The Under Ground Railroad
In America's 19th century, many slaves escaped North by way of the dangerous Underground Railroad to attain freedom. It was the most effective protest against slavery, resulting in many free lives. The term Underground Railroad does not mean underground tunnels, but rather secret routes escaped slaves followed, usually leading them north to Canada; the free land. Thousands of slaves escaped yearly through treacherous conditions to attain their freedom. Not only did the slaves have to be determined and secretive, they had to be strong as well. To defy the Fugitive Slave Act, many abolitionists risked their lives to covertly help hide the runaways, protecting them from bounty hunters. The Underground Railroad was the road the freedom for the blacks, no matter how far they needed to travel, they were determined to reach independence. Most slaves were owned by plantation owners who used them for field and housework. There were many principal objectives for running away: long exhausting hours, malnutrition, beatings, and fear of being parted from loved ones. Most escapees were men whose ages ranged from 16 to 35 years. Many masters offered little or no pay, forcing slaves to live in unhealthy
Over 3,000 people assisted, including Levi Coffin, often called president of the Underground Railroad who helped over 3,000 slaves to escape. The Underground Railroad was not organized till the late 1830's, yet by 1844, over 40,000 slaves had followed the North Star to Canada. By the 1840's, conductors used other means of transportation: wagon, steamboat and trains, in addition some slaves may have been shipped to free states or Canada in boxes. However, escape routes were not just confined to the North, but also stretched to western territories, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Beigel, Hochschild, May. History Of the Underground Railroad. 1997. Mar 19. 1999. NiiCa. History and Geography Of the Underground railroad. 1999
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Approximate Word count = 976
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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