Caroline Jolley Ms.

Caruso English 1102 14 February 2012 A Day In The Life of a Slave: Underground Railroad

Jolley

Comment [ao1]: Reviewed by Ashly Oehler

Imagine as if you were a slave who had been mistreated and used for far too long. One day you decide to run away and become a free person but you are scared of the consequences that come with possibly getting caught. You have heard about an escaping resource called the Underground Railroad, but do not know enough about it to pursue your route for escaping. The Underground Railroad was a secret escape route developed particularly for slaves to be able to escape and become free. The railroad operated before the Civil War ended freedom, between 1861 and 1865. (Pathways to Freedom) The Underground Railroad provided runaway slaves with hiding places, food, and transportation. The people who helped slaves to become free were called conductors and the slaves themselves were usually called passengers. The conductors provided safety for the passengers by hiding them in their homes and providing them with food and shelter. The conductors were risking their safety by doing this. Slave hunters would go the extra mile and knock on doors asking if people had seen or were hiding the runaway slaves. The Underground Railroad was not a real railroad nor was it necessarily underground. There are different myths about how the name came to be. It got its name because its activities had to be carried out in secret, using darkness or disguise, and because railway terms were used by those involved with system to describe how it worked. (history)
Comment [ao5]: List a few? Comment [ao2]: You could list examples of transportation and where slaves were taken Comment [ao3]: I would add examples of famous conductors or passengers and maybe personal accounts so readers get a feel of what it was actually like Comment [ao4]: You could add the consequences for the conductors if they got caught hiding slaves.