The additional word via indicated that the "passengers" were not sent on the usual train, but rather via Reading, Pennsylvania. [51] Following Union victory in the Civil War, on December 6, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution outlawed slavery. [32], Routes were often purposely indirect to confuse pursuers. According to Still, messages were often encoded so that they could be understood only by those active in the railroad. The stations were often located in basements,[25] barns,[26] churches,[27] or in hiding places in caves[28] and hollowed-out riverbanks. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Due to the danger associated with capture, they conducted much of their activity at night. Every stanza ends with a reference to Canada as the land "where colored men are free". https://www.history.com/news/8-key-contributors-to-the-underground-railroad When frictions between North and South culminated in the Civil War, many Blacks, both enslaved and free, fought for the Union Army. "Engravings by Bensell, Schell, and others.". This collection of resources includes features of prominent figures such as President Barack Obama and war heroine Mary Seacole. Use these resources to teach more about significant figures in the abolition movement, the causes of the Civil War, and how slavery sustained the agricultural economy in the United States for centuries. Slavery was a deeply rooted institution in North America that remained legal in the United States until 1865. Privacy Notice |  Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Fort Malden, in Amherstburg, Ontario, was deemed the "chief place of entry" for escaped slaves seeking to enter Canada. It was not an actual railroad, but it served the same purpose—it transported people long distances. During the era of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, places, and people that helped enslaved people in the American South escape to the North. The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses and hiding places that helped freedom seekers along their journey to freedom in Canada, Mexico, and elsewhere outside of the United States. [43]:110 Other fugitives at Fort Walden had been assisted by William Wells Brown, himself someone who had escaped slavery. Various other routes led to Mexico, where slavery had been abolished, and t… The Underground Railroad book. Important Black settlements also developed in other parts of British North America (now parts of Canada). William Still,[23] sometimes called "The Father of the Underground Railroad", helped hundreds of slaves escape (as many as 60 a month), sometimes hiding them in his Philadelphia home. Southern newspapers of the day were often filled with pages of notices soliciting information about fugitive slaves and offering sizable rewards for their capture and return. These images of the Underground Railroad stuck in the minds of the nation, and they captured the hearts of writers, who told suspenseful stories of dark, dangerous passages and dramatic enslaved person escapes. Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society, Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society Terms of Service |  They eventually escaped either further north or to Canada, where slavery had been abolished during the 1830s. "[16] It was known as a railroad, using rail terminology such as stations and conductors, because that was the transportation system in use at the time. [80] This act authorized the United States National Park Service to establish the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program to identify associated sites, as well as preserve them and popularize the Underground Railroad and stories of people involved in it. The Underground Railroad inspired cultural works. During the era of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, places, and people that helped enslaved people in the American South escape to the North. The Underground Railroad was the network used by enslaved black Americans to obtain their freedom in the 30 years before the Civil War (1860-1865). The Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was actually an above-ground series of escape routes for slaves traveling from the South to the North trying to gain their freedom. 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. The quilts were placed one at a time on a fence as a means of nonverbal communication to alert escaping slaves. [citation needed], Upon arriving at their destinations, many fugitives were disappointed, as life in Canada was difficult. National Geographic Headquarters For example, the following message, "I have sent via at two o'clock four large hams and two small hams", indicated that four adults and two children were sent by train from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. It also did not run underground, but through homes, barns, churches, and businesses. Many of the new arrivals had to compete with mass European immigration for jobs, and overt racism was common. [8] One estimate suggests that, by 1850, 100,000 enslaved people had escaped via the network.[8]. His home was a stop along the Underground Railroad, a network of routes, places, and people that helped enslaved people escape to the North. [34][35], Due to the risk of discovery, information about routes and safe havens was passed along by word of mouth. But, contrary to popular belief, the first path wasn’t south to … [37], Most former enslaved, reaching Canada by boat across Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, settled in Ontario. “Every slave thinks about it. Most escapes were by individuals or small groups; occasionally, there were mass escapes, such as with the Pearl incident. Sustainability Policy |  You cannot download interactives. He maintained correspondence with many of them, often acting as a middleman in communications between people who had escaped slavery and those left behind. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. Scholars tend to believe that while the slave songs may certainly have expressed hope for deliverance from the sorrows of this world, these songs did not present literal help for runaway slaves.[49]. Read summaries of Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad.You can read a Plot Overview of the entire novel as well as Chapter-by-Chapter Summaries.To purchase a copy of The Underground Railroad on BN.com, go to the link below. [11] The law deprived people suspected of being slaves the right to defend themselves in court, making it difficult to prove free status. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Colson Whitehead's 'Underground Railroad' Is A Literal Train To Freedom As a child, Whitehead was surprised to learn that escaped slaves did not ride an … Participants generally organized in small, independent groups; this helped to maintain secrecy because individuals knew some connecting "stations" along the route but knew few details of the escapees' immediate area. [14], The escape network was neither literally underground nor a railroad. "Stockholders" gave money or supplies for assistance. © 1996 - 2021 National Geographic Society. They have offered little evidence to support their claims. Network for fugitive slaves in 19th-century U.S. For train transportation used underground, see, Map of Underground Railroad routes to modern day Canada, Dictated by Robert Jackson a.k.a. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century, and used by enslaved African-Americans to primarily escape into free states and Canada. The name “Underground Railroad” was used metaphorically, not literally. Even so, the Underground Railroad was at the heart of the abolitionist movement. Had to compete with mass European immigration for jobs, and businesses scholars pre-Civil! Was finally abolished outright in 1834 in Southern Ontario that remained legal in United... Sympathetic to the cause of the ships, making `` frequent round ''! Signed into law in 1998 do is escape Railroad helped to guide one hundred thousand people. 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