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    Who Traveled the Underground Railroad?
    Who Traveled the Underground Railroad?
    Who Traveled the Underground Railroad?
    Ebook104 pages53 minutes

    Who Traveled the Underground Railroad?

    By Cath Senker

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    About this ebook

    How do we know about the slaves who escaped using what is known as the Underground Railroad, and about the people that organized it? What were they escaping from, and what happened to them? This book shows how we know about the fugitives and their experiences from primary and other sources. It includes information on some historical detective work that has taken place, using documentary and archaeological evidence, that has enabled historians to piece together the fascinating story of the Underground Railroad.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCapstone Young Readers
    Release dateDec 21, 2015
    ISBN9781484635568
    Who Traveled the Underground Railroad?
    Author

    Cath Senker

    Cath Senker has over twenty years' experience in children's educational publishing and has written around 100 books for children for a range of publishers. Her books include highly regarded titles on Anne Frank, the Black Death and the Vietnam War, books on religions and the conflict between North and South Korea, and forthcoming titles on Self-Harm and Relationships. She lives the green lifestyle and has undertaken voluntary work for a range of organizations.

    Read more from Cath Senker

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      Book preview

      Who Traveled the Underground Railroad? - Cath Senker

      CONTENTS

      A BID FOR FREEDOM

      WHY DID PEOPLE ESCAPE SLAVERY?

      WHAT WAS THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD?

      WHO USED THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD?

      HOW DID FUGITIVES ESCAPE?

      WHERE DID FUGITIVES GO?

      WHAT WERE THE RISKS?

      WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FUGITIVES?

      WHY WAS THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SIGNIFICANT?

      TIMELINE

      GLOSSARY

      FIND OUT MORE

      INDEX

      Some words are shown in bold, like this. You can find out what they mean by looking in the glossary.

      A BID FOR FREEDOM

      Charles Gilbert was a slave in the city of Richmond, Virginia. His master, Benjamin Davis, was eager to sell him for a good price. As Davis was plotting to sell Gilbert, the young man was planning his escape. He made contact with a ship’s captain, who promised to transport him to freedom if he could make his way to Old Point Comfort, which was 160 miles (260 kilometers) from Richmond.

      Many of Gilbert’s relatives lived in Old Point Comfort, so he knew his master would seek him there. He would have to lie low until the ship’s departure. He found a gloomy spot under a hotel where he hid for four weeks. He emerged only under the cover of darkness to gather food from the hotel’s slop tub, which contained the guests’ waste food. One day, he was almost discovered by a boy. Gilbert barked like a dog to frighten away the child. The trick worked, but he knew it was time to move on.

      After spending a night up a tree, his next hiding place was at the washhouse of his slave friend Isabella. Unable to stay with her openly, he lifted the floorboards and hid underneath. Yet slave hunters came searching for him, so he fled back to the hotel and then to the woods, where he again had to imitate a dog to avoid being detected. Meanwhile, Gilbert’s mother had heard her son was attempting escape; she saved up some money, and a passage was booked for him on a steamer going to Philadelphia. Gilbert was overjoyed. He chose to spend his last night at Isabella’s washhouse.

      This painting, based on The Underground Railroad by Charles T. Webber (1825–1911), shows abolitionists Levi and Catherine Coffin, and Hannah Haydock, helping a group of fugitive slaves.

      HISTORY DETECTIVES: SOURCES

      A primary source is a source created at the time being studied and provides evidence of life at the time. Primary sources include reports, letters, diaries, photographs, and paintings. We know about Charles Gilbert from a primary source. When he reached Philadelphia, he told his story to William Still (see page 8), who published it. Other primary sources about slave escapes include books written by fugitives and interviews carried out with former slaves. You can find these in the library or on the Internet. These are useful primary sources. Yet not all materials produced at the time are useful.

      Secondary sources interpret primary sources. They include history books and encyclopedias. They often include images or quotes from primary sources.

      A NARROW ESCAPE

      Shortly after Gilbert’s arrival, three officers came looking for him. He had not yet hidden, but was upstairs in a bedroom. To his great alarm, he heard an officer climbing up the stairs. Would they discover him, just hours before his departure?

      Resourceful as ever, Gilbert quickly put on a dress and large bonnet that he found in the bedroom. Downstairs he went, the bonnet neatly covering his face. An officer asked his name and to whom he belonged. Gilbert, inventing some names, answered in a sweet, high voice. And he left the house, to board the steamer for Philadelphia and freedom.

      WHY DID PEOPLE ESCAPE SLAVERY?

      Why did Charles Gilbert and other slaves try to escape? To answer that question, we need to investigate slavery in the United States. Primary sources can help us. For example, we can read the laws of the time, which explain how slaves were legal property, like houses or animals. You can find evidence in newspapers from the time that indicates the effects of the laws and people’s attitudes toward slavery.

      The laws gave slaves no legal rights. They could not vote, own property, or marry. Slaves could not go anywhere without their master’s permission. Slave owners could sell their slaves to another person, so families were often separated. Sometimes a father or mother was sold, or children were sold away from their parents.

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