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In all of this turmoil however they managed to preserve the customs and traditions of their native land. These slaves fought for their existence and for their cultural heritage with the help of many people and places along the path we now call the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a secret operation that began during the19th century, and reached its peak during the time of 1830 – 1865. The story of the Underground Railroad was one of individual sacrifice and great courage in the efforts of the African American people to reach freedom, with the help of many interconnected “stations” (Introduction to the Underground Railroad?). The number of sites connected with the Underground Railroad was immense. The Underground Railroad was any direction slaves traveled to freedom. It was a huge scheme of paths through marshes, over mountains, along rivers, and by sea. No real trains existed on the Underground Railroad, but guides were called conductors. Runaways escaped to the North along a series of routes that stretched through the southern Border States (“History and Geography”). Slaves who escaped into the western territories, Mexico and the Caribbean, then tried to blend in with the free African American communities, which lived in these areas (Slavery’s Past). There were many conductors in many different states, all of which were important to the Underground Railroad. The most notable of these was Harriet Tubman. Harriet made nineteen trips back to Slave States to help members of her family and other slaves to escape to freedom. She was a woman who could not read or write, but she helped over three hundred slaves to their freedom. She had many encounters with slave traders and others, who tried to capture her, but she never got caught, and she never lost a single slave (Harriet Tubman). Another important figure in the Underground Railroad was Stephen Myers. Stephen Myers helped the Underground Railroad from 1830 to 1850. In this time he helped thousands of individuals to move through points in Albany, New York (Stephen Myers). Able Brown was a Baptist minister who was also active in the Underground Railroad. He was a person who went to great lengths to show his help, however he was not secretive about it. He wrote a newspaper call the Tocsin of Liberty, in which he not only published the first names of the people he helped to freedom, but also the names of their slave masters. Because of this many slave owners had arrest warrants written for his imprisonment (Able Brown). Abolitionists helped slaves in their attempts to become free people. They helped to find homes for the slaves to hide in and were also active in many states (The Freedom Sympathizers and Fighters). Quakers also were a large part in the history of the Underground Railroad. They opposed slavery and it was said that almost half of all Quaker communities helped in the freeing of slaves. The Quaker communities had many hiding places for slaves and also many routes to freedom in the New York area. Quakers believed in independence and in supporting the law, but they were quick to take slave owners to court to pay for the injustices that slave owners caused to the slaves (The Role of the Quaker Community). Many slaves fought for their freedom, not just by running away, but also in the court system. For example Dred Scott was taken to a free state by his master and then later returned against his will to a slave state. He fought his master in the court system on the basis that he was a free man since he was in a free state. This court case was taken to the Supreme Court. Dred Scott eventually lost this case, because of a law that stated slaves were property and not independent people. This was a major blow to all slaves who wanted to be free. Slave owners could settle in any state, free or not, and still own their slaves. A major fight for freedom was lost with the ruling of this case (Cairnes 252). Slaves used Different types of codes to help them to move from station to station. Many of these codes are not documented, but some of them still remain with the families of escaped slaves. They were handed down from generation to generation, in order to keep the story of the Underground Railroad alive. The codes that have the greatest documentation were the spiritual songs that the slaves sang to guide them to their freedom. These songs were used to transfer messages between slaves. The slave owners enjoyed hearing their slaves singing religious music. The slave owners believed that slaves who rejoiced in the glory of God were less likely to be menace to their operation. The Slaves took great advantage of this trust. Many of the religious songs had double meanings. Many slaves sang about "Crossing over to the Promised Land" which could be making a reference about crossing the Ohio River and then into Canada. Another key phrase was "Go Down Moses" which could mean that Harriet Tubman was in the area and she was making a journey North (Lilly W.) Other songs would inform the additional slaves about event that were happening such as “Let us break bread together on our Knees” which was a song that informed the slaves about a secret meeting in which they discussed escaping or general concerns. It is said that a traditional slave song was an inspiration to the great Martian Luther King Jr. “Free at Last” was a motivational song which told of the great sacrifices that slaves went through to gain freedom. When that freedom was attained this song was sung in rejoice for there new lives (Free at Last). Many of these songs have been preserved and have been recorded by new artists, but they have not lost there richness in spirituality and their motivation to help these slaves endure the toils and troubles that were associated with escaping to freedom. Although they were free, their life was no so easy. They had to rebuild their lives and try to function in a society that many times contained extreme bigotry, even though they were free. They were looked down upon by many of the white landowners in the area. Many hardships forced them down and many people would not hire them for work. Even with all of these hardships many of the slaves preferred their new lives as compared to their days as slave laborers (In Search of Freedom). Once slaves escaped to freedom in Canada, they had many advantages. They were able to own a home and land, they had the right to vote, and they also had an option to go to school, which was not given to them and was strictly forbidden when they were slaves. Many of these people also did their own farming since that was the only work they knew. Some slaves also made enough money to buy back their families, however many slaves braved being caught and traveled back to the slave states to bring back their families and release them from bondage (Siebert 232). The story of the Underground Railroad is a part of a much larger story of the personal and cultural survival. It is a story that spans the Atlantic linking the people of Africa and America. It is a story of places, North and South. It is a story of secrets involving routes and language, codes and music. In the end it is a story of jubilation and freedom, bought at a great price by individuals. Bibliography: Works Cited African Genesis. History and Geography of the Underground Railroad. Nov. 7, 2000 Appleseed Recording. Free at Last.1998 Cairnes, John E. Slavery’s Past. Lilly W. The Underground Railroad. June 16, 1999 Maryland’s African American Heritage. Harriet Tubman. Siebert, Wilbur. The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom. New York: Arno Press and the New York Times 1968 U.C. Davis Division of Education. The Freedom Sympathizers and Fighters. May 1996 U.C. Davis Division of Education. What was The Underground Railroad?. May 1996. Underground Railroad Workshop. Able Brown. 2000 Underground Railroad Workshop. Stephen Myers. 2000 Underground Railroad Workshop. The role of the Quaker Community. 2000 United States. National Park Service. Introduction to the Underground Railroad. United States. National Park Service & History Association. In Search of Freedom. August 1996 Word Count: 1326
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