The underground railroad was an informal but extremely organized system, that was started in the early 1830's. It helped thousands of enslaved people escape. There were members called "conductors," which they transported runaways north secretly, also providing food and shelter during the journey, they saw them to freedom in the North. This gave the slaves a fresh start. Harriet Tubman was a free slave, and she would make trips down South to help other slaves get on the underground railroad. This was very risky, but she did it successfully many times. And the whole underground railroad would not have been successful without the signs and symbols used from conductor to conductor. That is what made the whole thing work, and no one really knows where the these signs came from but they helped with the whole system. Also a helper with the underground railroad was Levi Coffin, he allowed African Americans to stay at his house, which joined with 3 routes of the underground railroad. It is estimated that about 2,000 slaves stopped at his house on the way to freedom. This caused a lot of issues with the South, and they could no longer trust Northern intentions.
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