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Slaves in the south had tried to escape to freedom for many years. There were harsh penalties for Slaves and anyone who tried to help them escape. In 1830 a group of people who wanted to end slavery called "abolitionists" got together and began planning the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to freedom (www.american-historama.org)

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The Underground Railroad was actually was not a railroad!

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The Underground Railroad was actually was not a railroad!

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The Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses and hideouts that helped slaves in the south escape to freedom in the north and Canada (pebblego).

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People who helped the slaves along the route were called conductors. Hideouts and homes where slaves hid along the way were called stations (www.ducksters.com)  There were many people who helped thousands of slaves escape to freedom.

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Harriet Tubman was a former slave in the south. After escaping to freedom, she become a main conductor on the Underground Railroad and helped many other slaves escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad (PebbleGO).

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Follow the Drinking Gourd written by Jeanette Winter conveys the treacherous journey that slaves had to endure to escape to freedom.

Put yourself in a slaves shoes at this time. How would you feel if you had to sneak out in the night and escape into the woods? What obstacles might you face along the way? What would you do to overcome those challenges?