The Underground Railroad

Paper Summary:

The paper briefly discusses Harriet Tubman, the primary individual linked to the Underground Railroad, and explains the injustice that inspired the bravery of Tubman and others. The paper looks at the legends and facts concerning the Underground Railroad's escape route. The paper then notes the participation of Thomas Garrett and Laura Haviland in the Underground Railroad, which provides evidence that it was not only black individuals and Quakers who were involved in the Underground Railroad.

Outline:
Introduction
Harriet Tubman-Moses
The Injustice that Fired the Heart of Tubman and Others
The Legend and the Facts
Not Only Blacks in the Underground Railroad Movement
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Underground Railroad was not a railroad in reality but instead was a mode of escape for many slaves from the bonds of slavery. While a great deal of legend surrounds the Underground Railroad, nevertheless, the Underground Railroad did exist and did serve to assist slaves in the South to Freedom in the North. Whether or not their lives were actually bettered by this freedom is another story. The work of Bordewich (2005) relates that slavery in North America "was born in the moist, flat tidewater country along Chesapeake Bay, and the lower Delaware, James and Rappannock rivers, where tobacco growing first made English settlement profitable.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Biographical Profiles: The Underground Railroad (nd) Dickinson Education History Departments. Online available at: http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/hist/NEHworkshops/NEH/resource/profiles2.htm
• Bordewich, Fergus M. (2005) Underground Railroad. Harper Collins 2005. Online Google Books available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=tlAaNpjJbPAC&dq=harriet+tubman,+the+underground+railroad&lr=&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
• Ferri, Jeri and Ritz, Karen (1988) Go Free or Die: A Story about Harriet Tubman. Millbook Press 1988. Online Google Books. Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=TfXr7Jg6sBwC&dq=harriet+tubman,+the+underground+railroad&lr=&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
• Gara, Larry (1996) The Liberty Line. University of Kentucky Press. Online Google Books available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=gCnV7Yf420oC&dq=harriet+tubman,+the+underground+railroad&lr=&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
• Harriet Tubman (2008) Women of the Hall. Online National Women's Hall of Fame available at: http://womenshalloffame.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=159

More papers on The Underground Railroad:

• Term Paper # 107446 : "The Underground Railroad and Life of Slavery"
• Term Paper # 115839 : "The Underground Railroad"
• Research Paper # 67710 : "The Underground Railway"

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