African Americans And The Underground Railroad

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The Underground Railroad wasn’t literally a railroad that was underground. It got the name because of the fact that its activities had to be carried out in secret, using the darkness or a disguise, and because railway terms were used by those who were involved with the system to describe how exactly it worked. The various routes were lines, the stopping places were called stations, and those who helped the African Americans along the way were conductors while the slaves were known as packages, or freight. The different routes passed through 14 Northern states and to Canada which was inaccessible by fugitive-slave hunters. Those who helped the slaves to escape through the route were either members of the free black community, Northern abolitionists,