The term “Underground Railroad” was first used in 1839 by a Washington newspaper, quoting a young slave hopeful for escape. The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad. Instead, it was a decentralized network of secret routes and safe houses, with no formal headquarters or published guides. It relied on word of mouth and encrypted messages to communicate. Abolitionist sympathizers organized in small, independent groups, helping escaping individuals move north through a series of safe havens. Would you have been able to ride the underground railroad to freedom?
36. Secret Terminology
Members of the Underground Railroad used specialized terminology, often inspired by railroads. “Conductors” were guides, “agents” assisted enslaved people, and “stations” served as safe houses. Escapees were “passengers” or “cargo,” and financial supporters were “stockholders.” Canada was known as the “Promised Land,” and the Ohio River was called the “River Jordan.”
35. Laws That Pushed the Underground Railroad
The passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law intensified the need for the Underground Railroad. Southern politicians pushed for stricter laws, forcing officials in free states to assist slave catchers. This law led to kidnappings of free Black people, fueling abolitionist actions and motivating states to defy these unjust regulations.
34. Steamboat Escapes and the Struggle in Alabama
Freedom seekers in Alabama hid on steamboats bound for Mobile or northern territories, blending into free Black communities. To curb this, Alabama passed an 1852 law penalizing slaveholders and boat captains who helped fugitives without a pass. Some even resorted to building canoes for safer escapes.
33. Panama: A Gateway to Freedom
In addition to Northern routes, some fugitives sought freedom via Panama, escaping to California on boats. While slaveholders also used the Panama route to reach California, slavery was illegal in Panama. Black Panamanians supported and encouraged enslaved people fleeing the U.S. to escape to their city, offering them sanctuary.
32. Outwitting Bloodhounds: Clever Scent Masking
Freedom seekers developed ingenious ways to throw off bloodhounds. In North Carolina, they applied turpentine to their shoes, while others in Texas used a paste made from charred bullfrogs. Some escaped into swamps to wash away their scent, with most running under the cover of darkness to avoid capture.
31. Fake Passes: A Lifeline for Freedom Seekers
To avoid being caught, many fugitives carried forged free passes, documents proving their freedom. These passes, created by free Black people and enslaved individuals, allowed freedom seekers to travel through dangerous slave states with a semblance of legitimacy, providing them with a vital tool for reaching safety.
30. Faith, Abolitionists, and the Fight for Freedom
Christian congregations and clergy were vital to the Underground Railroad, believing slavery contradicted Christian ethics. Quakers, Wesleyan Methodists, and Reformed Presbyterians played key roles. Abolitionist Levi Coffin, a Quaker, helped over 3,000 enslaved people escape, earning him the title “President of the Underground Railroad.”
29. The Pivotal Role of Free Black Communities in the Underground Railroad
Free Black communities played a vital role in the Underground Railroad, providing crucial assistance to escapees. Vigilance committees, often led by free Black individuals, helped organize efforts. Churches and homes in northern communities became safe havens, with free and enslaved Black people acting as the primary forces behind the resistance.
28. The Key Role of Waterways in Escaping Slavery
The geography of the U.S.-Canada border was crucial to the Underground Railroad. Freedom seekers traveled along waterways, often reaching Canada by boat from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Harriet Tubman famously used the route from the Appalachian mountains through Lake Erie, offering a relatively safe and quick escape.
27. Diverse Escape Routes: The Northern Path to Freedom
Escapes also took place through New York, with travelers heading through Syracuse and Rochester before crossing into Canada via the Niagara River or Lake Ontario. Completing the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge in 1848 made it easier for many to reach Canada, including Harriet Tubman and her passengers.
26. The Western Route: Escaping to the Midwest and Beyond
A western escape route was another option, with freedom seekers traveling from Missouri to Kansas, then north to Iowa, and east to Chicago. This route, which included guidance from figures like John Brown, led them across the Detroit River to Canada, offering another escape pathway to freedom.
