The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad

In the United States, slavery began during the early colonial years, in the early 1600s, and lasted until the mid 1860s. It lasted almost two hundred and fifty years. Slavery was a divided issue in the 1800's. Slaves were considered property, like cows and sheep, or like the furniture in someone's house. They could be bought and sold just like other property. Most slaves suffered a great deal. They did not have the rights that other people did. They were not protected by the laws that protected free citizens.

The Underground Railroad became the most dramatic protest action against slavery in United States history. The Railroad helped escaped slaves make their way from the southern states through the northern states, into freedom. The Underground Railroad was operating in America, yet it was not a railroad and was not underground. This Arailroad@ was for blacks escaping from slavery in the south. They were escaping to the free north, and to Canada where there was no slavery at all. The escaping slaves, were passed from farmhouse to storage sheds, barns, and cellars, until they reached safety.

The Underground Railroad stretched for thousands of miles. From Kentucky and Virginia across Ohio and Indiana, the railroad was a great journey. In the northerly direction, it stretched from Maryland, across Pennsylvania and into New York and through New England. Many routes were available for runaways though each journey is considerably long. Using modern roads, the trip would be five hundred and sixty miles. The route was an important part of a successful escape. Some fugitives hid out in bushes and swamps for days until it was safe to continue on. The slaves were secretly transported from safe house to safe house until freedom was secured. The act of transporting the escaped slaves used all the terms as if they were on a railroad journey. The routes used to transport slaves were called lines. Stopping places were called stations. Those who aided fugitive slaves were known as conductors, and the slaves were known as freight.

The Railroad was begun as a result of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The Fugitive Slave Act