Underground Railroad Slavery

In a time where Slavery was at its worst in the South, all slaves could dream about was being set free, living their own lives, not being seen and treated as property. Without the proper help, however, they would never succeed in escaping alone. The underground railroad gave them hope, that someday they would be able to live that life by helping hundreds of thousands of slaves escape to the Northern States where they could be free.

Slaves used to endure cruel treatment from their owners on almost a daily basis. They would work from sunup to sun-down in the excruciating conditions of Southern weather and the constant threat of being punished or beaten or whipped by their overseer if they did not comply with what he/she was demanding of them.

These abolitionists went to great lengths to try and put an end to slavery and free as many slaves as they can through the underground railroad. This was a network of abolitionists, from all races, genders and occupations, who helped enslaved people escape from the South to the North and Canada to be free. Freeing slaves was a very bold and dangerous thing to do, because technically, it was stealing ‘property’. In order to avoid getting arrested, they used complex signals and hiding spots. For example, this ‘underground railroad’ was not really underground and it didn’t really have tracks.It was , which were carried out in secrecy and darkness, much like an actual underground railroad. The abolitionists who helped slaves escape were called ‘conductors’ and the places they went to hide and rest were called ‘stations’ which were managed by ‘station masters’. The people or organizations who provided money or goods were called

The most famous was Harriet Tubman. She was very courageous and brave. A former slave herself, she helped many slaves escape, making almost nineteen trips to the South. She was known as ‘Black Moses’ because she was like Moses in the Bible when she led all her people to freedom. White southerners placed a bounty on her head for a lot of money to bring her in, but they never caught her. Another great abolitionist was Levi Coffin. He aided in the escape of many slaves, so much so, that he was nicknamed the ‘President of the Underground Railroad’.

White Southerners’ response to the railroad was anything but pleasant. They were extremely aggravated and demanded that the Fugitive Slave Laws be strengthened. This eventually led to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which stated that all citizens were required to apprehend runaway slaves and return them to their owners. This law angered many people in the North, especially free African Americans. Even people who were not abolitionists were angered because they felt forced to support the slave system. Some states expressed their dissatisfaction by passing the personal liberty laws which enabled them to act against the Fugitive Slave Act and arrest slave catchers for kidnapping slaves.

In conclusion, the underground railroads both aided and angered many people.