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 ...
