Harriet Tubman Runaway Slaves: The Underground Railroad

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The Underground Railroad was series of safe and protective networks that helped runaway slaves get to the North in a safe and productive system. The Underground Railroad was also runned by former slaves, who escaped north themselves, and risked their life acting as a conductor to help others escape safely through this complex. The Underground Railroad was a very efficacious system because it helped runaway slaves escape safely, and people involved in The Underground Railroad played a really important role in the outcome of this system. In 1786, George Washington made a complaint that one of his runaway slaves was helped to escape by a group of people. Years later in 1831, it was officially called; The Underground Railroad. The Underground …show more content…

Famous historical figures such as Fredrick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman also played very significant roles in the system because of their dedication to help free the slaves. Douglass and Tubman were former slaves so they especially knew the conditions the slaves were in. For example, Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland, 1820. Tubman experienced permanent physical injuries while enslaved. She decided to escape slavery in 1849 and fled to Philadelphia with help of the Underground Railroad. When Harriet was completely free, she made it her mission to rescue those still in slavery instead of staying in the safety of the Northern states. Tubman got the nickname “ Moses “ in result of her incredible leadership.In 1850, The Fugitive Slave Law came into play where it made it fairly easy for captured runaway slaves to be returned to their slave owners, with this.. Tubman decided to re-route the underground railroad to Canada. Harriet Tubman helped a little above 60 people to freedom ( biography.com ). Even during the Civil war, she was still in work. She was a cook and nurse for the Union army and later became a spy. She led the Combahee River Raid which freed more than 700 slaves in South Carolina. Harriet died of pneumonia in 1913 leaving her mark and achieving her goals to rescue and free many of the …show more content…

When he finally escaped, it was from the help of Anna Murray a free black woman in Baltimore. Douglass boarded a train to Maryland. Murray provided him with some of her savings and a sailor’s uniform. Douglass carried identification papers of a free black seaman. He made his way to the safe house of abolitionist, David Ruggles in New York. ( biography.com ) Once he got to New York, he got married to Anna and they settled in Massachusetts where Douglass became an official anti-slavery lecturer after going to abolitionist meetings and sharing his story. William Lloyd Garrison, another abolitionist and author of The Liberator , wrote about Douglass because he was impressed with Douglass’ lectures and experiences. In 1843, Douglass engaged in spreading his lectures to the Midwest. Douglass was beaten by an angry mob until he was rescued. Douglass wrote his first autobiography called Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American slave, in 1845. After publishing his first original autobiography, he edited and expanded it and published 3 more versions. President Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863 which declared all slaves free in the confederate territory (Biography.com). Fredrick Douglass passed away February 20, 1895 of a heart attack. Leaving his legacy behind, Douglass will always be remembered for his dedication and his persistence on defeating

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