Unit 4.2 Classwork: The Underground Railroad & the Fugitive Slave Act

The Underground Railroad was not actually underground. Rather, the name comes from the idea that it was not openly publicized.

It was a network of safe houses and routes of travel established in the U.S. during the early to mid-19th century. African American slaves used this network to flee to free states, Canada and Nova Scotia where they could escape captivity. Some routes also led to Mexico or overseas where slavery was .

Although slaveowners were white, not every white person agreed with the practice. Some of the abolitionists and their supporters were white. The term refers to everyone who aided the fugitive slaves in their escape efforts.

A series of symbols was developed as a to fleeing slaves so they would be aware of their surroundings.

Typically, the abolitionists involved in the Underground Railroad were privy to the operation only to the extent that they were . Not many of the activists involved knew the entire inner workings of the network. It was far too risky. If one of them had been caught and made to talk, it could have the entire effort.

Prior to the Underground Railroad, slaves would make their own attempts at freedom. Even after the network was developed, they were on their own until certain points north where it was safer for a station to exist. That being the case, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was enacted. This act had slave bounty hunters coming out of the woodwork trying to cash in on the action.

Today, we are going to learn about spirituals, which are different from hymns and psalms because they were a way of the harsh condition of being a slave. While white plantation owners were content thinking that their slaves were happy and singing in the fields, these lyrics actual served a purpose for fugitive slaves.