9/3/2023 0 Comments The railroad storyThe conductors and passengers traveled from safe-house to safe-house, often with 16-19 kilometers (10–20 miles) between each stop. Due to the danger associated with capture, they conducted much of their activity at night. According to historical accounts of the Railroad, conductors often posed as enslaved people and snuck the runaways out of plantations. There were people from many occupations and income levels, including former enslaved persons. The places that sheltered the runaways were referred to as “stations,” and the people who hid the enslaved people were called “station masters.” The fugitives traveling along the routes were called “passengers,” and those who had arrived at the safe houses were called “cargo.”Ĭontemporary scholarship has shown that most of those who participated in the Underground Railroad largely worked alone, rather than as part of an organized group. “Conductors” guided runaway enslaved people from place to place along the routes. ![]() ![]() As the network grew, the railroad metaphor stuck. The people who worked for the Underground Railroad had a passion for justice and drive to end the practice of slavery-a drive so strong that they risked their lives and jeopardized their own freedom to help enslaved people escape from bondage and keep them safe along the route.Īccording to some estimates, between 18, the Underground Railroad helped to guide one hundred thousand enslaved people to freedom. It also did not run underground, but through homes, barns, churches, and businesses. It was not an actual railroad, but it served the same purpose-it transported people long distances. The name “Underground Railroad” was used metaphorically, not literally. ![]() During the era of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, places, and people that helped enslaved people in the American South escape to the North.
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