to maintaining the mortuary business.

It was nonetheless profitable, and Henrietta used the proceeds to support organizations that supported Philadelphia’s Black population, such as the First Colored Church and Stephen Smith’s Philadelphia Home for Aged and Infirm Colored Persons, which were both founded by Stephen Smith.

In 1866, she assisted in the organization of the Freedman’s Aid Society Fair, which raised funds for previously enslaved persons in Tennessee.

6. David Ruggles

David Ruggles, who was born free in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1810, traveled to New York City when he was 17 years old and founded a grocery store, which he operated with liberated African Americans. Ruggles soon expanded his business to include lending and selling abolitionist books, pamphlets, and newspapers as well, making him the first Black bookshop proprietor in the United States. Ruggles and other local abolitionists formed the New York Vigilance Committee in 1835, which was an inter-racial group that, like the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee, assisted people in their attempts to elude slavery.

1. Frederick Douglass, who had escaped slavery and arrived in New York in 1838, impoverished and starving, was one of these temporary visitors.
2. David Ruggles saved his life, as he revealed in his autobiography published in 1845.
3. Ruggles’s alertness, kindness, and tenacity,” he wrote.
4. Ruggles gave the couple $5 shortly after their wedding and arranged for them to go by steamer to New Bedford, Massachusetts.
5. Ruggles distributed countless anti-slavery publications during his years as an Underground Railroad station master, and he advocated for “practical abolitionism,” which is the idea that each individual should actively participate in the emancipation of African-Americans.
6. Not that he was without adversaries: his business was burned down on two occasions, and he was violently attacked on other times.
7. Ruggles was able to restore some of his strength by hydrotherapy while he was there, and he subsequently founded his own hydrotherapy facility, where Douglass would frequently pay him a visit.

7. and 8. Harriet Forten Purvis and Robert Purvis

Robert Purvis, the son of a free Black woman and a free white man, was involved in virtually every aspect of Philadelphia’s anti-slavery movement from the 1830s to the Civil War, and he died in the Civil War. His work with prominent abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison to establish the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833 and the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society a few years later resulted in the formation of the Vigilant Association of Philadelphia and its Vigilance Committee, which provided fugitive fugitives with boarding, clothing, medical attention, legal counsel, and northern passage.

1. Harriet, like Mott, would go on to become a prominent figure in the women’s suffragist movement.
2. Their home on Lombard Street became a well-traveled corridor for fugitives on their way to the United States border with Canada.
3. The eighth anniversary of slavery’s abolition in the British West Indies was being celebrated when a mob of Irish people, resentful of their own low social standing, attacked the revelers and began looting and setting fire to Black-owned businesses along the street.
4. However, according to reports, a Catholic priest diverted the rioters off their intended route to the Purvises’ home, where Robert was armed and ready to confront them.

Robert estimated that he had assisted in the emancipation of around one person each day between 1831 and 1861 (though it’s probable that this figure includes his larger involvement with other anti-slavery organizations).

9. Samuel D. Burris

Since his birth in 1830 as the son of a free Black woman and a white man, Robert Purvis has been actively involved in virtually every aspect of Philadelphia’s anti-slavery struggle. His work with prominent abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison to establish the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833 and the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society a few years later resulted in the formation of the Vigilant Association of Philadelphia and its Vigilance Committee, which provided fugitives with boarding, clothing, medical attention, legal counsel, and northern passage.

The suffrage movement would see Harriet become a leader as well, following in the footsteps of Mott.

Their home on Lombard Street became a well-traveled path for fugitives on their way to the United States border north.

In August 1842, a parade commemorating the eighth anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies descended into violence when an Irish mob, resentful of their own low social status, attacked the revelers and began looting and setting fire to Black-owned businesses along the street.

Later, Robert and Harriet moved their family to a farmhouse in Byberry, a community in Philadelphia’s northeastern suburbs, where they swiftly transformed their new home into another stop on the Underground Railroad.

How Harriet Tubman and William Still Helped the Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad, a network of people who assisted enslaved persons in escaping to the North, was only as strong as the people who were willing to put their own lives in danger to do so.

