TIP #180 - THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD I was quite surprised to learn that the Underground Railroad was neither "underground" nor a "railroad," but was a loose network of aid and assistance to fugitives from bondage. I knew it couldn't be truly "underground in the physical sense, but had just assumed that it was a railroad at least! It is said that likely as many as one hundred thousand enslaved persons may have escaped during the time frame between the American Revolution and the Civil War. Another discovery to me is that the Underground Railroad existed much prior to the Civil War from which we often date this subject. It was a protest against slavery dating back to the end of the Revolutionary War and perhaps earlier. It is a fascinating, heart-rendering story of the sacrifices, and often death, of an enslaved people who wanted one thing - freedom. The story beings with the transporting of Africans to our continent. It is said that approximately twelve million Africans were transported across the Atlantic to the Western Hemisphere in the 400 years from 1450 to 1850, with only about 5 percent of this number were brought to British North America and to what later would become the the United States. The greatest influx arrived between the years 1680 and 1808. A great debate took place in the United States Congress in 1819 and 1820 to determine if the state of Missouri should enter the Union as a slave or free state. It is obvious that the Congress realized that this problem had to be dealt with! The American Colonization Society was begun which wanted federal government funds to pay the costs of settling free blacks in an African colony they founded and called Liberia. Abolitionists were divided over strategy and tactics. Many of the abolitionists became part of the organized Underground Railroad. Not all abolitionists were looking out for the interest of the slaves; some wanted the money to go to political action. Many of the southerners were irate when they learned that escaping slaves received assistance from so many sources and that they lived and worked in the North and Canada. A Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850 making both possible and profitable to hire slave catchers to find and arrest runaways. Who Were the Runaways? The numbers and ages were many; anyone who were abused, or brutalized was a candidate. "Maroon" Societies were formed in North Carolina and Virginia, in Louisiana and in the mountain areas of Kentucky and Tennessee. These were simply "safe houses" for refugees. Many escaped Blacks intermarried with the Creeks and other Indian tribes during their stay there, including the Muscogees. Many of these later were known as the "Seminoles" which translated means "runaway." The age of the runaway male slave was between 16 and 35 years and more males runaway than females and children. The latter definitely did escape however, but their numbers were less and it is written that they were more likely to be captured. What Did the Runaways Do If They Reached Freedom? A majority of the runaways found work as field hands and soon found they were as greatly mistreated as before. That which they had hoped to escape had followed them. In the urban areas, many runaways fared a little better and could find work as hired hands, household servants. However, they were poorly paid and their life was still a desperate one in most instances. How Did the Runaway Slave Escape? Schemes for escape were random, but as well thought out as possible. Holidays, weekends, during harvest and possibly while the masters were at church were the favorite times. This was a time when the masters were busy or distracted and not paying as close attention to their slaves. They hoped that the event as they had chosen would give them a one or two day lead before this absence was noted. A code system was devised by many slaves so they could signal each other of pending dangers or of their plans on leaving.. Some of the most well used were: ""Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Steal Away to Jesus," and "Go Down Moses" carried coded messages related to escape. They didn't have time to take much with them in the way of food or clothes. They walked during the night time and hid out during the day time when they could be more easily spotted. Having no compasses, they were led by the North Star - because north led to freedom. Moss grows on the north side of trees - thus this was another guide for them. They had to stay off the well traveled paths, could not use railroads or other conveyances. They traversed the little country lanes, sloshed through swamps, cut their way through dense forests. If they felt secure enough, they sometimes dared to go by wagon, steamship or train. The fugitives also tried to disguise their appearance. Women often dressed up as men and vice versa. The lighter colored Blacks often passed themselves off as whites. Some pretended to just "doing their master's business" and acting as his "gopher." The runway hopefully could find sympathetic whites on their long trek. If they were fortunate enough, they could find someone willing to offer them food or shelter at secret stations along the way. These stations were spotted along the trial from ten to thirty miles apart and the signal was often a single candle showing through a cabin's window or a lantern burning in the front yard. The runaways would scamper toward the station and seek a good night's rest in the attic. Some stations had secret rooms; some let the slaves sleep in caves or in trenches to avoid detection. When the Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850, it became profitable for the white citizens to capture runaway slaves. This eliminated the safe haven of the north. Slave owners were encouraged to turn in runaway slaves they had captured and even the free blacks were placed in harm's way. New routes were established, leading not only just "north" but extending into Canada and Mexico. By the time the 1850's were drawing to a close, the split between north and south grew wider. The Underground Railroad continued throughout the Civil War. Kentucky Activities: According to the Kentucky Encyclopedia, the counties with the largest slave populations were all location within 125 miles of the Ohio River. This was a seven-mile stretch that separated the slave from freedom. Kentucky attempted to stop the escape by a law in 1798 which organized patrols to stop the escape. It was said to be a hard decision for the slave - many times he had to leave his family behind and the route was treacherous. Many times when the Kentucky slave escaped to "freedom" across the Ohio, they went from the frying pan into the fire. The 1850 US Census shows 86 fugitives from Kentucky's 210,981 slaves; by 1860, only 119 escapees! A few notable white men who helped the slaves included Calvin Fairbanks and Delia A Webster along with Black mmen Horace Morris and Elijah Anderson. Some of the most noted refugees who found their way to freedom included Josiah Henson (Mason County), Henry Bibb (Trimble County) and Lewis Clarke (Madison County). The rest of the refugees for the most part are lost in the dust of the trails they trod on their way to freedom. For more information: "The Liberty Line: The Legend of the Underground Railroad", Lexington, KY 1961, Larry Gara Kentucky Encyclopedia, 1992 And the following web sites: http://www.nps.gov/undergroundrr/ugsum.htm http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/contents.htm http://www.niica.on.ca/csonan/UNDERGROUND.htm © 8 September 1998, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved, sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Sandi Gorin - A Kentucky Colonel PUBLISHING: http://members.tripod.com/~GorinS/index.html BARREN CO WEBSITE: http://ww4.choice.net/~jimphp/barrenco/ ARCHIVES for ROOTSWEB: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl KYBIOGRAPHIES: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Bios KYRESEARCH: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Tips PRAYER&PRAISE: http://www.listbot.com/subscribe/prayerandpraise