“Their journey was perilous. Freezing wind chilled their bones, hunger tore at their stomachs, and rushing rivers threatened to overtake them” (Tarshis 4). This was the situation for runaway slaves from the late 1700s up until the Civil War. Thousands slaves were assisted by a secret network of people and places called the Underground Railroad. This network provided shelter, food, and sometimes transportation for escaped slaves. The Underground Railroad helped them escape bondage and reach freedom.
The Underground Railroad started off as local groups that communicated with each other to send escaped slaves from one place to another. A group called the New York Committee of Vigilance is credited to have some of the first operations. The committee was mostly black people and was founded by an Abolitionist named David Ruggles. The group started off wanting to help black people that were being kidnapped in these free states and being sold in slavery. It later transpired into much more.
David Ruggles was an African American man who was an activist, writer, and publisher. Ruggles mentored many people including Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and William Cooper Nell. David Ruggles spoke for the common black people in New York. He inspired many people, both black and white to help him create the Underground Railroad. David Ruggles was a very influential man who made a huge impact of helping slaves reach freedom.
Many people helped with the Underground Railroad including the Quakers. The Quakers, also known as Religious Society of Friends, are also believed to be one of the first groups of people to start the Underground Railroad. The Quakers are a religious group of people that was founded in England. They are known to come to America in the 1650s. William Penn, a man from England is known to have founded Pennsylvania. Penn guaranteed religious freedom for all people. This is why people from different religions decided to settle there.
A Quaker by the name of Levi Coffin is one of the many Quakers to help slaves escape to the North. Coffin was only fifteen years old when he first became involved. Later in his life, he moved to Ohio and opened up a business. Levi Coffin helped more than over three thousand slaves escape. Coffin even pushed for the federal government to establish the Freedmen's Bureau. Many people referred to Levi Coffin as the President of the Underground Railroad.
Escaped slaves traveled to the border states such as Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Delaware. Once in the border states they would then be assisted by conductors of the Underground Railroad. Conductors were the people who guided the escaped slaves. They helped these people hide in places including their homes, churches, and even schools. These places were called stations, safehouses, and depots.
The First African Baptist Church was a safehouse here in Savannah, Georgia. The church was founded in 1773 by a black man named Reverend George Leile. The church wasn’t built until the 1800s. The First African Baptist Church helped many slaves escape to freedom as well. The escaped slaves entered the church through a tunnel. No one knows where the tunnel is to this day. The holes in the floorboard helped the slaves breathe while underground. Also, the ceiling of the church has a unique design called the Nine Patch Quilt. This design let the escaped slaves know that the church was apart of the Underground Railroad.
The Fugitive Slave Acts, passed in 1793, was one of the main reasons slaves escaped to Canada. The Fugitive Slave Acts required people to return fugitive slaves to their owners. Anyone caught having a fugitive slaves would be punished which included jail time or having to pay a fine. The North tried to pass the Personal Liberty Laws to prevent this from happening but it was turned down by the Supreme Court. The Personal Liberty Laws that were passed by some Northern states included allowing escaped slaves to have jury trials, and state authorities didn’t have to listen and return escaped slaves. Canada was a place where these escaped slaves could go and not have to worry about their freedom being taken away. They also had a chance to live normal lives and do what they wanted.
An abolitionist by the name of John Brown was a conductor of the Underground Railroad who helped escaped slaves escape to Canada. Brown is remembered for his acts of violence as that was how he often protested. During Bleeding Kansas, John Brown and his sons attacked people who wanted slavery. John Brown is most known for leading the raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown wanted to get supplies and use those supplies to lead a slave rebellion. He and his small group of followers led the attack on Harpers Ferry in 1859. They attacked a United States Arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. During this raid, John Brown gathered hostages which included slaves.
Eventually, the raid came to an end with Brown being surrounded by U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Ten of John Brown’s men were killed including two of his sons. John Brown was found guilty of treason and murder on November 2, 1859. He was executed on December 2nd, 1859. John Brown’s raid on Harper Berry caused tensions between the North and South become even worse.
One of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad was a woman by the name of Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland. It is said that she was born around 1820, the month is unknown. Harriet Tubman was named Araminta Ross when she was born, which she later changed. Tubman went through some of her life in slavery. Working hard and being beaten countless times. Tubman was fed up and decided she needed to go.
In 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped the plantation in Maryland that she was a slave on. Tubman left her family behind, including her parents, her sisters, and her husband. Her motivation was the fear of her being sold and separated from her family. Instead of taking the risk of being split apart, Harriet Tubman decided to run. Harriet Tubman traveled alone only with the directions given to her and the north star. It took her a week to reach her destination in Philadelphia.
