The Underground Railroad: The Clandestine Network of Routes and Safe Houses in the United States

In the early to mid-nineteenth century, a clandestine network called the Underground Railroad emerged in the United States, comprising secret routes and safe havens. Enslaved African Americans predominantly utilized this network to escape to free states and Canada, seeking refuge from the shackles of slavery. Abolitionists and sympathetic individuals played pivotal roles in supporting and facilitating the flight of fugitive slaves through this covert network.

The term "Underground Railroad" encompasses both the enslaved individuals striving to break free and the compassionate souls who aided them in their quest for freedom. Beyond leading to free states and Canada, alternative routes extended to Mexico, where slavery had been abolished, and to various Caribbean islands not involved in the slave trade. Another historical escape route traced south toward Florida during the late 17th century until around 1790 when Florida was under Spanish rule.

While the Underground Railroad network began to take shape in the late 18th century, its influence expanded gradually northward until President Abraham Lincoln's enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. By 1850, an estimated 100,000 enslaved individuals had sought liberation through this clandestine system.