The Underground Railroad!
The underground railroad is not literally slaves getting on a train to escape into freedom during the mid to late 1800s. There were a lot of different ways African American slaves reached the northern states and Canada (considered the Promise Land) during the 19th century. A lot of slaves traveled 20-30 miles on foot, were shipped in boxes down the river, traveled in boats, and wagons to reach independence. Levi Coffin (Caucasian man) and Harriet Tubman (African American woman) played key roles in assisting slaves during the underground railroad. Levi Coffin was the president of the underground rail who helped over 2000 slaves escape. Whereas, Harriet Tubman was a conductor (assistant) who aided between 70 to 300 slaves to liberty. Interestingly, there were a lot of Caucasian abolitionists who helped free African American aid the slaves toward their destinations. The conditions were rough for the runaway slaves, especially the women and children, since many of them made long journeys on foot. Thankfully, there were rest stations for the slaves to rest and eat during the daytime until they resumed moving to Canada by nightfall. The slaves used quilts, the North Star, and other escape methods as codes to help them with their liberation journeys. It is estimated that anywhere between 6,000, 30,000, or even 100,000 slaves had escaped from the southern states into Canada.
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