The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an organization of quakers that believed differently from the Southern states of the United States of America. It began when people of the country started to lose slaves, and were confused about that- More and more slaves started to go missing, and more and more people joined the organization of quakers. It grew so large that it needed a name, which was come to be The Underground Railroad. The "railroad" part of the word is meant to signify how they moved slaves to and from different "safe houses," which were stations that slaves took breaks at, and traveled to in the night. It was very dangerous though, because if anyone who was with the Underground Railroad was caught, they would have been tortured, prisoned, or even fined up to $1,000. The other part of the word is “underground,” and that signifies how it was secret, and the slave holders didn’t even know that their slaves were being taken until they went to check on them. The southern states of America were bigger in slavery, and disagreed with the northern states, which was also one of the leading causes of the American Civil War. Some people from the Underground Railroad fought in the American Civil War, like Harriet Tubman, who was a very successful woman. Even though she began with the freedom of her own family, she eventually saved over 700 slaves, and possibly even 1000. She was also the first woman to lead an armed military raid, and helped Colonel James Montgomery and his 2nd South Carolina black regiment up the Combahee River, routing out Confederate outposts, destroying stockpiles of cotton, food and weapons, and saving slaves along the way. Harriet Tubman also served as a spy and a nurse in the American Civil War. She was so successful at helping slaves, that she gained a nickname: “Modern Moses.”

Saving slaves was hard work, and they moved at night to avoid people catching them. They had to walk through harsh conditions, or paddle in boats and ride horses if they could find them. They even had to change their appearance, and use their limited money supply, because some people around them would get suspicious of black people with ragged clothing. After getting to a safe house, the safe house keeper would feed them, and give them all of the necessities they needed. The safe house keepers would also send a letter to the next safe house, to make sure that they were ready for the next group of slaves to come there. If you’re wondering if Harriet Tubman was a safe house keeper, you’re wrong. Harriet Tubman was a conductor, which was a person who guided and led slaves to each safe house. Harriet Tubman and other conductors had to go through the same harsh conditions that slaves did, and were risking their lives for others. Even though they only saved a small percentage of all the slaves in the south, they still believed it was important to save the slaves’ lives. They had to travel from southern states on foot or other small vehicle, and go all the way north to Canada. Why not the northern states? It is that, because if slaves and conductors were caught in the northern states, the slave owners will still have the right to take their property back. So Harriet Tubman took many trips back and forth from Canada to the South, and liberated many slaves as well. 

Even though I’ve mentioned Harriet Tubman as the real hero of the Underground Railroad, there were many others risking their lives as well. One of which was Levi Coffin, who helped more than 2,000 slaves. This does not mean he brought them all the way to Canada, but still means he helped them. He was also a conductor, who traveled in and out with all of the slaves.