The Underground Railroad
During the 1800s, estimates suggest that more than 100,000 enslaved people sought freedom through the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad is the symbolic term given to the routes enslaved Black Americans took to gain their freedom as they traveled, often as far as Canada and Mexico. Free Blacks, Whites, Native Americans and other slaves acted as conductors by aiding fugitive slaves to their freedom. This 19th century freedom movement challenged the way Americans viewed slavery and freedom.
Timeline
A list of historic dates along the path to abolition.
Expand Your Knowledge
A core activity of the Freedom Center is educating the general public about the history of the Underground Railroad against the broader story of America's struggle for freedom. By combining elements of freedom struggles past and present, technology, and 21st Century teaching and learning, we accomplish several goals in line with our mission to extend the lessons of courage, cooperation, and perseverance beyond the walls of our facility.
Freedom Stations
The Freedom Stations Program is a national outreach program linking historic Underground Railroad sites, research centers, university library collections, and museums engaged in Underground Railroad and slavery era research, historic preservation through the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Network to Freedom
In 1998 the Freedom Center and the National Park Service (NPS) signed a cooperative agreement to become partners in the effort to make the history and stories of the Underground Railroad available to the widest possible audience. These NPS sites provide general background information, lists of documented sites, and case studies of individuals who escaped to freedom. Today, the National Park Service, through shared leadership with local, state, and federal entities, as well as interested individuals and organizations operates the Network to Freedom which will:
- promote programs and partnerships to commemorate
- preserve sites and other resources associated with, and
- educate the public about the historical significance of the UGRR.
