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For many people, when asked about black history, one of the
first things that would come to mind would be slavery. This was
a horrific time in the United States for all black people.
Perhaps one of the largest protests against slavery in the
U.S., would have been the Underground Railway. This aided the
blacks to escape to freedom and gave white people the chance
to help them out. The operations of this began in the 1500's
and was later related to almost every abolitionist activity in
the 1800's.
This operation was neither underground nor a railroad. It
was a system of constructed escape routes that originated in
the south and went through the north and eventually came out
in Canada. This route used by so many as an escape from the terrible
world of slavery, was used a lot through the period of 1830 -
1865. It was not only the blacks that were involved with this
operation, it also included sympathizers who wanted an end to
slavery. They were committed to helping out victims of this terrible
act.
The Underground Railroad has many mysteries behind it. Although
it aided thousands of refugees, the total number will never be
known. People had very few records linking them to this process
for fear of authorities. It has just been recently that a few
names have been tied to this process.
One of the most fascinating features was that it was very
unorganized. People had to rely on the efforts of certain individuals
belonging to ethnic and religious groups. This lack of evidence
leads us to accept that the true significance of this amazing
"railroad" will never truly be known. |
