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Underground Railroad

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Underground Railroad

system which helped slaves to escape to the North. [Am. Hist.: EB, X: 255]

Underground Railroad

effective means of escape for southern slaves. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 514]
See: Freedom
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Underground Railroad

 

the name of a secret system for the organization of escapes by Negro slaves from the southern slaveholding states of the USA; it existed until the Civil War of 1861–65.

The Underground Railroad had “stations,” or stopping places en route at homes of citizens who sympathized with the escapees, and “conductors,” of leaders of groups of escapees. The routes of the Underground Railroad ran from the states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland to the northern states and Canada. The chief organizers of the Underground Railroad were free Negroes, participants in the abolitionist movement, and Quakers. Between 1830 and 1860 about 60,000 slaves found freedom by means of the Underground Railroad.

REFERENCE

Foster, W. Z. Negritianskii narod v istorii Ameriki. Moscow, 1955. Pages 175–78. (Translated from English.)
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive
During the past 15 years, federal agencies, local history groups and individuals have actively pursued the objective of making the preservation and public interpretation of the Underground Railroad a national priority through National Park Service programs and initiatives.
Thanks to the fervent advocacy of preservationists, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, the Underground Railroad is on the fast track to cultural sanctification as a model of righteousness, rebellion and, most important, interracial cooperation.
"The inspiring stories of Illinois' Underground Railroad sites should be shared, not forgotten," said Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois President & CEO.
The Commission commissioned a scholarly study, done by two professors from Niagara University, in an attempt to prove that Niagara Falls was a central location for the Underground Railroad's activities.
Tamika wants to go back in time to learn about the Underground Railroad. Her family escaped slavery in the south and traveled through Ohio, Indiana and Michigan to eventually find freedom in Canada.
The Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman at Niagara Falls, New York
Charles Walker Gollar, an associate professor of church history at Xavier, says his students study the role of the church among slaves and the churches' relationship with the Underground Railroad. As part of his research for his doctorate, Gollar learned his ancestors were slaveholders in the 1780s and early 19th century in Bardstown, Ky.
Signed to the legendary One Little Indian label (Bjork, Alabama 3, Twilight Singers etc), Underground Railroad's Pixies meets Pavement meets Blonde Redhead sound has seen them tour with the likes of Ladyhawke, Nada Surf and Deerhoof.
The scroll was exhibited at the Underground Railroad conference at St.
Front Line of Freedom: African Americans and the Forging of the Underground Railroad in the Ohio Valley.
And even when the history of blacks in Canada is told, it often focuses disproportionately on the lives of blacks in Ontario, particularly those who escaped American slavery to arrive in Canaan Land by way of the Underground Railroad. Likewise, contemporary black Canadian history, one that usually centers on the 80-plus years of black immigration from the Caribbean and Africa, tends to emphasize how they came looking for better opportunities.
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