The Underground Railroad was a secret organization of people that consisted of abolitionists, free blacks and Quakers Its purpose was to help runaway slaves escape to freedom in the Northern states or in Canada. Often, the passage to freedom followed lakes, rivers, or unexplored territories.
Usually, slaves relied on secret helpers in towns scattered along the route to freedom. These people were called conductors and that's where the name underground railroad came from. these people helped a slave move from one safe house to another, usually at night so the chance of being caught were smaller. One of the most famous leaders of the underground railroad was Harriet tubman.
During the 1850's Harriet tubman was popular for her role as a conductor on the underground railroad. After her own escape from slavery, she helped more than 300 slaves escape. Her commitment to the freedom of all slaves was above and beyond dedication of any means and it earned her the name "Moses".
Antislavery groups sent messengers to southern states to tell slaves about the underground railroad. These messengers pretended to be census takers, mapmakers, or peddlers.
Ohio was probably the busiest state for runaway slaves. It bordered two southern states and had a long river boundary. The route along the appalachian mountains was another often used pathway to freedom. The large number of Quakers in Philadelphia made that area a likely source of safe houses for escaping slaves. By 1860, as many as 100,000 enslaved blacks may have escaped to freedom on the underground railroad.
there were many leaders in the underground railroad who arent as popular as Harriet tubman. these people have also dedicated their lives and effort into a cause they believed to be just in their eyes. Thomas Garrett was a Quaker from Wilmington, Delaware who is credited with helping more than 2,700 slaves find freedom. William Still was a former slave who purchased his own freedom and then became a leader in the underground railroad.