Among those most closely associated with the Underground Railroad were Harriet Tubman, one of the most well-known “conductors,” and William Still, who is generally referred to as the “Father of the Underground Railroad.”

Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and guided others to freedom

Tubman, who was born into slavery in Maryland under the name Araminta Harriet Ross, was able to escape to freedom via the use of the Underground Railroad. Throughout her childhood, she was subjected to constant physical assault and torture as a result of her enslavement. In one of the most serious instances, she was struck in the head with an object weighing two pounds, resulting in her suffering from seizures and narcoleptic episodes for the rest of her life. John Tubman was a free black man when she married him in 1844, but nothing is known about their connection other than the fact that she adopted his last name.

• Even though she began the voyage with her brothers, she eventually completed the 90-mile journey on her own in 1849.
• As a result, she crossed the border again in 1850, this time to accompany her niece’s family to Pennsylvania.
• Instead, she was in charge of a gang of fugitive bond agents.
• Her parents and siblings were among those she was able to save.
• Tubman, on the other hand, found a way around the law and directed her Underground Railroad to Canada, where slavery was illegal (there is evidence that one of her destinations on an 1851 voyage was at the house of abolitionist Frederick Douglass).
• “”I was a conductor on the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say things that other conductors are unable to express,” she stated with a sense of accomplishment.

William Still helped more than 800 enslaved people escape

Meanwhile, William Still was born in Burlington County, New Jersey, a free state, into a life of liberty and opportunity. The purchase of his freedom by his father, Levi Steel, occurred while his mother, Sidney, was on the run from slavery. In his early years, he came to the aid of a friend who was being pursued by enslaved catchers. He was still a child at the time. The Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery hired him in 1844 to work as a janitor and clerk at their Philadelphia offices.

Around this time, he began assisting fleeing enslaved persons by providing them with temporary lodging in the years leading up to the Civil War.

It is claimed that he escorted 800 enslaved persons to freedom over the course of his 14-year career on the route, all while maintaining meticulous records of their journeys.

More about Harriet Tubman’s life of service after the Underground Railroad can be found at this link.

Tubman made regular stops at Still’s station

Tubman was a frequent visitor at Still’s station, since she made a regular stop in Philadelphia on her way to New York. He is also said to have contributed monetarily to several of Tubman’s journeys. Her visits clearly left an effect on him, as evidenced by the inclusion of a section about her in his book, which followed a letter from Thomas Garrett about her ushering in arriving visitors. As Stillwright put it in his book, “Harriet Tubman had become their “Moses,” but not in the same way that Andrew Johnson had been their “Moses of the brown people.” “She had obediently gone down into Egypt and, through her own heroics, had delivered these six bondmen to safety.

But in terms of courage, shrewdness, and selfless efforts to rescue her fellow-men, she was without peer.

“While great anxieties were entertained for her safety, she appeared to be completely free of personal dread,” he went on to say.

will portray William Still, in the upcoming film Harriet.

Underground Railroad: A Conductor And Passengers Documented In Music

However, while Harriet Tubman is the most well-known conductor of the Underground Railroad, a new album highlights the contributions of an even more important figure: William Still, who was responsible for assisting nearly 800 enslaved African Americans to escape to freedom in the years before the Civil War. That Still was more generally acknowledged for his work as an abolitionist, historian, and conductor for the Underground Railroad is long overdue; he deserves to be. It was Still’s 1872 bookThe Underground Railroad that inspired the new filmHarriet, in which he is portrayed by Leslie Odom Jr., and he is also the key protagonist in Sanctuary Road, a new oratorio by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec that is based on Still’s novel.

