Painting by Paul Collins Harriet Tubmans Underground Railroad

Painting by Paul Collins: Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was a secret network of people that helped slaves escape and travel to freedom in the North and Canada. Some slaves also headed south to the Caribbean and Mexico. Escaped slaves would move at night, sometimes with the help of a “conductor” or individual that helped them move from place to place. Escaped slaves would travel by foot, train or boat distances of roughly 10 -20 miles at a time before taking refuge in a “station”. The Underground Railroad consisted of many individuals, black and white that helped the fugitive slaves make their journey to freedom. Individuals would help by offering shelter, food, donations to buy clothes and supplies and more. This was risky and illegal. Those caught helping slaves escape after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 would be fined or even imprisoned for up to a year. Many escaped slaves were caught and returned to their master or re-sold in the slave trade. Some died from sickness, injury and exhaustion. It’s estimated that some 100, 000 slaves escaped from bondage and made it to freedom between 1810 and 1850. Click on the video to watch a short clip about the Underground Railroad.

Harriet Tubman Levi Coffin Frederick Douglass William Still Thomas Garrett A famous “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Not only did Harriet Tubman escape slavery to freedom, but had the courage to return 19 times to help hundreds of other slaves, including her own family. She later became a spy for the Union, helping to abolish slavery. A Quaker from North Carolina, who later moved to Indiana and helped over 2, 000 slaves. His home was later termed the “Grand Central Station” of the underground railroad, for all the escapees he helped. Douglass was born a slave in Maryland, and later fled to freedom in 1838. He later became active in the abolitionist movement against slavery in the south. In the age of the Civil War, Douglass became known internationally for his antislavery and women’s suffrage speeches and editorials. Still was a free-born black man that became a leader in the abolitionist movement. Still helped hundreds of escaped slaves in the Underground Railroad and took meticulous records of those he assisted. He later wrote a book called The Underground Railroad that documented the stories of the slaves he had helped. His book contains some of the best information we have on the Underground Railroad today. See the documentary on the Songs and Stories page about William Still. A famous abolitionist from Maryland, Garrett was responsible for helping roughly 2700 escaping slaves. He had a 40 year career as a “station master” in the Underground Railroad. He was found guilty of violating the Fugitive Slave Act in 1848 and was fined heavily, bankrupting him. Watch Video

Runaway slaves had to travel hundreds of miles, or even more to reach freedom. Much of this journey was done on foot, with little time to travel, with little or no food and no protection. Many times they were being chased or hunted by their owners or slave hunters. If caught, they would either be returned to their owners or sold back into the slave trade. Punishment could include being branded, jailed, whipped or even killed. In addition to the fears of starvation and capture, slaves also had to fear predatory animals, sickness and disease, harsh temperatures and treacherous terrain. Sadly, not all slaves that escaped made it to freedom. The Underground Railroad was a very secretive network, so very few records were kept about the “passengers” and routes taken to get to freedom. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made helping a slave escape illegal, any records that had existed were most likely destroyed for fear of imprisonment or large fines. It also made the journey longer for runaway slaves, because now they had to travel to Canada instead of the Northern states. It is estimated though that anywhere from 40, 000 to 100, 000 slaves made it to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Click on the map above. You will be directed to an Online Interactive Underground Railroad map. Click on each of the items in the legend to show Territories and References: Escape Routes. Underground Railroad - Northeastern Corridor. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http: //www. whispersofangels. com/index. html Underground Railroad: A Path to Freedom. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http: //www. eiu. edu/eiutps/underground_railroad. php

“Station” was a term used in the Underground Railroad meaning a place that refugees could stop along their journey for rest and hiding. Because of the secrecy of the Underground Railroad, there’s not always a lot documentation of the safe houses that existed. From autobiographies, stories and renovations, stations on the Underground Railroad have been identified. Many of these locations are now historical sites in the United States and can be toured. Many have never been found, and went to the grave with people of the time. Click here to see a list of Underground Railroad Stations listed by state Visit the home of John Rankin, a “station” on the underground railroad for slaves escaping out of Kentucky.

Click on the website button to the left to visit a website with an in-depth Timeline of Slavery and the Underground Railroad. Fill in the blanks below with the correct information for that date. You may paraphrase. NOTE: to go to a second line in your text box hit Ctrl+Enter.

