Underground Railroad Research Paper

The Underground Railroad of the United States of America was a complex system of knowledge and experience that made it possible for slaves to escape the harsh realities of laboring for the opportunistic region of the North. With this in mind, all fugitives faced tremendous odds, displaying unimaginable amounts of courage in order to bypass themselves from the conditions they lived under in the South. Similarly, there were many directly opposing ideas making their way through the minds of those in the legislature, in essence creating a social divide that would arguably continue until the end of the civil rights movement. Although today it is known as a singular concept, the Underground Railroad was composed of several independent organizations that in turn collectively had goals of abolishing slavery. The Underground Railroad was a means for escape for thousands of slaves between 1830 and 1860, requiring both the courage and dedication of fugitives to leave their homes in an effort to come in

Consequently, by 1830 the number of slaves had reached 2,000,000. To show their opposition, Northern states began to push legislation to ban the slave trade, and eventually slavery itself. Although this was a victory for abolitionists, the actions of the North further created the divide between the United States, clearly drawn from ideals regarding slavery. To make matter worse, violence began to overtake the war being waged, leading to conflict. As it progressed, abolitionists saw that fighting with legislature was no longer efficient, deciding instead to remove slaves from the Southern society where they were not seen as equals. These motives, backed by the long-standing ideals of freedom and individuality became the first embodiments of the Underground