Escaping+to+Freedom

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By: Lauren Russ, Josh Greer, Ben Brown, and Tyler Story



Escaping slavery wasn't an easy task. The slaves in the more northern states were more likely to be free. If a slave would escape, chances are they would have to leave at night to decrease their chances of getting caught. When slaves would escape plantations, they had to avoid patrollers which, were white men who made sure slaves weren’t traveling without their masters or without permission. Although, Not many slaves attempted to escape to freedom because they were afraid of the consequences if they were to get caught. consequences Included little food, verbal and physical abuse, and sometimes even death. If they were lucky, they would be sold to a different owner.

While slaves were escaping plantations to find freedom, they would sing songs about freedom and finding their way. The songs that the slaves sung were "coded" so that the slave drivers didn't know what they were planning to do. When the songs were played, the slaves were the only ones who were able to understand, and the only ones that payed attention to the words within the song. These certain songs were referred to as "slave songs", which were lyrics that saved some slaves' lives.

When slaves would escape, they would go to the northern states, which is where they would be free. Unfortunately, on September 18, 1950, the United States Congress passed the "Fugitive Slave Act". Which allowed slave owners and catchers to recapture slaves that escaped to the northern states. That meant slaves would have to travel to Canada in order to be free. Although, in 1854 the Act was abolished and considered unconstitutional.

There were a total of 100,000 slaves that were able to escape to freedom. A famous woman known as, Harriet Tubman, made 19 dangerous trips from the northern and southern states to Canada (mainly along the underground Railroad) to help over 300 slaves escape. The Underground Railroad was a long path with safe houses owned by Quakers and travel routes that guided runaway slaves through the southern states, and up to the North. This was a very common way for slaves to escape, but there were other ways to get "halfway" free. For example, there were times when slaves would escape to a different state in the south where they weren’t known well, so they could get away with a little more than they would have in the original state where they traveled from. There was also the way that the slaves owner died and gave the business to him and he became freed.

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