Underground Railroad
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Underground Railroad

3 articles on Underground Railroad

• Underground Railroad

  Source: Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass

  Word Count: 1521      Includes:  Bibliography

  Mythologized and romanticized, the Underground Railroad remains one of the most fascinating and misunderstood phenomena of nineteenth-century America. Even the origin of the name “Underground Railroad” is unclear. The most famous antebellum novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, did much to solidify the legendary status of the Underground Railroad. The harrowing story of Eliza's escape over the ice-choked Ohio River and the tale of how sympathetic whites helped her to get to Canada filled American imaginations with visions of a well-organized secret society that aided fugitive slaveson their journey to freedom. Couple this with the post–Civil War reminiscences of former abolitionists and others who often embellished their roles in the Underground Railroad, and it becomes clear why historians and the general public alike have difficulty separating fact from fiction. Many ...
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• Underground Railroad

  Source: Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, Second Edition

  Word Count: 1187     

  Secret network devoted to helping runaway slaves in the Southern United States escape to freedom in the Northern states and Canada. Beginning in the early nineteenth century and continuing up to the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad, or so-called freedom train, was the greatest hope of freedom for African Americans fleeing slavery in the South. This extensive network of people, places, and modes of transportation helped lead thousands of Runaway Slaves to freedom. Many slaves made the journey with the help of guides, who were often Free Blackscommitted to the cause of abolition. White abolitionists also made significant contributions, but the freedom train was a powerful political statement made by African Americans who chose to “vote for freedom with their feet.” ...
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• Underground Railroad (Excerpt from Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, 1876)

  Word Count: 790     
  Born in the Quaker community of New Garden, North Carolina, Levi Coffin came from an antislavery family. He moved to Newport (later Fountain City), Indiana, in 1826. There he opened a general store and became involved in the Underground Railroad (U.G.R.R.) and the “free-labor” movement, which promoted boycotting of merchandise and produce produced by slaves. In 1847 Coffin moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he established a free-produce wholesale store. He also continued his work with the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War he worked with and raised funds for various freedmen's associations. He died a year after his autobiography was written, in 1877. The story of Coffin's life is largely known through his own autobiography as well as through Southern Quakers ...
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