By Walt Gable

 

"Underground Railroad" refers to the effort of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage. It was neither "underground" nor a "railroad" but rather a loosely constructed network of escape routes that originated in the upper South, intertwined throughout the North, and eventually ended in Canada. It also included escape routes from the Deep South into the western territories, Mexico and the Caribbean. Anna Scott: click to enlargeCora Scott: click to enlargeMost "freedom seekers" (fugitive slaves) began their journey unaided, either alone or in small groups, and were frequently assisted by African American and white "agents" who risked their lives and property to allow their homes or barns to be "safe houses" ("stations") en route or to physically escort or transport them (as "conductors") to their next stop. These agents usually hid or destroyed their personal journals to protect themselves and the runaways. This clandestine nature of the Underground Railroad helps to explain why today it is so difficult to learn much of the details. Evidence is unclear as to when the Underground Railroad began. One of the earliest recorded "organized" escapes may have occurred in 1786 when Quakers in Philadelphia assisted a group of refugees from Virginia to freedom. Freedom seekers had little food or clothing and normally walked at nightfall and rested/hid during the daytime. The North Star would help them follow a basically northward path. They could also look for tree moss, which grew on the north side of tree trunks.They relied on use of back roads, waterways, mountains, swamps, forests, and fields to escape. Later in their trek north, they could sometimes travel by wagon, steamship, boat, and even train. Escape sometimes entailed disguises, such as females dressed as males.Underground Railroad activity flourished during the 1840s as antislavery sentiment deepened due to the federal government's failure to settle the slavery controversy. Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 that included a stronger Fugitive Slave Law, requiring that federal and state officials as well as private citizens assist in the capture of runaway slaves. Many freedom seekers living in northern communities for years then feared for their lives.While the Civil War captured the attention of the country, Underground Railroad activity continued as thousands of enslaved African Americans deserted plantations and cities and took refuge within Union lines. Following the war, the necessity for Underground Railroad activities ceased when the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution officially liberated more than 4 million enslaved African Americans.(The above is an excerpt of the original column provide by Seneca County Historian Walt Gable.)