The Myth And Realities Of The Underground Railroad
The myths and realities of the “Underground Railroad” are extensive, but captivating. The truth is that the “Underground Railroad was a marvelously improvised, metaphorical construct run by courageous heroes, most of whom were black: “Much of what we call the Underground Railroad,” Blight writes, “was actually operated clandestinely by African Americans themselves through urban vigilance committees and rescue squads that were often led by free blacks.” The bottom line, Blight stated, citing Gara’s research, was that “running away was a frightening and dangerous proposition for slaves, and the overall numbers who risked it, or for that matter succeeded in reaching freedom, were ‘not large.’ ”
Some of the more widespread myths were that sympathetic …show more content…
On occasion, messages of all sorts were given out at black church gatherings and prayer meetings, but not about the day and time that Harriet Tubman would be coming to town. The risk of betrayal about individual escapes and collective rebellions, was far too great for escape plans to be widely shared. Its stated that “80 percent of these fugitives were young males in their teens and twenties who generally absconded alone. Indeed, [between 1838 and 1860] 95 percent fled alone. Young slave women were much less likely to run away because of their family and child-rearing responsibilities. Entire families with children did attempt flights to freedom, but such instances were …show more content…
He was afraid of arming African Americans, particularly former or escaped slaves, would push the loyal border states to secede. This, in turn, would make it almost impossible for the Union to win the war. As the Civil War loomed on, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was limited, freeing only those slaves living in states that were in rebellion against the federal government, Lincoln’s issuance of the Proclamation didn’t changed his position about the underlying constitutional issue, but he justified the proclamation as a war measure, necessary to weaken the Confederacy’s ability to continue the war it also reflects his understanding of the importance of abolition to preserving the
Some of the more widespread myths were that sympathetic …show more content…
On occasion, messages of all sorts were given out at black church gatherings and prayer meetings, but not about the day and time that Harriet Tubman would be coming to town. The risk of betrayal about individual escapes and collective rebellions, was far too great for escape plans to be widely shared. Its stated that “80 percent of these fugitives were young males in their teens and twenties who generally absconded alone. Indeed, [between 1838 and 1860] 95 percent fled alone. Young slave women were much less likely to run away because of their family and child-rearing responsibilities. Entire families with children did attempt flights to freedom, but such instances were …show more content…
He was afraid of arming African Americans, particularly former or escaped slaves, would push the loyal border states to secede. This, in turn, would make it almost impossible for the Union to win the war. As the Civil War loomed on, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was limited, freeing only those slaves living in states that were in rebellion against the federal government, Lincoln’s issuance of the Proclamation didn’t changed his position about the underlying constitutional issue, but he justified the proclamation as a war measure, necessary to weaken the Confederacy’s ability to continue the war it also reflects his understanding of the importance of abolition to preserving the