An organized system to assist runaway slaves seems to have begun towards the end of the 18th century.

In 1786 George Washington complained about how one of his runaway slaves was helped by a of Quakers. The system grew and around 1831 it was titled "The Underground Railroad," after the then emerging steam railroads. The system even used terms used in railroading: the homes and businesses where fugitives would rest and eat were called "stations" and "depots" and were run by "stationmasters," those who contributed money or goods were "stockholders," and the "conductor" was responsible for moving fugitives from one station to the next. Slaves were anxious and scared for their freedom

For the slave, running away to the North was anything but easy. The first step was to escape from the slaveholder. For many slaves, this meant relying on his or her own resources. Sometimes a "conductor," posing as a slave, would enter a plantation and then guide the runaways northward. The fugitives would move at night. They would generally travel between 10 and 20 miles to the next station, where they would rest and eat, hiding in barns and other out-of-the-way places. While they waited, a message would be sent to the next station to alert its stationmaster. The fugitives would also travel by train and boat -- conveyances that sometimes had to be paid for. Money was also needed to improve the appearance of the runaways -- a black man, woman, or child in tattered clothes would invariably attract suspicious eyes. This money was donated by individuals and also raised by various groups, including vigilance committees.

Fredrieck Douglas
He was a writer, a lecturer, and statesman. He was one of the conducters for the Underground Railroad He was born in 1817 and died in 1895 He was born a slave on Marylands eastern shore He became the editor and publisher at North Star He served as the Marshall for the District of Columbia President Harrison appointed him minister resident of the republic of Haiti

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Stowe, though not an active abolitionist herself, had strong antislavery feelings. She had grown up in an abolitionist household and had harbored fugitive slaves. She had also spent time observing slavery first-hand on visits to Kentucky, across the river from her Cincinnati home. With the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, Stowe decided to make a strong statement against the institution of slavery. She had been working as a freelance journalist to supplement her husband's small income and help support their six children. In June 1851 Stowe began publishing Uncle Tom's Cabin in serialized form in the National Era.

Harriet Tubman
Made 19 trips to the south and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom Around 1844 she married a free black named John Tubman and took his last name. she returned to Maryland and escorted her sister and her sister's two children to freedom. She made the dangerous trip back to the South soon after to rescue her brother and two other men. On her third return, she went after her husband, only to find he had taken another wife. Undeterred, she found other slaves seeking freedom and escorted them to the North. Tubman returned to the South again and again. By 1856, Tubman's capture would have brought a $40,000 reward from the South. Made 19 trips to the South

Sojourner Truth
Prominent abolitionist and womans right activist Born a slave in New York; born in 1797 and died in 1883 She was unschooled She had a remarkable voice and support on abolitionism Six feet tall She traveled to Washington D.C. and met Abraham Lincoln who helped her become a voice with freedpeople

1808 ban slave trade 1820 missouri compromise 1846 mexican american war 1847 Frederick Douglas Newspaper 1849 Harriet Tubman escapes 1852 Uncle Toms Cabin is published 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act 1857 Dred Scott Decision 1860 Abraham Lincoln elected 1860 southern secession 1861 United States Civil War

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One night around midnight, my mother awoke me and told me it was our turn for freedom. My mother was a calm woman and I had never seen her so frantic. I knew this would be a long trip and that we would not know the outcome. We gathered the little of our belongings and set out with about ten other slaves. Some I knew; some I did not. Almost all of them were just as worried as my mother. We set out on our long journey and traveled only at night. We rested during the day and were to be very quiet too. It was a weird process and I had never been in a situation quite like this one. I was a slave and I had thought that life couldnt get worse, but when we were awoken by white people a feeling of terror came over me like never before.

Luckily, these people were coming to help us. We had had a long, tiring, and rough journey. But after about a month of traveling we finally reached New York. The city was unlike anything I had ever seen. We were still shot looks by some white people, but my mother told me that life here would change us forever. She told us we were a lucky group. Ill never forget the night that my mother told me I would eventually be free. And Ill never forget the day it came true.

The Underground Railroad by National Geographic The Underground Railroad by PBS

The Underground Railroad in New York State

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad American Visionaries: Frederick Douglas Aboard the Underground Railroad Sites along the Underground Railroad Abolitionism Images Secret Routes to Freedom

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