• While still in his twenties, Still, who was born free in New Jersey in 1821, relocated to Philadelphia, where he worked for an abolitionist organization.
• ‘Preserve every tale, every truth, and every incident,’ sings bass-baritone Dashon Burton in the character of Still, his velvety authority shining through.
• The stories he collected were both alarming and distressing to listen to.
• Creature, who had a light skin tone, pretended to be an elderly white slave owner while traveling to Philadelphia with an enslaved valet who was actually Craft’s fiancé, who was also disguised as a white man.
• Sanctuary Road is not without its share of wry comedy, as you will see below.
• The people that sent him were apparently less intelligent than Brown, for he ended up spending much of his perilous voyage upside down.
• Merriweather at the conclusion of his devoted performance, which is tinged with a tinge of amusement.
• Three frantic chase sequences, starring tenor Joshua Blue and showing the enslaved Wesley Harris’ feverishly dashing through woodlands and avoiding highways, are interspersed between the lengthier stories by Moravec and Campbell between the longer stories.
• The singers, dressed as enraged slave owners, scream out, promising incentives to those who flee.
• Its sweeping romanticism, a la Samuel Barber, sounds very American, and it blends well with the text written by Mark Campbell, which was based on Still’s novel.
• Americans still have a long way to go before they can comprehend the Underground Railroad in its entirety.

However, via a piece such as Sanctuary Road, we may learn about William Still – a significant character in our nation’s history — and the hundreds of people he helped to achieve freedom. NPR has copyright protection until 2021. More information may be found at

Harriet Tubman’s Achievements

While Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known conductor of the Underground Railroad, a new CD pays tribute to another important figure: William Still, who assisted almost 800 enslaved African Americans in their escape to freedom in the years before the Civil War, according to the release. That Still’s contributions as an abolitionist, historian, and conductor for the Underground Railroad were more generally acknowledged is long overdue. He is a significant character in the upcoming filmHarriet (in which he is played by Leslie Odom Jr.), and he is also the central protagonist of Sanctuary Road, a new oratorio by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec based on Still’s 1872 bookThe Underground Railroad.

• While still in his twenties, Still, who was born free in New Jersey in 1821, came to Philadelphia to work for an abolitionist organization.
• ‘Preserve every tale, every truth, and every occurrence,’ sings bass-baritone Dashon Burton in the character of Still, his velvety authority shining through in his performance.
• Astonishing and terrible stories were chronicled by him.
• In order to travel to Philadelphia with her enslaved attendant, who was actually her fiancé, Craft, who had a light skin tone, pretended to be a white man – an elderly slave owner.
• Not everything in Sanctuary Road is serious.
• Brown scrawled “THIS SIDE UP” on the top of his box before climbing inside it.
• “If only those fools could read!” says baritone Malcolm J.
• The adventures that are presented are laden with perilous situations.
• Sanctuary Road features a chorus that both comments on and participates in the action of the show.
• The music for Sanctuary Road by Moravec is straightforward and does not attempt to break any new ground musically.
• As a librettist, Campbell has worked on 36 operas, including the Pulitzer Prize-winningSilent Night, by Kevin Puts, which he may be considered “America’s go-to librettist.” Americans still have a long way to go before they can comprehend the Underground Railroad in its fullest extent.

The tale of William Still — an important character in our history — and the hundreds of people he helped to achieve freedom may be told through the lens of an art piece such as Sanctuary Road. 10/21/2021 National Public Radio (NPR). More information may be found by going to

Early Battle Against Slavery

Tubman’s parents farmed her out as a house servant to neighbors when she was still a little kid, and she grew up to be an adult. She began working in the fields when she was 12 years old. During this period, she showed her first symptoms of opposition to slavery and the horrors that it entailed. She once intervened to prevent her owner from thrashing an enslaved man who had attempted to flee from his master’s grasp. She was struck in the head with a two-pound weight and was never able to fully recover from the injuries she sustained.

The Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad (also known as the Underground Railroad System) Before the American Civil War, abolitionists and former slaves in the United States assisted enslaved individuals in the Southern United States in escaping to the Northern United States through an organized organization known as the Underground Railroad. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. is a publishing company that publishes encyclopedias. Tubman became a conductor for the Underground Railroad after fleeing slavery in the South and arriving in Pennsylvania in 1849.

Over the course of a ten-year period, Tubman led or guided more than 300 fleeing slaves down the Underground Railroad to freedom in the northern United States of America.

Slave owners offered a $40,000 reward for her apprehension or execution if she was apprehended.

John Brown sought her advice about his plans to organize an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and she responded positively (now in West Virginia).

The American Civil War

Tubman moved to South Carolina at the commencement of the American Civil War in order to work as a medic for Union soldiers stationed there. Tubman also served as a scout and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War. Years of experience as a conductor on the Underground Railroad gave her with invaluable knowledge that was beneficial to the cause of the Union. She spied on Confederate territory as a member of the Second Carolina Volunteers, which was under the command of Colonel James Montgomery.

