THE UNDERGROUND RAILROADESCAPE FROM SLAVERY

Ca. 1780 – 1860

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SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH : LIFE ON THE PLANTATION

Slaves treated badly – beatings House slaves

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SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH : WORK ON THE PLANTATION

Field slaves : backbreaking work in cotton, sugar or tobacco fields No pay

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SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH : PROPERTY NOT PEOPLE

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Housing: small wooden cabins No privacy

SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH : HOUSING

PLANTATION HOUSES AND OWNERS

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Stark contrast to the slave dwellings Idealised picture of plantation house and slave quarters in the background

PERCEPTIONS OF THE NORTH Slaves dreamt of the North 14 states where blacks were free Canada : the promised land Job opportunities outside the fields Industry

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What is the Underground Railroad When was it active From where to where did it operate How did it work Railroad names Slave owner’s perspective Civil War and slavery When and why did it stop ‘running’

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WHAT IS THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Not a real railroad Network of people and routes A system to help slaves escape form plantations in the South Named after the real railroad that transported people Railroad was just becoming popular means of transport Called underground because it was secret Name Underground Railroad given ca. 1831

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WHEN WAS IT ACTIVE

Started ca. 1780s George Washington complained about his slaves

running away in 1786 Helped by the Quakers At its height 1850 - 1860

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FROM WHERE TO WHERE DID IT OPERATE

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HOW DID IT WORK At night In secret Help provided for the escaping slaves Food Hiding places Route Transport

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RAILROAD NAMES

CONDUCTORS: helped slaves to escape Accompanied them for a part or whole of the journey STATIONS : stops along the route PASSENGERS / CARGO / GOODS : the escaping slaves ENGINEERS : provided the goods and means necessary

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SLAVE OWNER’S PERSPECTIVE The South depended on slavery Cheap labour for plantations Bounty hunters to catch runaway slaves Fugitive Slave Act 1850 The North generally rejected slavery One of the causes for the Civil War

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CIVIL WAR AND SLAVERY 1861-1865 Civil War Between Union (North) and Confederates (South) 1st January 1963 Emancipation Proclamation President Abraham Lincoln Freed slaves in Confederate South

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WHEN AND WHY DID IT STOP RUNNING

End of the Civil War 1865 The North won 1865 :13th Amendment added to the US constitution Abolished slavery in all of the USA End of the Underground Railroad

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SOURCES USED

Accessible Archives. (n.d.). Quilts and the Underground Railroad. Retrieved 20 February 2015 from http://www.accessible-archives.com/2012/01/quilts-and-the-underground-railroad/

Africans in America. (n.d.). The Underground Railroad. Retrieved 20 February 2015 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2944.html

Harriet Tubman Society. (n.d.). What was the Underground Railroad. Retrieved 20 February 2015 from http://www.harriet-tubman.org/underground-railroad/

History. (n.d.). The Underground Railroad. Retrieved 20 February 2015 from http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad

History 2. (n.d.). The American Civil War. Retrieved 20 February 2015 from http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war

N.N.(n.d.). Pathways to Freedom. Retrieved 20 February 2015 from http://pathways.thinkport.org/about/

Scholastic. (n.d.). The Underground Railroad. Retrieved 20 February 2015 fromhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/plantation.htm

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