Slave Underground Railroad Tour of New York State

Sat 5 – Thurs 17 May 2012 Ref: 12023
£2495 per person (twin share) £3145 per person (single)

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was the secret network set up to assist slaves escaping to freedom from the Southern States of the USA in the mid 19th century. It was made up of meeting points, secret routes, transportation and safe houses, with help along the route provided by abolitionist sympathisers.

During the 1800s, it is thought more than 100,000 enslaved people sought freedom via the Underground Railroad. Escaping slaves would move along the route from one ’station’ to the next, steadily making their way north. ‘Conductors’ and ‘Station Masters’ on the Railroad included free-born blacks, white abolitionists, former slaves (either escaped or manumitted), and Native Americans. Churches also often played a role.

One of the most famous of all conductors on the Railroad was Harriet Tubman, who guided over 70 slaves to freedom. The slaves would move under cover of darkness, travelling about 15-30km (10-20 miles) per night, usually on foot. They would stop at the so=-called ‘Stations’ during the day and rest. A message was then often sent down the line to let the next Station Master know that the slaves were on their way.

Southern newspapers of the day were often filled with notices giving information about escaped slaves and offering rewards for their capture and return. As a result, Federal Marshalls and bounty hunters pursued fugitives as far as the Canadian border. Slavery was eventually abolished in the USA in 1865.