The Underground Railway: Anti-Slavery

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The Underground Railway was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by black slaves to escape from the United States to free states and Canada. My interest and previous knowledge about the Underground Railway brought me to choose this topic. The goal of this research paper is to go more in depth about whom, when, and where the anti-slavery movement developed. Abolitionism is one of many new terms developed during the anti-slavery movement. Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery. In North America abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free (Abolitionism, 2011). There are hundreds of people that go unheard of and will never be recognized for their role in the Underground Railway. We may celebrate the role…show more content…
Although the individuals who escaped on the Railway were of the different ages the majority of people attempting to escape were men. It was easier for men to endure and survive the conditions of the Underground Railway. The reason why it was so hard for women to escape is because they often had children to carry or other people with them. The men could leave by themselves and could travel for longer periods of time meaning they would get further a lot faster. The Underground Railway may been a tough journey and only allowed certain people to be able to make it, thousands of slaves escaped. For many slaves the hardest decision was their decision to escape. The conditions in which the slaves endured gave them the strength to finally escape. For most slaves, they believed that their lives in enslavement were worse then any conditions they would encounter in their effort to gain freedom (National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 2004-2011). Once the decision was made to escape they made the commitment to walk hundreds of miles from South to North and for some all the way to Canada. Walking wasn’t the only way to travel for slaves. By the help of the conductors of the Railway the slaves were frequently shipped by wagon, boat, horseback, and sometimes even in trains. Other methods that helped them escape were secret compartments, travelling only at night, using disguises…show more content…
The Promised Land was another term used during the anti-slavery movement to help disguise their destination. Ontario, Canada served as the final stop on the Underground Railway. Once they crossed the border and entered Canada the slaves were now free to travel wherever they would like. Many estimates say anywhere from 30,000 to over 100,000 slaves escaped into Canada from the Underground Railway. Although they were now freed from slavery many refugees were disappointed. During the time of the anti-slavery movement, Canada consisted mainly of British colonies. For the British Empire which included Canada, slavery was outlawed by The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. This act never went into effect until a year after the date it was issued (Brown, 2009). There was no longer a problem with slavery after 1834, but now many of the ex-slaves found it different to find a job due to discrimination caused the movement of slaves to anywhere from Vancouver to Nova Scotia. The largest group of slaves settled in Upper Canada, this is where Black Canadian communities today developed from (Underground Railway in Canada,
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