The Underground Railroad History

      In the early years of the United States of America, people (usually rich) used slaves to farm and do other household chores. Slaves were never paid or could never be free (without permission). They could never marry or even get educated. The only place for slaves to be free was Canada. Slaves used the Underground Railroad to escape there and finally be free from slavery.

     The Underground Railroad was not even underground. It was a road that led the slaves to freedom. To get to that road, slaves would move from house to house to get to Canada. Mostly Quakers and a smaller amount of abolitionists were the people who got the slaves to Canada. People called the houses that were safe for a slave to hide stations. These stations were signed with a candle in the window meaning it’s a safe place for slaves. Slaves and the people that wanted to help slaves had a code that they said to each other. It was “Friend of a Friend”. The slaves from the south used to North Star to lead them north. Slaves had conductors, like Harriet Tubman, who helped to bring slaves closer to Canada. She had the nickname of “Moses”. Like the real Moses, Tubman helped to free slaves. Many men were workers to find the slaves and bring them back to their rightful owners. Slaves that make it to Canada lived the life of a normal white man without slavery.

           There was only one way to escape slavery and that way was the Underground Railroad. This railroad saved thousands of slaves’ lives and brought happiness to many slaves with freedom.