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. ...
