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Hand-illustrated from a newspaper.

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"Despite the efforts of Southerners to keep slaves in the dark about those who were willing to help them in the North, thousands of slaves did escape to the free states. Many escape routes led to the Ohio River, which formed the southern border of the free states of Illinois and Indiana. The large numbers of slaves who escaped belied the myths of contented slaves that originated from the South" (Historical Context 1).

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Legend of the path that could lead toward liberty and freedom in the Union territories created a sense of hope and optimism that slaves could flee and rase enough money in the north to buy their family's freedom. The Ohio River became synonymous with hope for people of color in America.

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KKK propaganda against the path toward the free states, circa 1869.

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KKK propaganda against the path toward the free states, circa 1869.

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Here, we see the impact of the power behind the symbol of the Ohio River as a path toward slave liberation, an antithesis to the institution of slavery and white racism.

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The Ohio River, which connects to the offshoot of the northern part of the Mississippi River was a sign of hope to fugitive and runaway slaves  along the Mississippi River because it would lead to the free territories of the Union states, Illinois & Indiana: