By Lauren Neugebauer Wagner

It was not actually a railroad. It was a path that the slaves traveled with the help of conductors from safe house to safe house. Until they reached the North. Safe houses were identified by the candles or lamps that sat in their windows.

Harriet Tubman was a well-known Underground Railroad conductor. She took 19 trips and escorted 300 slaves to the north. In a time period of ten year. Her code name was Moses.

When Harriet was twelve years old an overseer threw an iron weight at her and struck her in the head. She was standing up for another slave. For the rest of her life she suffered from headaches and blackouts.

In the south she had a $40,000 reward if captured. Her most challenging journey was rescuing her 70 year old parents. She later became a scout, spy and nurse during the Civil War.

Most slaves escaped to the North and Canada. But some slave runaways escaped to Florida and Mexico.

Code words often used to protect the underground railroad The slaves were often called baggage Canada was referred to as heaven Forwarding was moving the slaves to another location The underground railroad was called the freedom train The Mississippi River was the River of Jordan The North Star was called the drinking gourd

The Quakers often supplied safe houses for runaway slaves. But most of the people that helped the slaves escape where slaves that all ready escaped. They were hidden in. Churches Shops Schools Barns Houses

The conductors took the slaves to the North in various ways. They led them through woods and fields on foot. They hid them on boats sailing north. They hid them in boxes and put them on trains.

Sometimes the slaves didn’t make it and were caught while trying to escape. They were sold farther south for it would be more difficult for them to escape. They were beaten and forced to do harder work. They were sold to there former slave owners neighbors. The previous owner wouldn’t want to risk the possibility that they would run away again.

40,000 to 100,000 slave escaped to the North with the help of the Underground Railroad. Exact number can not be found because most slaves could not read or write.

Review Who was a conductor that’s code name was Moses? Harriet Tubman What where the two routes that slaves could escape by? North/Canada Florida/Mexico About how many slaves escaped by the Underground Railroad? 40,000 t0 100,000 slaves

The End