Slavery and the Underground Railroad - Report Example

Introduction The Underground Railroad was a set of connections of secret routes used in the 19th century by theAfrican slaves to escape from South America to the Free states. The Underground Railroad included safe houses that were commonly known as stations in order to maintain the secrecy from White capitalists and slave-catchers. In the 19th century, slave trading was at the optimum level due to which black free-men were enslaved along with slaves imported from Africa. The Southern part of America mostly supported the slave trading because of low availability of labors in the region. The fugitives, who escaped from the brutal tortures of White people, were guided by some free black men and abolitionists in order to send them to states that did-not support slavery during the period. The trend continued in the in the early nineteenth century and the Railroad gained its height between 1850 and 1860. This research paper highlights the importance of the Underground Railroad in the history of American culture. Analysis The Underground Railroad mainly connected the estates of private owners in South America to Free states like Canada and Mexico (Monroe 81). Many fugitives were also transported to North America, where slave-trading was not supported. The slave trading initiated in the 17th century as a result of shortage of labor in America. Initially cheap labors were transported to America and they were provided small amount of wage, which later turned to slavery business. The lives of the African slaves were pathetic and they were made to work forcefully with limited rights. For about two centuries the slave trading continued in America without any political interference. In the nineteenth century some abolitionists and allies gained sympathy towards the lives of the slaves and with the help of free-black people of America the process of transporting slaves begun with a noble cause. It has been estimated that by 1850, 100,000 slaves had escaped through the Railroads. The Canadian border was the famous destination for the fugitive slaves and according to reports more than 30,000 former slaves established their settlement in Ontario. Most of the fugitives were transported within the 20 year peak period via the network of Underground Railroad. The escape routes for the fugitive slaves were tough and they travelled mostly during the night on foot. The transportation process had to be taken care carefully because the Government of America in the 19th century supported the exploitation of slaves because of high interest from South America. The escape of slaves was even reported to the courts and slave catchers were allowed to investigate the missing of slaves because they were treated as commodities. During the peak period from 1850 to 1860, most of the slaves were transported to safe locations. Every year approximately 1000 slaves were transported from South America to the Free states of North through the network (Litwack 52). The economic impact of such escapes was low because huge amount of slaves were brought to America in the 18th and 19th century. The rescue network was not very easy for the fugitive slaves because it constituted high amount of risk. The transportation method preferred individual transfer at a time instead of group transportations in order to ensure maximum security for the fugitives. The most important factor due to which the network could work appropriately was the support of some people in the society. The abolitionists and former Black slaves played a pivotal role during the entire rescue process. The abolitionists and financial benefactors in support of the process supplied food and equipments that could be helpful for the fugitives. There were several places connected to each other, where the fugitives were allowed to hide and take rest during the day time. In the night the fugitives were transported to the next location with the help of the guides. The houses where the fugitives were allowed to rest were known as stations and the owners of the houses were known as station masters. The financial benefactors were regarded as stockholders and the escaped slaves were known as passengers or cargo. The workers associated with the Underground Railroad chose alternative and long paths instead of direct route to North America because the regular paths were comparatively risky for the fugitives. The stationmasters were sent encrypted message before fugitives were transported to their respective stations. In order to ensure complete safety the entire escape route was not known to a single person. Each and every stationmaster was responsible for providing hospitality to the fugitives and informed them about their next destination i.e. the next station. The stations were generally built under the ground of houses or church or in isolated caves. According to reports obtained from historical documents ‘Levi Coffin’ an abolitionist helped more than 2000 salves to escape via Underground Railroad. ‘Harriet Tubman’ a former slave, helped more than 70 slaves to escape from the estate of the capitalists (Ford 38). The entire 19th century depicts the history of the major escape of African slaves. The fugitive slaves were sent to North America, Canada, Mexico and other places, where the slaves could have proper rights of living and find a work for themselves. A majority of the escaped slave fugitives established their settlement on the banks of the Ohio River. The safe houses also referred as stations were the resting spots for the fugitives and they were provided with food, money and supplies for assistance in the safe houses. It is also significant that without the support of the Free Black men, the fugitive slaves would not have the opportunity to escape successfully. The Underground Railroad communication finally came to an end with the outbreak of the Civil War in the United States. Discussion Based on the analysis, it is clear that the Underground Railroad has been referred to the escape path of the fugitive slaves of America. Slave trading was a common practice during this period in the British estates of South America. There were some states where slavery was not entertained and the escaped slaves were helped to reach those Free states. The entire operation was not operated by a single organization or individual it included participation of many people. Both the White and Black people came together to help the slaves escape to the safe locations of North America and Canada. It has also been recorded that more that 100,000 slaves escaped between 1810 and 1850 (Wolny, 20). The numbers of escaped slaves were low compared to the slaves brought to the South America every year. The Underground Railroad was the most organized system that assisted runaway slaves to reach their destination. From the historical documents it has also been observed that some Free Black people entered the estates of the capitalists as slaves and escorted the slaves of the estate to the safe houses. The entire operation was executed very systematically and secretly because it against the law of the United States during the nineteenth century. The journey with the Underground Railroad started with an escape from the slaveholders. The guides, also referred as conductors were responsible for taking the fugitive slaves to the nearest safe house, referred as ‘station’. The fugitives were transported in small groups or individually to the next safe house and the process continued until the slaves reached their destinations. The slaves were allowed t6 rest in the day-time and they travelled in the night. Mostly, the fugitives were made to travel on foot for 10 to 20 miles to ensure that they were not being followed (Copeland 3). The progression of the Underground Railroad was illegal before law but it was in favor of mankind and many people joined worked in favor of the system and helped the enslaved victims. After reaching Canada and Mexico the slaves were not exploited but they were not treated equally and were not allowed to work or trade with the local people, which made their life more frustrating. After the emergence of the Civil war of the United States the Free slaves moved to different parts of America in order to get better opportunities. Hence it is clear that the entire system engaged in the transportation of fugitive slaves was regarded as the Underground Railroad. Conclusion From the above analysis and discussion, it is significant that the ‘Underground Railroad’ was a transportation system established for the escaped slaves of South America. In the nineteenth century slavery was not supported by countries like Canada and Mexico and the escaped African slaves were moved to these countries for better life and opportunities by the Former slaves and the abolitionists. It has been documented that more than 100,000 slaves escaped from the South between 1810 and 1850. The Underground Railroad had many pivotal participants including John Fairfield. He was the son of a slaveholding family and helped to rescue many slaves in Ohio. Harriet Tubman and Levi Coffin also assisted many slaves during the rescue operations. Without effective support from these characters the Underground Railroad might not have been so efficient in the rescue process. Hence it can be stated that the Underground Railroad was a network developed by the Americans to rescue the exploited victims from brutal slave-owners. Works Cited Copeland, Peter. The story of underground railroad. New York: Springer, 2005. Print. Ford, Carin. Slavery and the Underground railroad. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Litwack, Leon. The Harvard Guide to African-American History. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Monroe, Judy. The Underground Railroad. New Jersey: Pearson, 2002. Print. Wolny, Philip. The underground railroad. New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More