- THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORY SLAVERY FULL
- THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORY SLAVERY CODE
- THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORY SLAVERY FREE
Meanwhile, to the north lay states such as Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and all of New England, where slavery was illegal and an abolitionist movement morally (and economically) opposed to slavery thrived. In the South, in particular the narrow region known as the Black Belt, slavery was the linchpin of an agrarian economy fueled by massive plantations of cotton and other labor-intensive crops. The Underground Railroad ended in 1865 with the end of the Civil War and the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.44☀′0″N 80☀′0″WMap of Underground Railroad The Tower of Freedom monument in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit See also: Early history of the United Statesįrom its birth as an independent nation in 1776 until the outbreak of Civil War over the issue in 1861, the United States was a nation where the institution of slavery caused bitter divisions. There are at least seven known paths that led freedom seekers from various points in Michigan to the Canadian shore and it is estimated that 200 Underground Railroad stops existed throughout Michigan between the 1820s and 1865. Members of the congregation founded two anti-slavery organizations, The Amherstburg Baptist Association and the Canadian Anti-Slavery Baptist Organization.ĭetroit was one of the most critical stops on the Underground Railroad, because it was generally the final stop before achieving freedom. Abolitionist leaders including Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and John Brown worked with Second Baptist. The church became a vital station on the Underground Railroad, and for over 30 years housed an estimated 5,000 freedom seekers. First located on Fort Street, the congregation moved in 1857 to its current location in Greektown. DeBaptiste also formed a secret organization known as African-American Mysteries or Order of the Men of Oppression, which worked with the Underground Railroad in Detroit.ĭetroit’s Second Baptist Church, Michigan’s first Black congregation, was established in 1836 when 13 freed slaves split from the First Baptist Church. Whitney, which he used to secretly transport slaves from Detroit to Canada. A respected entrepreneur and business leader, he owned a barbershop and a bakery in Detroit before purchasing the steamship T.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORY SLAVERY FREE
Born a free man in Virginia in 1814, he relocated to Detroit as an adult. One of most notable abolitionists in Detroit’s network was George DeBaptiste. As the owner of the Finney Hotel in downtown Detroit, he was able to aid the formerly enslaved by housing them in his nearby stable. Seymour Finney was a prominent Detroit Underground Railroad conductor.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORY SLAVERY CODE
Therefore, flags and lanterns became clandestine signals, verbal language carried code and handbills and newspapers were often encrypted with Railroad symbols. Secrecy was essential because under the same Act, even in Northern states, individuals found collaborating with freedom seekers could be heavily fined and sometimes imprisoned.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORY SLAVERY FULL
However, Canada, which lay only one mile across the Detroit River, prohibited slavery, offering full liberation and safety. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 ensured that even if “runaway” slaves arrived in free states in the North, they could be captured and sent back to the slave holders. Detroit, codenamed “Midnight,” was one of the last “stops” on the Railroad before attaining freedom in Canada. They also facilitated transfer to the subsequent “stop,” or Underground Railroad shelter.
In defiance of the Fugitive Slave Act, these individuals provided freedom seekers with food and a place to sleep. Upon arrival, they were met by sympathizers known as “conductors” or “stockholders.” Conductors of all backgrounds risked their livelihood for human freedom by hiding slaves in their houses, barns, attics, cellars, churches, shops and sheds. Freedom seekers generally made their way on foot, often at night, from one town to the next. The Underground Railroad was an early 1800s to 1865 secret network of financial, spiritual, and material aid for formerly enslaved people on their path from plantations in the American South to freedom in Canada.
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