Harriet Tubman And Movements Before The American Civil War

Before the American Civil War there were many acts and movements made to end slavery and to obtain equality for African-Americans. This mainly started with The Second Great Awakening which initially began making people realize the wrongness in slavery and sparked a want to create a change. These people became known as abolitionists and did things like establish anti-slavery societies, publicly circulated moral suasion, sent hundreds of petitions up to Congress, and even created the Liberty Party in efforts to politically involve themselves. More and more slaves started to run away which caused Congress to pass the Fugitive Slave Act following the Compromise of 1850. The Fugitive Slave Act allowed and encouraged the capture and southern return

Born as a slave in Maryland, she fled to Philadelphia in 1849 and a year later went back to Maryland to lead her sister and children to freedom as well. In her lifetime she made around 19 trips back to Maryland and overall has helped free approximately 300 slaves to Canada using the railroad. Her role was called an “Abductor” and “Conductor” and was the most difficult one because it involved going into slave states to extract slaves willing to escape and making the journey out with them. Because of her huge role in the aid of getting slaves to freedom, word got out and Tubman had a bounty over her eventually totaling $40,000. This did not stop her, though. Harriet Tubman is said to have never lost a fugitive and always courageously went back to the dangerous South to free as many slaves as she

Stockholders were those who donated goods and money to fund the railroad. One famous stockholder was a white abolitionist names Thomas Garrett, a friend of Harriet Tubman. Tubman would often come visit him while journeying through Delaware. He gave them a place to stay, money, food and clothing. In 1848 he was heavily fined for breaking fugitive slave laws outlined in the Fugitive Slave Act. Garrett claimed to have helped 2,750 fugitives get to safety in Canada.
Because slavery was abolished in Canada in 1834, Ontario and surrounding areas such as Fort Malden became the goal end point for runaway slaves. Nearly 30 slaves per day were crossing the Great Lakes into Canada during the time. Once fugitives got into the Northern states it was still not safe at all which is why they had to keep traveling until reaching the country’s