The Underground Railroad And The Civil War - 1709 Words

The Underground Railroad was a passage to freedom for the slaves which made the slave-owners exasperate. The slaves had to risk their lives while travelling to the northern states but it was worth it as the result of such hard work was freedom. The underground railroad, a secret network running from the Deep South through the free states and to the Canadian border that helped slaves escape from the slave-holding states before the Civil War, allowed abolitionists and their allies to help runaway slaves, made conductors like Harriet Tubman famous, and reached its height after the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. Underground Railroad was a labyrinth of secret routes and havens inaugurated by both black and white abolitionists,†¦show more content†¦The fugitive slaves had to go through a long a perilous journey to reach their freedom while traveling along the Underground Railroad. In a very short time, the fugitive slaves had to travel great distances usually on foot, boats or trains were used very infrequently. They had to put their life on a stake while escaping as they had no or very diminutive amount of food and no protection from the slave catchers chasing them. The fugitive slaves were pursued by the slave owners as well as other men. The slave owners used to publish reward posters offering payment for the capture of their property to entice others to assist in the capture of their slaves. The fugitives would get severely punished if they were apprehended. Their punishment for running away was to be branded, flogged, jailed, killed and even sold back into slavery. The Undergroun d Railroad was successful because the slave owners had no clue about the routes and even no one from the system knew the entire routes. Each conductor was responsible for leading the slaves from one station to the following and then the next conductor would lead them to the next station. This would continue until the whole route was traversed. The integrity of the routes as well as the fugitive slavesShow MoreRelatedThe Underground Railroad And Its Influence On The Civil War1545 Words   |  7 PagesThe Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad. A revolutionary event taking place during the civil war, it was an informal network of sympathetic whites in violation of the Fugitive Slave Act passed in 1850 to help enslaved African s escape secretly in order to gain freedom in Northern States or Canada. This research paper will examine the movement of the Underground Railroad by reviewing primary and secondary sources available to successfully describe several sentim ents regardingRead MoreThe Underground Railroad And The American Civil War1203 Words   |  5 Pagesthe American Civil War (1861 – 1865). On January 1, 1863, four million slaves were freed when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. However, the road to freedom for many slaves was long and brutal. Countless African American slaves were tortured and terrorized and many lost their lives. In the early 1800s, a secret network of routes and safe houses was established to help fugitive slaves reach freedom. This system became known as the Underground Railroad and spannedRead MoreThe Underground Railroad s Working Against Slavery During The Civil War2260 Words   |  10 Pagesinvestigate the Underground Railroad’s work to resist against slavery during the Civil War. The author will collaborate on the dealings of people who were leaders of the Underground Railroad, U.S. political stance on slavery, and the actions that were carried out for the cause of freedom. The authors main focus of the paper will be centered on operations of the Underground Railroad, members involved, struggles they went through to free enslaved people. The writer will go into detail of the Underground RailroadRead MoreUnderground Railroad Essay Outline1333 Words   |  6 PagesTHE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 1 The Underground Railroad Raymond Allen Setlock West Catholic High School THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 2 Our country’s history had its good times and also its bad times. One of our bad times in our country’s history was the time when the United States allowed slavery toRead MoreTaking A Stand Against Slavery1228 Words   |  5 Pagesdeterminations. The Underground Railroad had its earliest beginnings with runaway slaves fleeing from the the Southern United States into Canada. By confronting human bondage without direct demands or violence, The Underground Railroad played a definite role in the destruction of slavery. The Underground Railroad was a great way to escape the hardships of their living conditions. It gave them hope, inspiration, and strength. It was also a major impact on the CIvil War. The Underground Railroad consisted ofRead MoreUnderground Railroad And West Virginia1318 Words   |  6 PagesUnderground Railroad in Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia For this critical review, I chose Underground Railroad in Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia by William J. Switala. The purpose of this book was to explain exactly what the underground railroad was, how the slaves communicated with safe places, how it operated, and a few stories of how some of the slaves escaped away to the underground railroad and freedom. He also gives insight to what happened if the slaves were caught trying toRead MoreHarriet Tubman And The Underground Railroad1097 Words   |  5 Pagesnurse, and a caregiver. However her greatest achievement was working in the Underground Railroad. One of the many achievements of Harriet Tubman is her work as a spy during the Civil War. â€Å"There she headed up a team of eight black spies to operate behind the lines and provide intelligence for a Union raid of free slaves...I kept on singing until we brought all aboard. We got 800 people that day, and we tore up the railroad and fired the bridge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc. C) Harriet Tubman went over enemy line to helpRead MoreThe Civil War : Opposing Slavery1139 Words   |  5 PagesBefore the Civil War: Opposing Slavery â€Å"By 1860, the South contained more slaves than all the other slave societies in the New World combined’ (Roark, 331). Slavery was the backbone of the American Southern states’ economy, a highly controversial topic, and eventually the cause of the American Civil war. Even before the Civil War, there were many American groups who opposed slavery. In the early 19th century there were several forces that opposed slavery, both in the North and the South, they usedRead MoreEssay about The Underground Railroad1092 Words   |  5 Pageseverything changed. Slavery became more and more prominent and by the time of the Civil War, it was estimated that over 4 million slaves were working in the South. Slaves were treated worse than the dogs of their owners. They were given little to eat and tiny shacks to live in. If they disobeyed, they were beaten. For these reasons, many slaves decided to risk their lives and run away in search of freedom. The Underground Railroad was formed in 1810 and more than 100,000 slaves escaped between 1810 andRead MoreEssay about An Inside Look at the American Civil War999 Words   |  4 PagesA civil war is a war between citizens of the same country. From 1861 to 1865, America was fighting its own civil war. The American Civil War began when several Southern slave states declared their secession. When they seceded, they formed the Confederate States of America which was also known as the confederacy. The states remaining were known as the Union. Before the Civil War, slaves were treated unfairly, like property, rather than people. One court case that proves this is the 1857 court case