They were large farms that sprang up in the South. Members might range from formerly enslaved people to prominent abolitionists to ordinary citizens who would spontaneously help the cause. It was the largest anti-slavery freedom movement in North America, having brought between 30,000 and 40,000 fugitives to British North America (Canada). Under the British rule of Canada, they could not be captured and returned to enslavement in the American South. Feb. 9, 2007. International Justice Mission. When he was young, he rescued a free, black who worked in his family home, but had been kidnapped to be forced into slavery. In 1660, Maryland and Virginia passed similar laws. Slaves cleared the land and planted, tended, and harvested the crops. When did some Northern states free its slaves? Slaves weren't allowed to marry. Siebert, Wilbur H. "The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom." He was born in 1789 in Pennsylvania to a Quaker family. Many African prisoners died from disease while on the ship. She was known as the "Moses of Her People.". They usually walked, guided only by the North Star. She was born a slave on a tobacco plantation in Maryland. Slaves were beaten, bound in chains, or starved for misbehavior or even small deeds such as talking back or working slowly. And Quakers who had moved from Massachusetts to North Carolina began helping enslaved people travel to freedom in the North as early as the 1820s and 1830s. Many slaves had diseases and tooth decay because of hard work, poor living conditions, and unhealthy diet. Because the Underground Railroad was a secretive organization that existed to thwart federal laws against helping freedom seekers, it kept no records. Farmers grew crops such as cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, and indigo. Quakers were members of a religious group that believed all people should be equal. Click card to see definition It was not an actual railroad. A child born to an African slave remained a slave for life. What were some of the dangers faced by runaway slaves traveling to the North? Historians have noted that groups of Quakers in the North, most notably in the area near Philadelphia, developed a tradition of helping freedom seekers. It almost killed her. At households and farms along the way the freedom seekers would be fed and sheltered. It has been estimated that perhaps a thousand enslaved people a year reached free territory and were then helped to move onward to Canada. "The Underground Railroad and the Secret Codes of Antebellum Slave Quilts." Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. The Emancipation Network. About how many miles would the slaves move in one night? Beginning in the 1500's, slave hunters sailed to Africa and took men and women as prisoners. For the next almost 80 years, Harriet suffered from severe headaches and sleeping spells. If an enslaved person was caught without a pass from their enslaver, they would typically be captured and returned. They spoke against holding African Americans as slaves. The term was coined by abolitionist William Still. In a typical scenario, an enslaved person who reached free territory would be hidden and escorted northward without attracting attention. The Gazette (Montreal). Later she took the name Harriet. What did they refer to as "stations" or "depots"? http://www.ijm.org/index.php. Underground Railroad Living Museum: www.the-ugrr.org, National Underground Railroad: Network to Freedom, The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, National Geographic: Underground Railroad, Information about the device's operating system, Information about other identifiers assigned to the device, The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application, Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used, Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. In 1865, the North won the Civil War. Journal of Black Studies. 2008. What was the Underground Railroad? These were people who kept the escaped slaves hidden until it was safe to travel north for freedom. The Reputation of the Underground Railroad. "Retracing Steps to Freedom, In Maryland's Back Yard; Visitors Can Follow Underground Railroad at Sandy Spring." How many trips on the Underground Railroad did Harriet Tubman make? Bordewich, Fergus M. "Bound for Canaan." Throughout the 1850s she made at least a dozen journeys back to the South and helped at least 150 enslaved people obtain freedom. 25, No. She was born Araminta Ross in about 1820. The M'Clintock House in Waterloo, N.Y., was a stop on the Underground Railroad. What did they refer to as "jumped the broom"? She tried to stop an overseer on the plantation from attacking a fellow slave who had tried to run away. A quilt with a house and smoking chimney told slaves that they were by a safe house. Adventure Cycling Association. What were some of the hiding places for runaway slaves? Sometimes slave owners cut off fingers or toes as punishment for running away. On cloudy starless nights, they used tree moss as a guide (such as Harriet Tubman). "New bicycle routes trace Underground Railroad." The Underground Railroad stopped running. She rescued over 300 slaves using the network established by the Underground Railroad between 1850 and 1860. In 1619, the first African indentured servants arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. No. The Washington Post. When were indentured servants considered slaves? "Underground Railroad's secrets are explored in Exporail exhibit." The engraving "Heavy Weights - Arrival of a Party at League Island" shows escaped slaves arriving on an island near Philadelphia. She returned two years later to help some of her relatives escape. Harris, Patricia and David Lyon. After she escaped from slavery, she made at least 19 trips on the underground railroad to help others escape. Runaways who were caught received beatings so severe that many died. Did Uncle Tom's Cabin Help to Start the Civil War? 5 Classic and Heartbreaking Narratives by Enslaved People, Opposition to Reconstruction: The Rise of the KKK and Other Hate Groups, The National Association of Colored Women, Black Representation in Government: Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisolm, and more, Police Racism, Violence, and Black Lives Matter. 46 (Winter, 2004-2005). The term Underground Railroad first began to appear in the 1840s, but efforts by free Black Americans and sympathetic whites to help enslaved people obtain freedom from bondage had occurred earlier. Sometimes 15 or more slaves lived in these drafty places. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. Moss grows on the north side of tree trunks. In northern papers, the shadowy network was often portrayed as a heroic endeavor. Against that backdrop, the Underground Railroad was considered a criminal enterprise. The trip to North America lasted 6 - 10 weeks. The Boston Globe. If caught, they often were beaten and their wounds were washed with salt and water to cause them further pain. Historians believe between 60,000 and 100,000 slaves escaped to freedom, traveling on what was called the Underground Railroad. What were the conditions in which many slaves lived and worked? What did they refer to as "Station Masters"? How did the North Star help runaway slaves? Clark, Jayne. He was known as the man who mailed himself to freedom. Who was in charge of the Underground Railroad? At times a freedom seeker would be given help in what was essentially a spontaneous nature, hidden in farm wagons or aboard boats sailing on rivers. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. In the "lower South," patrols searching for freedom seekers often moved about on the roads, looking for Black people who were traveling. When was the Underground Railroad most used? They lived in small, shabby log or board cabins. They were the guides that led the slaves from one stop to another. By following the North Star, runaways knew they were headed in the right direction. In 1641, Massachusetts passed a law that allowed slavery of Africans. It was used as coded directions. 28 Jan. 2008. http://www.example.com/Link21. People who aided slaves in their escape. What happened to Harriet Tubman when she was 13 years old? They often did not get enough to eat. A person who helped runaway slaves faced fines and jail time. The Underground Railroad was __________. Laws concerning freedom seekers required that they were returned to their enslavers, so those who helped them in the North were essentially subverting federal laws. Howell, Steven. McPherson, James M. "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era." http://www.emancipationnetwork.org. In the mid-1830s, a campaign by the northern abolitionists in which anti-slavery pamphlets were mailed to southern cities infuriated southerners. Encyclopedia Britannica.