The Underground Railroad was a network that helped slaves escape to freedom between 1800-1865. It started as informal paths and safe houses used by runaway slaves and grew to a system organized by the National Antislavery Society. Escaped slaves were guided along routes to stations operated by conductors and station masters, where they would find food, rest, and disguises before continuing north towards freedom. Famous conductors included Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett, who risked arrest to lead hundreds to freedom despite rewards for their capture.

1. The Underground Railroad
By: Emily Peeples
EDU 290 Tuesday/Thursday 11am

2. Before the Underground Railroad:
• Without the underground railroad, slaves
instead either stayed at the plantation or they
just ran. By running away they created some
of the earliest known paths of the railroad.
• These slaves that ran created secret
communities in the Virginia Swamps, and the
Florida Everglades calling themselves
Maroons.

3. Before the Underground Railroad:
• During the late 1700’s the Northern States of
the U.S.A passed laws that abolished slavery.
• In 1793 and 1850 The Fugitive Slave Laws
were made they “permitted slaves owners to
reclaim their runaway slaves even if the
African American had moved to a free state”
(ohiohistorycentral.org)

4. Who Started it & Why?
• Started in 1834 by the National Antislavery
Society, the Underground Railroad was a set of
safe houses that were located all across the
U.S to help slaves cross the border into
freedom.

5. Source: http://www.u-s-
history.com/pages/h481.html

6. How did it work?
• Freed blacks sent a field agent; a minister or
doctor who posed as a salesmen; to gain
contact and trust with the escaping slave. This
agent would then guide the slave to a
conductor, who would then guide the slave to
the 1st station, which was usually a safe house.

7. How did it work?
• These stations that the slaves were guided to
were at least all a days travel apart and the
heads of these stations were called station
masters.
• Inside these safe houses the families had
secret rooms for the slaves where they
couldn’t be spotted.

8. How did it work?
• Once at the safe houses they would get
fed, rested and then given a disguise. These
disguises were funded by stockholders.
• The best disguise given to a person was to
dress them up as a white upper class women
with a white baby.

9. How did it work?
• Since traveling to freedom took many
days, months or years many slaves at a certain
point were told to go out on their own. These
slaves were given instructions to only travel at
night, and approach homes that either had a
lit lantern or another sort of sign
• They were also told to follow the North Star if
the sky was clear enough to see.

10. Harriet Tubman
• There were many people; blacks
and whites; who helped free
more than 100,000 slaves into
freedom. The most well known
person was Harriet Tubman or as
many people called her Moses.
• Tubman led at least 19 trips and
helped more than 300 slaves into
freedom.
• She was the most wanted person
on plantations and if caught a
$40,000 reward was given.
Source: http://www.u-s-
history.com/pages/h481.ht
ml

11. People who helped out:
• Not only did Harriet Tubman help out with the
Underground Railroad but many other famous
people helped out like: Frederick Douglas,
Henry David Thoreau, Susan B. Anthony, and
many more people.

12. People who helped out:
• Harriet Tubman wasn’t the only person who
was wanted for helping out with the
underground railroad.
• Tubmans friend Thomas Garret, helped out for
nearly 40 years, and once he was caught and
arrested he was fined $5,400. This never
stopped him though from helping out.

13. Life After Escape:
• No matter where you escaped to it was still
extremely dangerous. The best place to
escape to was Canada because the Fugitive
Slave Laws didn’t apply there.
• Once the slaves got to where they wanted to
go a vigilance committee would help the
newly freed slaves start a life.

14. When it ended & why?
• Lincolns Emaciation Proclamation was in 1863
and it was hoped by many slaves that this
would end their suffering but it wasn’t until
the end of the Civil War in 1865 when the 13th
amendment was passed that abolished
slavery.

15. References:
• http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?
rec=1518
• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASu
nderground.htm
• http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-
civil-war/underground-railroad3.htm