Underground Railroad Thesis
The Underground Railroad
A lot of people in today’s modern world don’t know that the Underground Railroad wasn’t actually a railroad. It was actually a series of houses, shops, and hotels/motels that would provide blacks a way to escape slavery in the south by going north. These buildings were known as stations and the slaves were known as cargo. Between 1815 and 1860, it is estimated that 130,000 refugees escaped the south via the Underground Railroad. The railroad had as many as 3,200 active workers spread out across the stations who were all doing their part in the fight against slavery. These workers were also known as conductors. Even though it was against the law to participate in the unauthorized transportation of slaves, many people …show more content…
Washington wrote from his home in Virginia that “a society of Quakers in the city, formed for such purposes, have attempted to liberate” a slave who escaped to Philadelphia from Alexandria. Later that year, Washington wrote another letter referring to an escaped slave and said it might not be easy to catch him “when there are numbers who would rather facilitate the escape of slaves than apprehend them.” Those who assisted slaves in their escape did not often leave written accounts with specific details of their activities. They preferred to keep their deeds hidden and their identities anonymous. However, there are enough records collected until modern day that have led historians to conclude that organized assistance to runaway slaves grew steadily during the nineteenth century until the outbreak of the Civil War.
Most slaves traveled at night when the dark could offer them some measure of protection. They used the local “railroad conductors” to help gain knowledge of local terrain. A riverbank could act as a marker or a landmark. On clear nights, many slaves looked up to the North Star for guidance. Otherwise, there was not much assistance in navigation. Fugitives began to learn more about their surroundings in order to survive. Many would change their names and rub the soles of their shoes with onions to lead the hounds …show more content…
Slaves could not often acquire jobs or find skilled occupations. They would be turned away at certain restaurants and were denied the access of many schools and churches. Public transportation was still extremely segregated and many accommodations were immediately refused to African-Americans. Many slaves felt that escaping to Canada or Great Britain was the only alternative to facing an unjust society.
As the North became a more threatening escape route, many slaves began to create Railroads into Canada. When American soldiers of the War of 1812 claimed that Canada had abolished slavery and would harbor fugitives, many slaves began to make their way north of the border. The Southernmost state that had an active Underground Railroad was North Carolina. Slaves in the deeper south often headed for Florida where they could be taken in by the Seminoles and other Native American
A lot of people in today’s modern world don’t know that the Underground Railroad wasn’t actually a railroad. It was actually a series of houses, shops, and hotels/motels that would provide blacks a way to escape slavery in the south by going north. These buildings were known as stations and the slaves were known as cargo. Between 1815 and 1860, it is estimated that 130,000 refugees escaped the south via the Underground Railroad. The railroad had as many as 3,200 active workers spread out across the stations who were all doing their part in the fight against slavery. These workers were also known as conductors. Even though it was against the law to participate in the unauthorized transportation of slaves, many people …show more content…
Washington wrote from his home in Virginia that “a society of Quakers in the city, formed for such purposes, have attempted to liberate” a slave who escaped to Philadelphia from Alexandria. Later that year, Washington wrote another letter referring to an escaped slave and said it might not be easy to catch him “when there are numbers who would rather facilitate the escape of slaves than apprehend them.” Those who assisted slaves in their escape did not often leave written accounts with specific details of their activities. They preferred to keep their deeds hidden and their identities anonymous. However, there are enough records collected until modern day that have led historians to conclude that organized assistance to runaway slaves grew steadily during the nineteenth century until the outbreak of the Civil War.
Most slaves traveled at night when the dark could offer them some measure of protection. They used the local “railroad conductors” to help gain knowledge of local terrain. A riverbank could act as a marker or a landmark. On clear nights, many slaves looked up to the North Star for guidance. Otherwise, there was not much assistance in navigation. Fugitives began to learn more about their surroundings in order to survive. Many would change their names and rub the soles of their shoes with onions to lead the hounds …show more content…
Slaves could not often acquire jobs or find skilled occupations. They would be turned away at certain restaurants and were denied the access of many schools and churches. Public transportation was still extremely segregated and many accommodations were immediately refused to African-Americans. Many slaves felt that escaping to Canada or Great Britain was the only alternative to facing an unjust society.
As the North became a more threatening escape route, many slaves began to create Railroads into Canada. When American soldiers of the War of 1812 claimed that Canada had abolished slavery and would harbor fugitives, many slaves began to make their way north of the border. The Southernmost state that had an active Underground Railroad was North Carolina. Slaves in the deeper south often headed for Florida where they could be taken in by the Seminoles and other Native American