I decided to do some research, specifically in relation to the Underground Railroad (U.R.). I found a really interesting website that discusses myths and facts about the U.R., and I'll include some of the best facts below.
- So what exactly was the Underground Railroad?
- In case you didn't know, the U.R. was secret organization that helped slaves escape slavery. Both African Americans and whites were involved.
- Were the majority of the members of the U.R. white abolitionists?
- No! Most "workers" were free blacks or escaped slaves themselves. "Many abolitionists, in fact, were against helping slaves escape. They did not believe in breaking the law and wanted to find a legal way to end slavery." That second fact surprised me, but it actually makes sense. Sometimes people can talk the talk, but they can't walk the walk. And when it comes down to it, it's difficult to endanger one's own family just to save someone else's. It takes much courage, as well as planning.
- Were there U.R. "stops" in the South?
- No. Slaves couldn't really get any help until they got to a free state in the North.
- From where did most slaves escape?
- Not the Deep South. As I previously explained, the U.R. primarily existed in the north. As a result, slaves in the Deep South (AL, LA, etc.) would've had much farther to travel on their own before they received any help. Most of the slaves who were successful in their escapes came from the upper south (Kentucky, Virginia, etc.).
- Did most slaves receive help in their escapes?
- No, most had to rely on their own plans and intuition. Usually, most of the credit goes to them.
- Was "a lantern in a window was a common sign used to identify a safe house along the Underground Railroad?"
- No. This myth came to be because a man named John Rankin used this signal to indicate if "it was safe to cross the Ohio River to his home." Obviously, the signal was not widespread...because slave catchers would've figured that out too quickly.
- Just how many slaves escaped with the help of the U.R.?
- There's not an exact number, but between 1800 and 1865, about 100,000 slaves escaped on it. While this statistic may seem substantial, there were millions of enslaved African Americans who never made it to freedom. Regardless, each life is precious, and the U.R. helped save tens of thousands of them.
- Check out the other facts by clicking on the website!
Source: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/myths.htm
2 comments:
Great post Jessie, I thought that your summary of the Underground Railroad was very interesting and well written. I think that abolitionists "walked the walk" by fighting in the Civil War with the goal of a preserved union free of slavery. Although there were many factors besides slavery that incited the civil war, it was still arguably the main cause of the Civil War. This war, that resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation, had over 600,000 casualties, many of whom were abolitionists. (Source: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/civil-war-facts)
Wow Jessie. Such interesting facts. We haven’t really learned much about the Underground Railroad in our history classes at st Martins. I know they many slaves were able to escape to the north by the means of secret passage ways and trails, but how many exactly were caught? Who caught them? How did the slave owners of one place capture someone else’s slaves? I feel like this whole process is so complicated. Is one slave really worth traveling a couple of states to get back? A lot of slave owners back then actually wanted a good life for their slaves and treated them decently. Many educated them and treated them almost like children. If I lived in the 1800s, I would have tried to buy, educate, and free and many as possible.
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