Harriet_Tubman_Bio

Harriet Tubman Bio For escaping slaves, the journey to freedom was the hardest time in their lives. The Underground Railroad extended throughout 14 northern states from Maine to Nebraska. However, the heaviest activities were concentrated in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, New York and the New England states (Compton’s, 7). Many fugitives reached Canada by way of Detroit or Niagara Falls New York, others sailed across Lake Erie to Ontario from ports like Erie, Pennsylvania and Sandusky Ohio (World Book, 21). Once slaves reached Canada, they were free from the prosecution mandated by the Fugitive Slave Acts (Compton’s,7). The runaway’s on the Underground Railroad traveled by night, and used the north star for guidance. When clouds covered the stars, they felt trees with their hands knowing moss grows the thickest on the north side of trees. Slaves new how to survive on their own, scavenging for food, picking berries, cucumbers or whatever else was in their surroundings. When running away those slaves with clothes often wore them in layers, others who didn’t sometimes suffered from frostbite. The slaves had a long way to travel on foot, some used covered wagon’s, carriages, farm wagons as well as boats and steam trains. Fugitives hid in freight cars slaves, railroad, underground, slave, called, new, wagnalls, sometimes, funk, fugitives, freedom, compton’s, traveled, helped, 154, world, others, north, even, canada, book, york, took, time, slavery, ships, room, quaker, place, pennsylvania, ohio, national, known, geographiccom, escaped