Her participation in a raid on plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina in June 1863 was accompanied by the colonel and his men.

Some of those individuals enlisted in the Union army, so increasing its overall strength, while the loss of enslaved labour in the South contributed to the weakening of the Confederate economy.

Despite the fact that Tubman was compensated for her wartime work, the amount was so little that she had to supplement her income by selling handmade baked goods.

Post-Civil War

Harriet Tubman is a historical figure. Harriet Tubman, around 1868–1869, courtesy of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-DIG-ppmsca-54230) Following the war, Tubman relocated to Auburn, New York, where she resumed her humanitarian work. She was a supporter of the suffrage campaign for women. She began taking in orphans and the elderly as a result of her efforts. She finally established a residence for elderly and impoverished African Americans. Several former abolitionists and members of the community came out in favor of the house, which remained open for several years after she passed away.

After 30 years of service in the military, Congress finally granted her a pension of $20 a month from the federal government.

Harriet Tubman Facts and Quotes

Harriet Tubman is a historical figure who lived during the American Civil War. She was a pioneer in the fight against slavery. a photograph of Harriet Tubman taken in 1868–1869 in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C (reproduction no. LC-DIG-ppmsca-54230) Her humanitarian work was continued after the war when Tubman relocated to Auburn, New York. Support for women’s suffrage was something she believed in. Orphans and the elderly were among those she took in. In the end, she established a home for elderly and impoverished African Americans.

She petitioned for a government pension for her wartime service in the late 1860s and again in the late 1890s.

Pathways to Freedom

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Marylanders who were a part of the Underground Railroad To quickly navigate to a certain individual, use the links provided below: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Garrett, and William Still are all historical figures. Samuel Burris is a fictional character created by author Samuel Burris. More Individuals » Harriet Tubman, who was born a slave in Cambridge, Maryland, was a famous Underground Railroad conductor and one of the most well-known figures in the history of the Underground Railroad.

1. She was familiar with a number of paths through the woods and fields.
2. It was safer at night and when there were less people outdoors working or traveling from one location to another, according to the study.
3. When she was with her gang, she always had weapons on her person to defend them in case they were assaulted.
4. Her reputation is built on the fact that she never lost a single passenger.
5. We believe he was born around 1818, but we do not have any documentation to support this assumption.
6. Douglass had a sneaking suspicion that his white owner, Captain Aaron Anthony, was his father.
7. The death of Douglass’s mother occurred when he was around seven years old.

Douglass, who was eight years old at the time, was finally assigned to live with the Auld family in Baltimore by Captain Anthony.

Auld assisted the little child in his efforts to learn to read and write.

They would eventually provide their support to Douglass in his fight against the scourge of slavery.

Douglass was returned to the Eastern Shore, where he was placed with Thomas Auld, who happened to be Captain Anthony’s son-in-law.

He came to the conclusion that he must find his path to freedom.

He found employment at a shipyard in Fells Point, where he was surrounded by free Black men.

Douglass made the decision to try to go to the north in search of freedom.

He chose to dress in the manner of a free Black seaman, similar to the ones he worked with at the Shipyard.

Douglass departed Baltimore on September 3, 1838, according to historical records.

Once he had reached in the North, Douglass changed his last name from Bailey to Johnson in order to escape being recaptured by slavehunters from the southern United States.

Pennington, who was also Frederick’s best man.

Douglass changed his last name for the second and last time at that location.

He went throughout the northern United States, sharing firsthand tales of slavery, abolition, segregation, and prejudice with an audience of thousands.

He was terrified that he would be apprehended and returned to the slave trade.

Douglass was eventually and formally set free from his captivity.

There, he began publishing an abolitionist newspaper known as The North Star, which he named after his hometown.

He continued to contribute to national and international initiatives aimed at achieving freedom for all people, including himself.

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He was 78 years old.

Several conductors, including Tubman, led the way to Garrett’s mansion.

He conveyed a large number of persons to Philadelphia, where there was a thriving Abolition Society and a large number of people who were involved with the Underground Railroad at the time.

