Underground Railroad
Jackie Malish- Assignment 1
How to Escape
Route
- Lexington, Kentucky
- Ripley, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Cross Lake Erie
- Chatham Kent, Ontario Canada
This is just one of many routes. If you are a slave coming from the Black Belt region of the United States, starting farther South adds more time in the danger zone of the South, but heading to Ohio, or another state is still possible, but will require more time and hiding.
Final Destination
Canada
- Slavery abolished in 1833
- Slaves were considered citizens and equal rights
- Could vote
- Still suffered some discrimination
- Families lived communities and helped each other get started in new life
Direction
· Follow river and streams (helps lose scent)
· Going North-
- At Night:
- Use Big Dipper and Little dipper to locate the Northern Star
- Brightest star in the sky leads north
- Day/ Cloudy:
- Look for moss on trees as it often grows on the north side of the trunk
Avoid Danger
- Overseers will often hire bounty hunter to track down escaped slaves because they are responsible for keeping all slaves
- Signs posted for capture of escaped darkies to be taken and escorted back to their plantations
- If captured, you were destined for beating, whipping, or flogging by overseers as punishment for escaping.
- Traveling at night and through forests will make it harder to find or spot you
- Travel discreetly:
- in boxes
- cargo trains
- pretend to be servant for white abolitionist
- hide in attics, basements, guest houses
- Avoid scent tracking dogs by staying close to rivers and frequently washing smell
Assistance
People:
- Harriet Tubman
- John Rankin
- From from abolitionists that believe the peculiar institution is cruel and immoral.
- These anti- slavery supporters, both black and white helped slaves reach freedom along the underground railroad
If you are able to make it into free land, stand up like Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey did and speak out against the cruelties of slavery.
Visual Guidance
Black Belt
States with large amounts of slavery
Ohio River
Cross the river to enter free states
Abolition Movement
Believed slavery was a "national sin"
Flogging
Slave punishment
Overseer
Forcing slaves to continue to work through use of the whip
Big Dipper
The Northern Star guided slaves north to Canada.
AJTS:HARRIET TUBMAN & HER ESCAPE TO FREEDOM
The Music of the Underground Railroad