Of course, most slaves escaped from places closer to the free states. While vulnerable to being returned to slavery or being lynched in the south, escapees were also forced to stay underground in the north because of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and because racial prejudice was not absent there either.

There was little help in the South, and no doubt nurturing was almost exclusively found with free blacks or other slaves. The railroad was organized, but loosely, and the conductors knew where escapees might find food, shelter, and places to hide from pursuers. People seeking freedom were called passengers or cargo or even goods. Railroad nomenclature further prevailed: Conductors helped escapees move from station (hiding place) to station on the journey north. While Quakers and white abolitionists played a role in helping slaves escape, free blacks and even slaves themselves, were part of the effort.Īctual railroads were spreading their networks through the states during this same time period, hence the metaphorical name Underground Railroad. There is even a written record in George Washington's papers of a slave escaping from his plantation. While there are no accurate records, many scholars estimate at least 100,000 slaves escaped from the south before the Civil War. Tubman, one woman alone, made more than a dozen trips into the south, and helped at least seventy slaves escape from oppression. In his novel Underground Airlines, Ben Winters models the secret network that helps facilitate safe travel for escaped slaves from the 'Hard Four' on the 19th century Underground Railroad. Born into slavery, abused and mistreated, she later said of herself, 'I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.' Escaping from Maryland to Pennsylvania freedom, Tubman became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, who 'never lost a passenger.' Few there are who better exemplify moral and physical courage. By 21st century and 19th century standards, Harriet Tubman was heroic. By 21st century standards, 19th century military hero and politician Jackson could be classified as a racist and an indirect perpetrator of genocide. It used to be President Andrew Jackson and now includes abolitionist Harriet Tubman. government changed the portrait image on the U.S. This article relates to Underground Airlines

Underground airlines book review