Until 1619, there was no reported instance of slavery in North America. During that year, however, twenty African hostages were sold in the colony of Jamestown. Although slavery had already spread to, many parts of the world by that time, this practice had the effect of promoting plantation economic in North America. In the United States, the nature of slavery various in the north varied from that of the south over the following two and a half centuries ( Levine, 2016 ). Accordingly, there were split opinions concerning the institution of slavery in these regions and the abolitionist movement was born as a result. The supporters of the abolitionist movement committed themselves to collaborate so that slavery would be eliminated in the United States. They often appealed to the ethical and religious principles of the public to make them understand that the slavery institution was erroneous. Some white colonists and free African-Americans began campaigning for equality for all Americans regardless of race. Many supporters of this movement aided slaves in fleeing to the north along the “Underground Railroad,” a network of safe stops linking the south and the northern states as well as Canada. This paper provides an elaborate discussion of the Underground Railroad in order to create a proper understanding of this concept.
Background of the Underground Railroad
Even in the period between 1619, when slavery started in the United States, and the beginning of the nineteenth century, a system to help to escape slaves already existed. For instance, George Washington reported in the late 1700s, that some of his slaves had escaped via the help of “a society of Quakers, created for this reason” ( Levine, 2016 ). Quakers, more accurately referred to as the Religious Society of Friends, were among the first abolitionists in the country. The fact that the State of Pennsylvania was the first state to illegalize slavery may be attributed to the strong presence of this group in that state ( Switala, 2008 ).
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Two of the most prominent members of the Religious Society of Friends at that moment, Levi and Catherine Coffin, are said to have helped more than 3,000 slaves to escape for many years. Accordingly, Levi is often referred to as the “president of the Underground Railroad” (Switala, 2008). In fact, their Indiana home that they converted into a “station” before the couple moved to another state is being preserved and is considered to be a National Historic Landmark near Ohio.
Routes
The phrase “Underground Railroad” began to be applied towards the middle of the nineteenth century. Accordingly, any home or business establishment that was used to temporarily harbor escaped slaved was referred to as a “station” or “depot” and operate by a “stationmaster.” “Conductors” were tasked with moving runaways from one station to another. The “shareholders” of the Underground Railroad gathered funds and other resources that were deemed necessary for successful operations ( Gara, 2013; Levine, 2016 ). The stakeholders provided clothes for those fugitives who were traveling on trains or boats so that their work clothes would not give them away. On arrival in northern states, these fugitives assisted concerning housing and employment. Some of them opted to go further north into Canada, where it would be legally impossible for their owners to retrieve them.
The North Star guided these fugitives as they departed the southern states. Once they were entirely on the Underground Railroad, they were led by conductors by foot, boat, or horse, to a safe haven. They stayed in such a place until it was deemed safe for them to move to the next station ( Gara, 2013 ). This entire process called for coordination of free Blacks, Native Americans, and Whites who were against the slavery institution. There was also a need for secrecy since it was criminal to help slaves flee from their masters ( Levine, 2016 ). Consequently, given the high level of secrecy demonstrated by operators, it is difficult to determine the buildings which were used for the purpose of harboring runaway slaves and most of the information concerning the Underground Railroad is obtained from oral sources rather than documented ones.
Conductors in the Railroad
In some instances, a “conductor,” disguised as a slave would enter a plantation and lead the slaves in escaping. Harriet Tubman, a former slave, is considered to be one of the most effective conductors during the Underground Railroad period. She went back to southern states at least 19 times to bring more than 300 slaves to freedom ( Gara, 2013 ). She even went to the extent of threatening to shoot some of the slaves who lost hope and reluctant to move forward with her plan.
It is important to note that the Underground Railroad present considerable risks for the operators. If a conductor was found guilty of aiding slaves in escaping from their masters in the southern states, they were fined hundred or even thousands of dollars or a lengthy jail sentence. Regardless, in states like Pennsylvania, where the abolition movement was significantly strong, these operations took place quite openly ( Switala, 2008 ). Given the justice system in the United States was plagued with racism and discrimination in the time of the Underground Railroad, many of the significant figures in these operations came out concerning their participation only during the civil war. Stephen Myers of New York, for example, reported in the Northern Star and Freeman’s Advocate regarding his role in the Underground Railroad ( Gara, 2013 ). Myers, a former slave, had become a major operator in the Underground Railroad in Albany. When the danger associated with helping slaves escape to freedom was considerably abated, Myers facilitated the establishment and open advertisement of “vigilance committees” among slave communities to help them run away to northern state and Canada. These “vigilant committees" were unlike the ones in American history, which comprised citizens groups that took the law into their own hands and executed other members of the society accused of wrongdoings.
It is also important to note that while slavery was still taking place in many northern states during this era of American history, it was more dangerous to be caught helping runaway slaves in the southern states. If one was convicted of such a crime, the punishment was often imprisonment, whipping, and in some cases, hanging. At times, the accused party did not even make it to court alive because they were lynched by supporters of the slavery institution ( Gara, 2013 ). Also, white males were treated more severely than their female counterparts is they were caught for aiding runaway slaves, but they could at least expect to be incarcerated. Burning and hanging were mostly reserved for African-Americans who were found guilty of such a crime.
Conclusions
This paper provides an elaborate explanation of the Underground Railroad as it applies to the history of slavery in the United States. From the discussion, it is clear that these operations were neither underground nor on railroads. This term is mere figurative of the secrecy and network-like nature of the Underground Railroad. Even though such operations were not referred to as the Underground Railroad before the nineteenth century, there were already similar activities aimed at helping slaves escape to freedom. The most common destinations for the Underground Railroad were the northern states, where the abolitionist movement was stronger as compared to the southern states, and Canada, where slaves were assured that there were no legal provisions for their owners to retrieve them.
References
Gara, L. (2013). The Liberty Line: The Legend of the Underground Railroad . University Press of Kentucky.
Levine, E. (2016). If you traveled on the Underground Railroad . Scholastic Inc.
Switala, W. J. (2008). Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania . Stackpole Books.