He took in a large number of fugitives from Maryland, the state where his mother was born.

He made arrangements for a large number of fugitive slaves to continue their trek to Canada.

It includes descriptions of the fugitives he received as well as letters from fugitives and Underground Railroad aids such as Thomas Garrett and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

Several biographies of men and women who were involved in the Underground Railroad are also included in the book.

Take a look at an extract from William Still’s autobiography.

He was a free black guy at the time.

He became involved in the Underground Railroad’s operations as a result of his experiences.

He collaborated with Benjamin Still and Thomas Garrett on a number of projects.

If they are apprehended, they may be sold as slaves to make money.

He was arrested and taken to jail, where he remained for several months.

The judge ruled that he be sold and sentenced to serve seven years in prison.

They gathered funds and dispatched an abolitionist called Isaac Flint to the auction where Burris would be sold, where he was successful.

This is the narrative of that auction written by William Still. Burris then relocated to California, where he continued to send contributions to support formerly enslaved people in need. return to the beginning More Individuals »

Eastern Illinois University : Teaching with Primary Sources

However, many of the intriguing and lesser known elements of the Underground Railroad are not included in many textbooks, despite the fact that it is an essential part of our nation’s history. It is intended that this booklet will serve as a window into the past by presenting a number of original documents pertaining to the Underground Railroad. Broadsides, prize posters, newspaper clippings, historical records, sheet music, pictures, and memoirs connected to the Underground Railroad are among the primary sources included in this collection.

• The Underground Railroad was a covert structure established to assist fugitive slaves on their journey to freedom in the United States.
• As a result, secret codes were developed to aid in the protection of themselves and their purpose.
• Runaway slaves were referred to as cargo, and the free persons who assisted them on their journey to freedom were referred to as conductors.
• These stations would be identified by a lantern that was lighted and hung outside.

A Dangerous Path to Freedom

Traveling through the Underground Railroad to seek their freedom was a lengthy and risky trek for escaped slaves. Runaway slaves were forced to travel long distances, sometimes on foot, in a short amount of time in order to escape. They accomplished this while surviving on little or no food and with little protection from the slave hunters who were rushing after them in the night. Slave owners were not the only ones who sought for and apprehended fleeing slaves. For the purpose of encouraging people to aid in the capture of these slaves, their owners would post reward posters offering monetary compensation for assisting in the capture of their property.

• Numerous arrested fugitive slaves were beaten, branded, imprisoned, sold back into slavery, or sometimes killed once they were apprehended.
• They would have to fend off creatures that wanted to kill and devour them while trekking for lengthy periods of time in the wilderness, as well as cross dangerous terrain and endure extreme temperatures.
• The Fleeing Slave Law of 1850 permitted and promoted the arrest of fugitive slaves since they were regarded as stolen property rather than mistreated human beings under the law at the time.
• They would not be able to achieve safety and freedom until they crossed the border into Canada.
• Aside from that, there were Underground Railroad routes that ran south, on their way to Mexico and the Caribbean.
• He was kidnapped from his northern abode, arrested, and prosecuted in Boston, Massachusetts, under the provisions of this legislation.
• After the trial, Burns was returned to the harshness of the southern states, from which he had thought he had fled.

American Memory and America’s Library are two names for the Library of Congress’ American Memory and America’s Library collections.

He did not escape via the Underground Railroad, but rather on a regular railroad.

Since he was a fugitive slave who did not have any “free papers,” he had to borrow a seaman’s protection certificate, which indicated that a seaman was a citizen of the United States, in order to prove that he was free.

Unfortunately, not all fugitive slaves were successful in their quest for freedom.

Harriet Tubman, Henry Bibb, Anthony Burns, Addison White, Josiah Henson, and John Parker were just a few of the people who managed to escape slavery using the Underground Railroad system.

He shipped himself from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a box that measured three feet long, two and a half feet deep, and two feet in diameter. When he was finally let out of the crate, he burst out singing.