Once in Philadelphia, Harriet Tubman found her a job. She began working at a hotel and she saved up money for supplies so that she could go back to the South. Tubman returned to Maryland and helped her family escape, and within a short period of time she returned again to get more of her family. Harriet Tubman returned to the south to help slaves escape at least nineteen times. Tubman traveled with a pistol that she would use to defend herself. She also used the pistol to let the escaped slaves she traveled with to threaten them. Sometimes they were scared and she used the pistol to assure them. She said “dead negroes tell no tales”.
Harriet Tubman spoke with John Brown while he was planning his raid on Harpers Ferry. They met in Canada and they talked about the Underground Railroad. Tubman agreed to help Brown with the raid, but was sick when the event took place. Once the Civil War Started Harriet Tubman served as a cook, nurse, and a spy for the Union. She helped lead important attacks as well. Harriet Tubman freed hundreds of slaves and made a huge impact on the Underground Railroad. People often refer to her as the Moses of her people.
Frederick Douglass was also a famous abolitionist who was a conductor for the Underground Railroad. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland as well. His father was a white man that had probably been his mother’s master. Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery at the age of twenty. He went on to publish an autobiography called Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave in 1845. Frederick Douglass published two other autobiographies as well.
During the Civil War, Frederick Douglass worked as a propagandist for the Union and recruited black soldiers. Douglass was also an adviser to Abraham Lincoln which was very important considering the time period. Douglass traveled and continued to give speeches on politics and problems that were going on. He even went on to advocate for women’s rights. Frederick Douglass was a very intelligent man who was self taught.
An abolitionist named William Still was also a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He was born in Burlington County, New Jersey in 1821. Still began his work on the Underground Railroad in the mid 1800s. He guided many slaves North and kept records of them. Before the Civil War he destroyed many of these records because he was afraid that the people he helped would get caught. William Still wrote a book called The Underground Railroad in which he described his actions.
Thomas Garrett was another leader in the Underground Railroad. Garrett was born on August 21, 1789 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. His first time helping a slave escape was when he was younger. The slave he helped was a young woman who was kidnapped and she was going to be sold into slavery. That situation is what inspired him to become an abolitionist.
In 1830 Thomas Garrett moved to Quaker Hill in Wilmington, Delaware. He had moved to a border state and began his work in the Underground Railroad. Garrett became known as the “station master” for the eastern part of the railroad. Thomas Garrett worked on the underground Railroad for forty years. In the forty years, he worked with many conductors including Harriet Tubman. He is also known for helping a family which brought lots of controversy.
Thomas Garrett helped the Hawkins family get their freedom. The family originally escaped from a plantation in Maryland. Eventually, they were captured by slave catchers and sent to jail. Thomas Garrett heard of this and decided to bring them before a judge on a writ of habeas corpus. The judge ordered the Hawkins to be freed and Garrett made sure they were taken to Pennsylvania. This was one of the reasons why Thomas Garrett was sued under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. He was ordered to pay a fine of $5,400. In his final statement in court, Thomas Garrett told the court that he would continue to help free slaves.
Thomas Garrett helped free 2,700 slaves during his time of being a conductor on the Underground Railroad. After the Civil War he continued to advocate for the rights of minorities. His supporters also referred to him as moses. On January 25, 1871, Thomas Garrett died. He made a major impact on all of the people he helped. Thomas Garrett changed many lives and his work on the Underground Railroad was needed.
Samuel Burris was another conductor on the Underground Railroad as well. Burris was born 1808, his exact birth date unknown. Samuel Burris was born a free man in Delaware. In 1845 he moved his family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began his work on the Underground Railroad. He was to return to Delaware and Maryland to lead escaped slaves to safehouses in Pennsylvania. Burris worked with William Still and Thomas Garrett, abolitionists who were mentioned earlier. If Burris was caught he would be sold into slavery for seven years which was the punishment for a free African Americans that were caught helping the Underground Railroad.
Samuel Burris was caught in 1847 while helping a slave escape. He was sent to jail and had to await trial for fourteen months. He was sentenced to be sold into slavery for seven years. The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Association raised enough money to buy Burris’ freedom. A member named Isaac A. Flint went to the auction in which he was being sold. Flint acted as a slave trader and bid at the auction and purchased Burris. They then returned to Philadelphia until Burris moved to California. Burris had stopped participating in the Underground Railroad but he continued to support it. During the Civil War he raised money to help black people that was affected by it. Samuel Burris died in 1869 at the age of 60. The work he done helped free many slaves. Burris risked his own enslavement to help others.