25. Underground Railroad Stops: Hidden in Plain Sight
Thomas Downing, a free Black man in New York, used his oyster restaurant as a secret stop on the Underground Railroad, hiding runaway slaves in the basement. Similarly, Arnold Gragstone, an enslaved man, assisted freedom seekers by guiding them across the Ohio River to safety and freedom.
24. William Still: The Father of the Underground Railroad
William Still, known as “The Father of the Underground Railroad,” helped hundreds of enslaved individuals escape to freedom. Operating from Philadelphia, he hid runaways in his home and kept meticulous records, publishing their stories in The Underground Railroad: Authentic Narratives and First-Hand Accounts (1872), a crucial historical resource.
23. Secret Codes: Hidden Messages for Freedom Seekers
William Still used coded messages to communicate with fellow Underground Railroad agents. For instance, a message like “four large hams and two small hams” signaled the safe transport of four adults and two children. Such codes helped outwit authorities, ensuring freedom seekers reached safety undetected, often heading to Canada.
22. Charles Turner Torrey’s Wagons
While some freedom seekers traveled by boat or train, most journeyed on foot or in wagons. They traveled in small groups of one to three, often hidden under the hay. Abolitionist Charles Turner Torrey used rented wagons, transporting up to 20 people at a time toward freedom.
21. Indirect Routes and the Struggles of Women and Children
Routes were designed to confuse pursuers, making escapes difficult, especially for women and children. Women faced unique challenges, as they were rarely allowed to leave plantations. Children often struggled to stay quiet or keep up, but some women, like Harriet Tubman, still managed to escape, overcoming these obstacles.
20. Beware of Bounty Hunters
To avoid discovery, escape routes and safe havens were shared by word of mouth, with some using numerical codes for secrecy. Southern newspapers often featured reward notices for runaway slaves, while federal marshals and bounty hunters pursued freedom seekers to the Canada-U.S. border, intensifying the risk of capture.
19. Foraging for Soul Food
Freedom seekers foraged, fished, and hunted for food on their journey. With these ingredients, they prepared one-pot meals, or stews, a West African cooking method. Likewise, enslaved and free Black people often left food outside their homes to nourish travelers, and these meals evolved into the soul food that remains central to Black American culinary traditions today.
18. Maroon Communities: Hidden Havens for Freedom
Maroon communities provided safe havens for runaway slaves, where they built independent lives in secluded areas like swamps and wetlands. Notable examples include the Black Seminoles in Florida and settlements in the Great Dismal Swamp and Okefenokee Swamp, offering freedom and sanctuary from their former enslavers.
17. Indigenous Allies: Shawnee, Ottawa, and Wyandot
In Northwest Ohio, the Shawnee, Ottawa, and Wyandot nations helped freedom seekers escape slavery. The Ottawa people sheltered runaways in their villages, and the Wyandot created Negro Town, a maroon community. These Indigenous nations supported the escape to Canada, ensuring safe passage for enslaved people seeking freedom.
16. Nanticoke and Other Native Communities
The Nanticoke people hid freedom seekers in Chesapeake Bay villages, utilizing swamps to obscure scents from tracking dogs. In Maryland, the Shawnee villages also became refuges for runaways. Indigenous groups like the Odawa and Ojibwe played key roles, guiding escaped enslaved people north to Canada for safety.
15. From the South to Texas and Beyond
Thousands of freedom seekers traveled through Texas on routes such as Dallas or Nacogdoches to Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo. Some went through Houston and Galveston to catch boats bound for Mexico, while others crossed into Mexico at Matamoros. These challenging routes helped fugitives escape slavery.
14. The Harsh Journey: Escaping Through Unforgiving Terrain
Freedom seekers faced extreme conditions when crossing the Nueces Strip, a harsh 150-mile stretch of land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. With little shade and scarce water, escapees endured grueling conditions. Those who survived the journey often had horses and weapons for protection, vital for their escape.
