Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was not really a railroad at all. The Underground Railroad was a network of anti-slavery people, both black and white, who arranged transport and safe-houses for slaves on the run.
This network allowed slaves to escape the United States and reach freedom either in states that protected fugitive slaves, or in countries where slavery was not common, such as Canada. The Underground Railroad consisted of secret safe houses and other facilities owned by anti-slavery sympathizers, and operated much like any other large-scale widespread resistance movement with independent cells that only knew of a few of their neighbors.
Escaped slaves would pass from one way station to another, slowly making their way to the north. The main operators of the Railroad were free blacks and Quakers, who had a strong religious objection to slavery.
The Underground Railroad was a major cause of friction between the North and South in the United States of America. Many northerners sympathized with those who helped bring slaves to safety.
For many years Southerners pushed for strong laws that would force the recapture of escaped slaves, and in 1850 Congress passed a law mandating the capture of fugitive slaves. This prevented slaves from settling in free states and forced them to escape to Canada.
A major destination of the fugitive slaves was southern Ontario around the Niagara peninsula and Windsor, Ontario. About 30 000 individuals successfully escaped to Canada. This was an important population increase to the still underpopulated Canadian colonies and these settlers formed the basis of the Black population throughout Ontario.
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Imagine what it would be like to be a slave.
Your body, your time, your very breath belong to a farmer in 1850’s Maryland. Six long days a week you tend his fields and make him rich. You have never tasted freedom. You never expect to. And yet . . . your soul lights up when you hear whispers of attempted escape. Freedom means a hard, dangerous trek. Do you try it?
Most slaves chose not to run away. Historians estimate that only a fraction fled slavery. Millions more lived in bondage, where they fought slavery in subtle ways:work slowdowns, sabotage, “accidently” breaking tools, and “sickness.”
“Moses” is coming! You’ve heard the stories about her. She is Harriet Tubman, a former slave who ran away from a nearby plantation in 1849 but returns to rescue others. Guided by her “visions,” she has never lost a passenger. Even if Moses can’t fit you into her next group, she’ll tell you how to follow the North Star to freedom in Canada.
Every step seems louder. Twigs snap, leaves crackle. But you walk on, till you see a group of friendly faces. You join them shyly and meet “General Tubman” herself. She tells you how to sneak across the bridge over the Choptank River and where to find friends in a place called Delaware.
A warm welcome and hot food—that’s what you find inside the house. Guided by their conscience, the owners break the law by helping runaways. Yet terror still haunts you. As you fall asleep you hear bloodhounds not far away. They are looking for fugitives, looking for you. Freedom is still a long way off.
You’ve never seen a city like Wilmington—the people, the streets, the houses, the noise! Now you know the plantation really is hundreds of miles away. Your host, a Quaker businessman named Thomas Garrett, smiles gently and promises you’ll see much bigger cities before you reach Canada.
A good friend of Tubman’s, Garrett has worked on The Underground Railroad for almost 40 years. A few years ago he was arrested and fined $5,400. It didn’t stop him for a minute.
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You’ve never met a man like this—not a black man, anyway. Born free, William Still is a successful, confident merchant and a leader in the fight against slavery. He can read and write - skills denied you - and take careful notes about your journey. Watching your deep, joyous breaths of the free air of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he cautions you not to get giddy. You’ve reached a free state, it’s true, but United States law still sees you as your master’s property, and bounty hunters are everywhere. He helps you get ready for another long stretch of travel.
Weeks of trudging, including a grueling passage of almost 250 miles (402 kilometers) through the Appalachian Mountains, have brought you to Rochester. Perhaps you’ll catch a glimpse of fugitive Frederick Douglass, the fiery orator who publishes the North Star, an abolitionist paper. You meet with another noted citizen, activist Susan B. Anthony. She and her antislavery friends give you warm clothing for the hard Canadian climate and make sure you’re taken safely to Lake Erie.
Across Lake Erie lies Canada—and freedom. A few weeks earlier you might have coaxed an easy ride from a sympathetic ferry captain. But as winter takes hold, chunks of ice have begun to form. You might find someone to row you across, or you could try leaping from one ice floe to another. Either way, you’ll be freezing cold. Yet staying exposes you—and your helpers—to slave hunters. Do you try going across?
You made it! It took courage, luck, help, and incredible stamina. Here in Canada, you can finally breathe free. Not only won’t the government return you to slavery in the United States, but you can vote and even own land. No wonder thousands have already run away to settle here. You still face challenges: finding a home, making a living, adjusting to a new place. But you face them in freedom.
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Underground Railroad Writing Prompt:
- Imagine you are a slave. You have no rights and no freedom. Six days a week you toil in the fields for your master making him wealthy. One of your friends is talking about escaping north to freedom. Do you go with them? Explain your answer. Be sure to include reasons for escaping, hardships you must face/overcome, and possible sources of help. If you choose not to escape explain you reasons.
- You have been asked to hide a fugitive slave overnight. If you get caught, you will be sent to prison. What would you do? Explain your answer. Be sure to include your reasons for aiding the fugitive slave. If you decide not to hide the fugitive slave explain you reasons.