John Meachum was born a slave on on May 3, 1789 in Virginia. Eventually John purchased his freedom at the age of 21. He went on to purchase both his wife’s and father’s freedom. John Meachum founded the first black church in Missouri in 1825. In this church Meachum offered education to both slaves and other black people. He had about 300 students in his school and the education was free. At first, white people wanted black people to learn so that they can understand their religion more. That is until they started seeing black educated people as a threat to slavery. Eventually, education for black people was outlawed meaning Meachum’s school was ruined. That is until he got him a boat and began teaching on the Mississippi river.
Both John Meachum and his wife, Mary Meachum assisted with the Underground Railroad. They had safehouses in both their church and home. John Meachum bought at least twenty slaves and freed them. The slaves he freed paid him back which allowed him to free more slaves. After John Meachum’s death, his wife, Mary Meachum went on with her work on the Underground Railroad. In May of 1855, she tried to help a group of slaves escape but they were caught. Mary Meachum was arrested along with the slaves. Missouri went on to name a bridge after her called the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing.
John Hunn was another conductor on the Underground Railroad. He was a Quaker who was born on June 25, 1818 in Kent County, Delaware. Hunn helped many slaves escape to freedom and for doing so he was fined many times. His fines totaled up to $20,000 dollars. John Hunn was one of the richest men in Delaware in that time period, but he lost his wealth due to these fines. After this it was believed he would stop his work on the Underground Railroad but he didn't. John Hunn continued his work and this led to his items being taken from him and sold. He stated he would "never… withhold a helping hand from the downtrodden in their hour of distress."
John Hunn continued his work on the Underground Railroad. His son John Hunn Jr. even joined him and they began advocating for the Freedmen’s Bureau. John Hunn Jr. went on to become the governor of Delaware. John Hunn helped many people and even risked all of his wealth. He changed many lives and continued to fight for the rights of black people. He helped former slaves in Port Royal, South Carolina before returning to Delaware. John Hunn died on July 6th, 1894.
John Fairfield was a conductor of the Underground Railroad who in Virginia. It is not known when he was born. Fairfield was born into a family of slave owners and he grew to hate slavery. One of the first slaves he helped escaped was of his uncle’s slaves. He lead them to freedom in Canada and then returned home. John Fairfield’s uncle wanted him to be arrested after he learned about Fairfield helping these slaves escaped. This caused John Fairfield to leave his home and he took slaves with him again. He took those slaves to Canada and began his work on the Underground Railroad.
John Fairfield helped people in Canada free their family members. Like Harriet Tubman, he always kept a pistol on him and he never hesitated to use it. John Fairfield used a different name and it is not even known if John Fairfield is his real name. Fairfield traveled and stayed in places for short periods of time. He would often meet up with slaves leading up to their escape. He was arrested countless times but always found himself getting out of it until one time he had to escape from jail. John Fairfield even worked with Levi Coffin, a Quaker abolitionist that was mentioned earlier.
In 1853, he and Levi Coffin led a group of slaves across the Ohio River. During this trip, they came upon many problems including one of their boats sinking. A baby of one of the escaped slaves even died but they kept going and eventually reached their freedom. After this John Fairfield went to Kentucky and acted as a businessman and claimed he had been robbed by a group of runaways. He got some people to help him find them but he really was only giving them time to get away. Eventually the group gave up but Fairfield met back up with the slaves and led them to freedom as well. It is unknown how John Fairfield died. Levi Coffin believes that he was killed in a Slave revolt in Tennessee. It is said that 11 slaves were hung and a white man was sentenced to receive 900 lashes. John Fairfield helped free hundreds of slaves and was willing to die to do so. He believed that all slave owners were evil and he showed that in every way possible.
Thousands of slaves escaped from slavery due to these conductors bravery and contributions. These conductors also risked their freedom, some even caught and sent to jail. The trials and tribulations these people endured to reach freedom is simply horrible. People were seperated from their families but sometimes they found their way to them. Escaped slaves often helped with the Underground Railroad after being freed from it themselves. Some even went on to educate people on what went on during slavery.
The Underground Railroad brought people of different religions, races, ethnicities, and ages all together. When the South seceded in 1861, it lead the United States into the Civil War. Many runaways joined the Union Army and some assisted with aiding injured people. Eventually, slavery was outlawed and all slaves were free. Many abolitionists went on to advocate for the rights of former slaves. The Underground Railroad is one of the most amazing things in American History. It saved and changed many innocent lives.