13. The Saltwater Railroad: Escaping to the Bahamas
Between 1821 and 1861, many freedom seekers escaped from South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida to the Bahamas using the secret “Saltwater Railroad.” After Florida became part of the U.S. in 1821, free Blacks fearing re-enslavement fled to the Bahamas, often sailing by their own hand-made boat or canoe without any assistance for safety.
12. Escaping to Union Lines During the Civil War
During the Civil War, enslaved people in Southern towns like Beaufort, South Carolina, and St. Simons Island, Georgia, escaped to Union Army camps for freedom. As federal troops advanced, many sought refuge and even enlisted in the Union Army, transforming the opportunities for freedom, as noted by historian Eric Foner.
11. Susie King Taylor’s Escape to Freedom
Susie King Taylor, born enslaved in Liberty County, Georgia, escaped to Union lines in St. Catherine’s Island with her family. Her uncle helped her aboard a federal gunboat near Confederate-held Fort Pulaski. Taylor’s escape exemplifies the journeys many enslaved Black Americans undertook to reach freedom during the Civil War.
10. Robert Sutton’s Canoe Escape
Born enslaved in Florida, Robert Sutton escaped from Alberti Plantation during the Civil War by canoe. He sailed to Port Royal, South Carolina, where Black Americans were freed after the Battle of Port Royal. Sutton later joined the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment, fighting for his freedom.
9. Prince Rivers and the Battle for Freedom
Prince Rivers escaped slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina after his enslaver fled when Union forces arrived. He found freedom in Port Royal, South Carolina, and, like many others, enlisted in the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Rivers’ journey highlights the role of freedom seekers in the Union Army.
8. Kansas During the Civil War
Kansas became a state in 1861, prohibiting slavery. During the Civil War, abolitionists, free staters, and Jayhawkers helped enslaved individuals escape from Missouri to Kansas, where they were considered contraband of war. Union troops in border states offered a refuge for many, changing the course of escape routes.
7. The Origin of “Contraband” and Union General Butler’s Bold Decision
In 1861, Union General Benjamin Butler coined the term “contraband” after three enslaved men escaped to Fort Monroe in Virginia, Shepard Mallory, Frank Baker, and James Townsend. By refusing to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act, Butler deemed them Confederate property, allowing them to remain free and undermining Confederate efforts during the Civil War.
6. Washington D.C. and the Compensated Emancipation Act
On April 16, 1862, Congress passed the Compensated Emancipation Act, abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. After this act, freedom seekers from Virginia and Maryland escaped and found refuge in D.C. By 1863, the city was home to 10,000 refugees, doubling the Black population in Washington.
5. Robert Smalls’ Daring Escape
On May 12, 1862, Robert Smalls and sixteen enslaved individuals made a daring escape from slavery. They commandeered a Confederate ship and sailed it out of Charleston Harbor to a Union blockade. Smalls’ escape became legendary, showcasing courage and determination in the fight for freedom during the Civil War.
4. The Underground Railroad Comes to the Surface
The Underground Railroad ended around 1863, as its operations transitioned to support the Union during the Civil War. With the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, slavery was abolished throughout the United States, rendering the need for the Underground Railroad obsolete.
3. The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998
Signed by President Bill Clinton in 1998, this act created the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. It authorized the National Park Service to identify, preserve, and promote sites linked to the Underground Railroad. The service hosts events, contests, and an annual conference to share these stories.
2. Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks
President Obama established the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park on March 25, 2013, preserving routes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Tubman’s birthplace. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York, was created on January 10, 2017, highlighting her later years and abolitionist work.
1. Escaping to Freedom via the Underground Railroad
Over 30,000 former enslaved people escaped to Canada during its peak, primarily through Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. William Still’s 1872 book, The Underground Railroad Records, documented many of these stories. Estimates of how many people escaped via the Underground Railroad vary, but it is believed that around 100,000 enslaved people gained their freedom through this network.