Slaves, runaway slaves and those who enabled them to escape developed a secret language to help them communicate discretely. Click on each term below to see how the term was used in the Underground Railway code. Use the “right” arrow on keyboard to move through each term and its meaning. Conductor An individual that escorted or guided runaway slaves between stations or safe houses. Stockholders Those that could not or would not risk their life or reputation to become a station master, but contributed money, clothing and supplies to the Underground Railroad. Stationmaster An individual that provided shelter or a hiding place to runaway slaves seeking freedom. These individuals coordinated Moseswith conductors and other stationmasters to provide safe passage when they departed their station. The code name given to Harriet Tubman, who escaped to freedom and later returned 19 times to help others make it to freedom. She was believed to be sent by God to help lead her people to freedom. Station A safe haven for traveling refugees. These stations could be basements, cabins, homes, barns, caves or tunnels. They Bundles of wood were an opportunity for rest, food and sometimes warmth. Fugitives that were expected to arrive. Cargo/Passengers Refugees were considered “cargo” or “passengers” after they began their journey. Conductors and stationmasters would Heaven communicate, referring to the runaway slaves as this. Slaves often sang of loved ones going to “Heaven”. Heaven was code for Canada, meaning freedom for runaway slaves. Click here to see more secret code words used by those on the Underground Railroad Painting by Charles Webber: The Underground Railroad

Choose one of the Online Interactive Journeys below to look at the life of a slave in the 1800’s. Scholastic Interactive Maryland Public Television: Pathways to Freedom

Rev. Velma Maia Thomas sings and explains the hidden meanings behind songs and spirituals of the Underground Railroad This documentary was aired on PBS about the life of William Still and the history of the Underground Railroad. Click on the music sheets to listen to the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd”. The “drinking gourd” was code for the constellation called the Big Dipper and the North Star. Traveling north, meant closer to Canada and closer to freedom.

Images Interactive Websites Google images www. lifeasahuman. com www. thesocialleader. com www. eurweb. com http: //teacher. scholastic. com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/ http: //pathways. thinkport. org/flash_home. cfm http: //eduplace. com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/g 5 s_u 6/ Click here for standards covered Videos PBS: http: //video. pbs. org/video/2181639247/ PBS: http: //video. pbs. org/video/2181724307/ You. Tube/CET Connect: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ax. Rkm 9 Gt. VC 4 Smithsonian Magazine: http: //www. smithsonianmag. com/videos/category/history/what-you-never-knew-about-harriet-tubman/ Biography. com: http: //www. biography. com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324#synopsis Teleduction’s Whispers of Angels: http: //vimeo. com/72060438 Content/Websites United States. National Park Service. (n. d. ). Aboard the Underground Railroad. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http: //www. nps. gov/nr/travel/underground/ United States. National Park Service. (n. d. ). List of Sites for the Underground Railroad Travel Itinerary. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http: //www. nps. gov/nr/travel/underground/states. htm Underground Railroad: The William Still Story. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http: //www. pbs. org/black-culture/shows/list/underground-railroad/home/ Underground Railroad - Northeastern Corridor. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http: //www. whispersofangels. com/index. html Underground Railroad Secret Codes. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http: //www. harriet-tubman. org/underground-railroad-secret-codes/ Timeline of Underground Railroad. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http: //nbhistoricalsociety. org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Timeline-of-UGRR 1. pdf Underground Railroad: A Path to Freedom. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http: //www. eiu. edu/eiutps/underground_railroad. php Underground Railroad - Opposing Forces - A People Divided. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http: //www. whispersofangels. com/opposing. html

5. 3 Use primary sources to analyze multiple samples of abolition leaders’ writings and their stance on slavery, including: (C, P) • Sojourner Truth • Frederick Douglass • the Grimke sisters • William Lloyd Garrison 5. 4 Draw on information from multiple print or digital resources explaining the events that made slavery a national issue during the mid-19 th century, including: (C, E, G, P) • Missouri Compromise • Uncle Tom’s Cabin • Compromise of 1850 • Brook’s attack on Sumner • Kansas-Nebraska Act • John Brown’s Raid • Dred Scott case 5. 12 Draw on informational text to explain the roles of the military and civil leaders during the Civil War, including: (C, H, P) • Abraham Lincoln • Jefferson Davis • Ulysses S. Grant • Robert E. Lee • Frederick Douglas • Clara Barton