the underground railroad - Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District

Lesson 2
The Journey on the Underground Railroad
8
Guiding Question: What was it like traveling on the Underground Railroad?
I. Read
African Americans challenged slavery in a number of ways-- through mischief,
rebellion, and seeking freedom. By word of mouth, coded song (“wade in water”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER2b21X8dMM) and fable, enslaved people
learned of the free North. For those who chose to seek freedom, the journey was
uncertain and required much endurance as well as spirit. These freedom seekers
traveled hundreds of miles at night under the cover of darkness guided the “drinking
gourd,” eluding slave catchers. Escaping to freedom was anything but easy for a
fugitive slave.
Escaped slaves faced a long journey filled with fear and the possibility that they
would never reach freedom. The winter was the best time to escape because the
nights were long and freedom seekers moved at night, up to 20 miles. They would
travel from station to station under the cover of darkness. During the day they had
to stay out of sight. They would rest and eat, hiding in secret places.
The journey North was stressful. Escaped slaves had little knowledge of the land.
They had little, if any money. Finding a “safe house” was often difficult. Escaped
slaves often went several weeks between stations. The journey was long often
several hundred miles and it took some 2 months and others more than a year to
reach freedom. Slave catchers with guns, horses, and dogs tracked the runaways.
Freedom seekers were clever and creative. One group of escaped slaves hired a
hearse and disguised themselves as a funeral procession! One man shipped himself
North in a box!