| Underground Railroad Underground meaning out of sight Near the river long and white Down the hidden passage to the plain Easy sometimes and maybe not Running their hearts out Getting to freedom Relief came over them Out of sight Under cover trying not to be seen Nothing can be heard but their pounding hearts Dangerous as it can seem Running away is important Always on alert Invisible to all in sight Loving their sacred families Remembering freedom Out there in open land After they’re done they jump up with joy Dancing around happy to be free by Evan Gallant © 2003 age 10 Cincinnati, Ohio USA |
| The Underground Railroad was a loose network of antislavery northerners——mostly blacks——that illegally helped fugitive slaves reach safety in the free states or Canada in the period before the American Civil War; it was also called the Liberty Line. Begun in the 1780s under Quaker auspices, the activity acquired legendary fame after the 1830s. Traveling by night to avoid detection, escapees used the North Star for guidance. Usually they sought isolated "stations" (farms) or "vigilance committee" agents in towns, where sympathetic free African Americans could effectively conceal them. When possible, "conductors" met them at such border points as Cincinnati, Ohio, and Wilmington, Delaware. The lake ports of Detroit, Michigan; Sandusky, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York; were terminals for quick escape to Canada. Harriet Tubman, called the Moses of her people, and Levi Coffin, a Cincinnati Quaker, were among the famous rescuers. Read more on the links below: Harriet Tubman Levi Coffin aboard the Underground Railroad Back |