Slavery
Activity 1
How to Escape
This escape starts in the "black belt", the area in the South that has a high concentration of slaves, or "darkies" as they are sometimes called, and produces large amounts of cotton, more specifically, this journey will start in Montgomery, Alabama, and end in a slave community in Philidelphia. In order to escape, the best option is to use the underground railroad, a network of people, places and routes in the North that helps get slaves to freedom in cities, black communities and Canada. The people who help slaves to escape from the "peculiar institution" on the railroad are Stationmasters, who hide slaves from authorities, Conductors, who guide the slaves, and Stockholders, who provide clothing, food and money to the slaves. Despite the help of these people, it is still a dangerous journey, with slave catchers constantly trying to hunt down runaway slaves. In order to counter this, try and use a disguise or hide, examples of successful attempts with this method include a female who disguised herself as a male, a group of slaves disguising as a funeral procession and Harriet Tubman, who shipped himself to an abolitionist. To head north and start the journey on the railroad, follow the North Star, or look at moss, which grows on the north side of trees. Careful not to get caught, or it's highly likely to receive a flogging from the overseer. The Ohio River is generally considered the border between the North and South, and where the destination of the journey is to cross. Traveling along the underground railroad will take this journey in the North, and this one will end in a black community in Philadelphia. Although this journey of secrecy isn't the only way to escape slavery, it is one of the safer and more effective ways of doing so, as slave revolts do not typically end well, one that was going to be led by Denmark Vesey whose plans for one were leaked before he could begin it, and was executed. In addition, Nat Turner led one that resulted in 60 white deaths, yet still ended in failure with over 200 black deaths.
Images
A Slave Escaping
A slave escaping from slave catchers.
The Underground Railroad
A map showing various routes of the Underground Railroad.
Boston Slave Catcher Poster
After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, this poster warned slaves in Boston to be careful of Police who now would catch them and send them to the South.