The Underground Railroad: The Abolishment Movement

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Underground Railroad, one of the most important route for slaves. It was neither underground or a railroad, but it was a vast network for people who helped African American slaves to the Northern States and Canada. It is considered by as one of the first greatest freedom movement as many people of different races worked together in harmony to helping other gain freedom and justice. Established approximately in 1780, it included meeting places, secret routes, safe houses, and passageways. Secret codes were used since it is very secretive and many people who help escaping slaves were risking their lives. Many slaves used this network to escape toward freedom, according to one estimate, the Underground Railroad freed approximately 6,000 to 10,000…show more content…
Many of the routes were called lines which included stations, or safe houses, where slaves can hide and reducing the chances of getting caught. People who aided the runaway slaves of in charge of the station were called conductors. The Underground Railroad spams through 14 or more different states and onward to Canada. Canada is known as the promise land because slavery is prohibited and it was out of reach for slave hunter. The Underground Railroad was established around the 1800 by people who supported the Abolishment Movement, an act to end slavery all around United States. They were known as abolitionist. They believe that all human being is made equal under God and valued personal freedom. Their purpose to free as many slaves as possible, despite their actions violated the state laws and the United States Constitution. Most of the people who aided were free blacks or slaves that escaped, other minority was made up of white abolitionist. Surprisingly, a majority of abolitionist were against freeing slaves, despite disagreeing with slavery. Most of them view this as an act of theft which was against the law and also the 10 Commandment. The name “Underground Railroad” got its name because everything has to carried out in secret, using the aid of darkness during nighttime and also…show more content…
In 1786, George Washington wrote a letter Robert Morris, a Philadelphia financier, complaining about Quakers aggressive press against the congress, media, and legislation to free the slaves and complained about how his neighbor’s slaves has escaped was helped by a "a society of Quakers, formed for such purposes, have attempted to liberate him...acting repugnant to justice” The Quakers, or known as Religion Society of Friends, were the first abolition groups. Their influence might be the primary reason why Pennsylvania, where the Quaker mostly lived, be the first state to ban slavery. The term Underground Railroad began to be used during the 1830. More and more people contributed to aid the runaway slaves, it reached its highest peak during 1850 to 1860, one estimate shows that the Railroad has aided more than 100,000 runaway slaves. The plantation owners became concerned about the slave who were managing to escape and persuaded the Congress to pass the Fugitive Slave Act. It allowed slave owners to contact federal state to assist and capture runaway slaves. It also authorized local government to help capture and return escaped slave to their owner, treating them as property and not human. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Acts resulted in many free black to be illegally captured and sold into slavery. One of the famous case is Solomon Northup, a free black musician who was
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