Underground Rail Road

Essay submitted by Weezal

The underground railroad was a network of northerners that helped slaves reached the

north and Canada for safety from their plantation. It was secret and railway terms were

used to describe system as a way to hide the real nature of the operation. The

underground railroad extended from Maine to Nebraska but was most concentrated in

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indian, New York, and The New England States. More of the more

specific spots were Detroit, Michigan, Erie, Pennsylvania, Buffalo and New York.

The slaves and the people who housed the slaves spoke in a disguised language that

was used words like "freight, lines, stations and conductors". Freight meant freed

slaves, lines were routes, stopping places were stations and the people who helped the

slaves along the way were the conductors. So that is basically how it got its name

because it was related to a train and the purpose of the system was to get you from

one place to another. The "Liberty Line" was another for the system.

Help was given to the slaves from one transfer place to another ensuring the slaves

journey to be safely executed. Once a slave reached their final destination, Canada or

New England they would still have to keep quiet about how they reached the north

without being discovered. The people that were most into helping slaves escape by

means of the railroad were northern abolitionists and other anti-slavery groups who

disliked what was going on in the south.

These included several Protestant especially Quakers, Methodists, and Mennonites.

There was a Quaker of Thomas Garrett who was known for helping about 2,700 slaves

escape to freedom. Former slaves were also active rolls in the Underground Railroad.

One of these was an important well known black slave named Harriet Tumbman. Harriet

was a runaway slave who helped many blacks escape and she became known as the

"Mosses of her people" She served in the civil war she served as a nurse, cook, scout,

and spy.

Most runaway slaves were young, male, unattached and highly skilled. When the slaves

travelled they travelled at night to avoid being seen by slave masters, people getting

paid to find slaves, and most southerners who would report them for being spotted.

When a slave travelled at night he/she would follow the North star as a guide in the

right direction.

In 1973 there was a law that was passed that said a run-away slave could be

recaptured if caught. They tried to enforce this but because of the Yankee judges and

legislators they conflicted with the outcome too much. The south got aggravated with

the north and the whole slavery conflict was a major element in the Civil War.

Life for a slave in the north was not free at all. The slaves were still discriminated and

they could still be caught and brought back down to the south and harshly beaten or

even killed. This is what lead many of the slaves to take off for Canada. Once they had

stayed in Canada for what they thought was a safe time, they would make their way

back down to the New England area.

Slaves were not to be educated. If a slave master were to find out a slave had been

learning he would beat the slave. The slave masters didn't want their slaves to become

intelligent. Many slaves would also try to read the bible; if caught they were punished.

A way many slaves did learn was by passing the slaves down from one to another.

They could not have a school or anything like that. When a slave were to runaway from

their plantation they would go at night and some even tried to go by horseback. Life as

a slave was harsh and completely unfair. Luckily the northerners stood up for what

they though was right and won.