It was May 10th, 1869. The presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad lines met at Promontory, Utah to declare the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Spanning over 9,000 miles of track and built almost entirely by hand in just 6 years, the railroad was like nothing the nation had ever seen before. Not long after the railroad was completed, changes began rippling across the country. Economic, political, and social policies began to shift and transform.
Another major figure in the Underground Railroad was Thomas Garrett. Born unto a Quaker family who his runaway slaves in Delaware, Garrett was exposed to opposition at an early age. After saving the life of an African American slave who was kidnapped by slave traders, Garrett became dedicated to the abolitionist cause in 1813. He was on record saying, “Friend, I haven't a dollar in the world; but if thee knows a fugitive who needs a breakfast send him to me”. He turned his home in Wilmington, Delaware into the last stop for the Underground Railroad before slaves reached Pennsylvania where they got their freedom.
Extra Credit Paper: Corruption Hidden among the Transcontinental White, Richard. “Information, Markets, and Corruption: Transcontinental Railroads in the Gilded Age” The Journal of American History 90:1 (June, 2993) 19-43 The Gilded Age described an era within the United States History that marked high economic growth and masked serious social problems. An increase in industrialization attracted many to a number of new opportunities to become part of the rising industries.
In the film “Stagecoach,” there are a wide range of characters: Mrs. Mallory, high class army wife; Hatfield, a shady Southern gentleman; Curly, the marshall; Gatewood, an embezzling banker; Doc, the town drunk; Dallas, a whore; and Ringo, an outlaw who just wants to live the American Dream. They are representative of the diverse society that occupied the American West in the late 1800’s. Through these characters’ interactions, and specifically through the relationship between Mrs. Mallory and Dallas, Ford explores class relations and how appearance often dictates our perception of a person’s character From these initial descriptions, one would assume that the two women are going to be at odds with one another, and they are for a large portion
Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad focuses on New York, throughout the book Foner indicates that New York city was a crucial way station in the railroad's Northeast corridor, which brought slaves from the upper South through Philadelphia and on to upstate New York, New England and Canada. He begins to tell us about the formation of the New York Anti-slavery Society in 1833, followed two years later by the biracial committee of vigilance for the protection of people of color. Brothers Lewis and Arthur Tappan were the leading figures. Even after abolition, slavery still exists because of an 1817 state law that permitted Southern slaveowners, who in Manhattan on business and as tourists, to bring slaves along for
She started helping around the house, but when she figured out that it wasn’t much, she got a job at the fields and even though she had no experience in it she still went ahead and did it. “Mama had been strong for her. Now it was her turn to be strong for Mama. She must show her that she didn’t need to worry anymore.”(p163) Based on this quote, I can tell that she knew she had to be strong and her Mom’s sickness didn’t make her more sad than she already was, it motivated her to be strong for her mom and whatever was coming up.
Despite the term used to refer to it, the Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad nor it was underground; rather, it was a network of persons devouted to help fugitive slaves on their path to freedom, especiallly to northern states and Canda. However, the given name may be appropriate as it unveils the secrecy, darkness and disguise characterizing the
The Abolitionists were people that were against slavery, and the group was dedicated to the cause of getting rid of it. Most of abolitionists were from the North, and the Abolitionist movement started in the 1830s. The Underground Railroad is the most thought of when we think of the Abolitionist Movement. The Underground Railrod helped fugitive slaves from the south, get to the North. Most of the slaves that went through this process made it to their destination, and became free African Americans like they had wanted to be.
Although it broke the law, and countered the ancient principle that slaves were considered property, the Underground Railroad was a morally justified response to the institution of slavery, considering it was an inhumane institution. As well as being inhumane, the institution violated the Declaration of Independence, by denying the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, while also defying the idea of divine right from the Bible. Due to the overall institution of slavery being immoral and inhumane, the Underground Railroad was a justified response to this problematic issue. Despite the Railroad having some illegal aspects, the overall institution of slavery defied the Declaration of Independence, justifying the actions of the
The Transcontinental Railroad The completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad was an important event in the United States history. There were many challenges in building it, but after it was finished, it connected the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. The railroad took three whole years to build, with the help of two railroad companies and thousands of other hired workers.
Literature is often credited with the ability to enhance one’s understanding of history by providing a view of a former conflict. In doing so, the reader is able to gain both an emotional and logistical understanding of a historically significant event. Additionally, literature provides context that can help the reader develop a deeper understanding of the political climate of a time period. Within the text of The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead’s, the use of literary elements such as imagery, metaphor, and paradox amplifies the reader’s understanding of early 19th century slavery and its role in the South of the United States of America. Throughout the novel, Whitehead utilizes a girl named Cora to navigate the political and personal consequences of escaping slavery, the Underground Railroad, and her transition
The Tremendous Impact of Railroads on America In the late 19th century, railroads propelled America into an era of unprecedented growth, prosperity, and convenient transportation. Prior to the building of the railroads, America lacked the proper and rapid transportation to make traveling across the country economical or practical. Lengthy travel was often cumbersome, costly, and dangerous.
The Underground Railroad. A metaphor as it was, it was neither a railroad nor was it even underground. In the time where slavery became a divided issue with the status of legality in various parts of the country, the underground railroad found its beginnings through collective organized efforts from abolitionists and allies alike to help enslaved African americans to escape to territories and states where they could be free from slavery. It was a loosely-developed system that also included series of routes led by “conductors” such as Harriet Tubman, for escaping slaves, or “passengers”.
In the short story “Cora Unashamed” by Langston Hughes, he explores the theme of free will by using plot, stereotypes, climax, and protagonist. In this short story, Cora works for the Studevants and she is the only black family in the town. Cora and her family are below everyone else and Cora takes care of her family. As she’s working for the Studevants, she develops a close relationship with the daughter of the Studevants, Jessie, and shows that everyone has free will by Cora’s actions in the story.
The novel The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is full of ahistorical elements. In a book about slavery in America, his use of ahistorical elements results in a commentary on racial discrimination and abuse in a unique, narrative way. He portrays every state differently, using each of them as an example of a different type of discrimination. South Carolina is represented as a “progressive” and modern state, with new and innovative ideas on how to treat slaves. It even has the Griffin Building to represent its modernism, even though that wasn 't built historically until 1910.
