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The Underground Railroad

By Grace Fleming, About.com

The Underground Railroad was a path to freedom for many African-Americans who lived under the cruelty of slavery, but it was not a pathway made of metal and wood.

It was not a single road at all, in fact. It was a system made of paths, trails, roads, secret hideouts, as well as human toil, courage, and tears.

Every component and participant of the Underground Railroad was shrouded in secret, so nobody knows precisely how and where it started.

Although many people relate its activities to the Civil War era, it is clearly rooted in Colonial history.

Leaders of the Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman, known as "The Conductor"
Frederick Douglas

For more information: The Underground Railroad

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