ConductorsAbolitionists

Train conductors on the Underground Railroad were free persons who provided assistance to escaped slaves moving via the Underground Railroad system. Runaway slaves were assisted by conductors, who provided them with safe transportation to and from train stations. They were able to accomplish this under the cover of darkness, with slave hunters on their tails. Many of these stations would be in the comfort of their own homes or places of work, which was convenient. They were in severe danger as a result of their actions in hiding fleeing slaves; nonetheless, they continued because they believed in a cause bigger than themselves, which was the liberation thousands of oppressed human beings.

1. They represented a diverse range of ethnicities, vocations, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
2. Due to the widespread belief that slaves were considered property, the freeing of slaves was perceived as a theft of slave owners’ personal belongings.
3. Captain Jonathan Walker was apprehended off the coast of Florida while attempting to convey slaves from the United States to freedom in the Bahamas.
4. With the following words from one of his songs, abolitionist poet John Whittier paid respect to Walker’s valiant actions: “Take a step forward with your muscular right hand, brave ploughman of the sea!
5. She never lost sight of any of them during the journey.
6. He went on to write a novel.
7. John Parker is yet another former slave who escaped and returned to slave states in order to aid in the emancipation of others.

Rankin’s neighbor and fellow conductor, Reverend John Rankin, was a collaborator in the Underground Railroad project.

The Underground Railroad’s conductors were unquestionably anti-slavery, and they were not alone in their views.

Individuals such as William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur and Lewis Tappan founded the American Anti-Slavery Society, which marked the beginning of the abolitionist movement.

The group published an annual almanac that featured poetry, paintings, essays, and other abolitionist material.

Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who rose to prominence as an abolitionist after escaping from slavery.

His other abolitionist publications included the Frederick Douglass Paper, which he produced in addition to delivering public addresses on themes that were important to abolitionists.

Anthony was another well-known abolitionist who advocated for the abolition of slavery via her speeches and writings.

For the most part, she based her novel on the adventures of escaped slave Josiah Henson.

Efforts of Abolitionists Telling Their Story:Fugitive Slave Narratives

Henry Bibb was born into slavery in Kentucky in the year 1815, and he was the son of a slave owner. After several failed efforts to emancipate himself from slavery, he maintained the strength and persistence to continue his struggle for freedom despite being captured and imprisoned numerous times. His determination paid off when he was able to successfully escape to the northern states and then on to Canada with the assistance of the Underground Railroad, which had been highly anticipated. The following is an excerpt from his tale, in which he detailed one of his numerous escapes and the difficulties he faced as a result of his efforts.

1. I began making preparations for the potentially lethal experiment of breading the shackles that tied me as a slave as soon as the clock struck twelve.
2. On the twenty-fifth of December, 1837, the long-awaited day had finally arrived when I would put into effect my previous determination, which was to flee for Liberty or accept death as a slave, as I had previously stated.
3. It took every ounce of moral strength I have to keep my emotions under control as I said goodbye to my small family.
4. Despite the fact that every incentive was extended to me in order to flee if I want to be free, and the call of liberty was booming in my own spirit, ‘Be free, oh, man!
5. I was up against a slew of hurdles that had gathered around my mind, attempting to bind my wounded soul, which was still imprisoned in the dark prison of mental degeneration.
6. Furthermore, the danger of being killed or arrested and deported to the far South, where I would be forced to spend the rest of my days in hopeless bondage on a cotton or sugar plantation, all conspired to discourage me.
7. The moment has come for me to follow through on my commitment.
8. This marked the beginning of the construction of what was known as the underground rail route to Canada.

For nearly forty-eight hours, I pushed myself to complete my journey without food or rest, battling against external difficulties that no one who has never experienced them can comprehend: “not knowing when I might be captured while traveling among strangers, through cold and fear, braving the north winds while wearing only a thin layer of clothing, pelted by snow storms through the dark hours of the night, and not a single house in which I could enter to protect me from the storm.” This is merely one of several accounts penned by runaway slaves who were on the run from their masters.

Sojourner Truth was another former slave who became well-known for her work to bring slavery to an end.

Green and many others, including Josiah Henson, authored autobiographies in which they described their own personal experiences.

Perhaps a large number of escaped slaves opted to write down their experiences in order to assist people better comprehend their struggles and tribulations; or perhaps they did so in order to help folks learn from the mistakes of the past in order to create a better future for themselves.