Though there may not have been many other alternatives to escape, quite a few African-American Slaves were so desperate for freedom that they escaped through The Underground Railroad. A number of working conditions required the slaves to interact with one another; this made it easier for them to communicate. Much of this communication was made through code talk so only the slaves would understand; this played in their favor, allowing the slaves to plan their freedom. Along with these points, many wonder what measures supported the forward movement of The Underground Railroad and what procedures obstructed its progress. As one could imagine, slaves’ efforts to escape weren’t made easy. According to an article titled “Escape From Slavery” , most slaves ran away at night hoping to postpone the knowledge of their disappearance until they were far from their masters. Even then, the escaping process was extremely difficult. Once the slaves were away from their owners, they still had to find a way to freedom without being caught. The article, “The Underground Railroad,” states that there would sometimes be a “Conductor” posing as a slave who would go to plantations and guide the runaway slaves northward. This was one of the first steps in the Underground Railroad System. Having a well constructed secret system made it easier to move slaves out of the South. Furthermore, this system consisted of many individuals who supported local efforts to free the slaves. These individuals would house and feed the slaves in private places until they would be transferred to the next location. These locations were referred to as “safe-houses.” Though some might argue that this system obstructed progress into moving slaves, most might argue that wa... ... middle of paper ... ... Quakers,” DadeSchool, http://cghs.dadeschools.net/slavery/anti-slavery_movement/quakers.htm. PBS, “Harriet Tubman,” Africans in America, 1998-1999/April 16, 2011, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/copyright.html. Harriet Tubman, “African American Quotes,” African American Quotes, 2007/April 16, 2011, http://africanamericanquotes.org/harriet-tubman.html. Beverly Lowery, A Biography: Harriet Tubman Imagining A Life (New York: The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, 2007), 193-194 Douglas Harper, “Slavery in the North,” Slave North, 2003, http://www.slavenorth.com/fugitive.htm. Jerome Bruner, “Spartacus Educational: Slave Punishments,” Spartacus Educational, 1997, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/author.htm Jerome Bruner, “Spartacus Educational: Slave Punishments,” Spartacus Educational, 1997, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/author.htm
The Underground Railroad was an escape network of small, independent groups of individuals bound together by the common belief that enslaving a human being was immoral. A loosely structured, informal system of people who, without regard for their own personal safety. Conducting fugitives from slavery to free states, and eventually to Canada where they could not be returned to slavery was a dangerous undertaking.
Jacobs, Harriet. "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Mentor, 1987.
The Underground Railroad was an extremely complex organization whose mission was to free slaves from southern states in the mid-19th century. It was a collaborative organization comprised of white homeowners, freed blacks, captive slaves, or anyone else who would help. This vast network was fragile because it was entirely dependent on the absolute discretion of everyone involved. A slave was the legal property of his owner, so attempting escape or aiding a fugitive slave was illegal and dangerous, for both the slave and the abolitionist. In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass understands that he can only reveal so many details about his escape from servitude, saying, “I deeply regret the necessity that impels
The Underground Railroad was large group of people who secretly worked together to help slaves escape slavery in the south. Despite the name, the Underground Railroad had nothing to do with actual railroads and was not located underground (www.freedomcenter.org). The Underground Railroad helped move hundreds of slaves to the north each year. It’s estimated that the south lost 100,000 slaves during 1810-1850 (www.pbs.org).
To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...
Many plantation owners were men that wanted their plantation ran in a particular manner. They strove to have control over all aspects of their slaves’ lives. Stephanie Camp said, “Slave holders strove to create controlled and controlling landscapes that would determine the uses to which enslaved people put their bodies.” Mary Reynolds was not a house slave, but her master’s daughter had a sisterly love towards her, which made the master uncomfortable. After he sold Mary he had to buy her back for the health of his daughter. The two girls grew apart after the daughter had white siblings of her own. Mary wa...
Jacobs, Harriet A. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself. Ed. Jennifer Fleischner. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. Print.
The Underground Railroad was not a real railroad with a train but a network of meeting places in which African slaves could follow to Canada where they could free. Those who helped were at risk of the law but got the satisfaction of knowing that they were helping those who did not deserve to be treated like less than everyone else. People who escaped had to take care, they were creative with giving instructions and the way they escaped their owners but if they were caught the punishment was not very humane.
Numerous are mindful of the considerable deed that Harriet Tubman executed to free slaves in the south. Then again, individuals are still left considerably unaware about in which the way they were safeguarded and how she triumphed each and every deterrent while placing her life at risk of being captured. She is deserving of the great honor she has garnered by todays general society and you will find out her in the biography. The title of this biography is “Harriet Tubman, the Road to Freedom.” The author of this piece is Catherine Clinton. ”Harriet Tubman, the road to Freedom” is a charming, instructive, and captivating book that history appreciates and is a memoir than readers will cherish. The Target audience of the biography is any readers
The Transcontinental railroad could be defined as the most monumental change in America in the 19th century. The railroad played a significant role in westward expansion and on the growth and development of the American economy (Gillon p.653). However, the construction of the transcontinental railroad may not have occurred if not for the generous support of the federal government. The federal government provided land grants and financial subsidies to railroad companies to ensure the construction. The transcontinental railroad contributed to the formation of industry and the market economy in America and forever altered the American lifestyle.
The main reason for the transcontinental railroads to be built was to bring the east and west together. The building of these railroads caused huge economic growth throughout the United States. The railroad created opportunities for everyone across the US.
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. New York, NY: W. W. Norton &
... Larson, Kate. A. C. (2004). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary'. Bound For the Promised: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero.
Jacobs, Harriet A. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself. 1861. Ed.
Slavery has been a part of human practices for centuries and dates back to the world’s ancient civilizations. In order for us to recognize modern day slavery we must take a look and understand slavery in the American south before the 1860’s, also known as antebellum slavery. Bouvier’s Law Dictionary defines a slave as, “a man who is by law deprived of his liberty for life, and becomes the property of another” (B.J.R, pg. 479). In the period of antebellum slavery, African Americans were enslaved on small farms, large plantations, in cities and towns, homes, out on fields, industries and transportation. By law, slaves were the perso...