The transatlantic slave trade and the fugitive slave laws in the late 18th century led to a significant increase in the number of people seeking freedom. Runaway slaves were often aided in their escape by a growing network of people who saw slavery as morally reprehensible. This network, the Underground Railroad, was first organized in the 1830s and continued on through the Civil War, growing and evolving as owners hunted down runaways. The system eventually disappeared with the official end of slavery in the South after the Civil War. From the new set
Slavery in the Americas ,
The Underground Railroad
explores this intriguing time in American history more thoroughly. Topics include: the arrival of slaves in the Americas; the impact of the American Revolution; the Northwest Ordinance of 1787; the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793; Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and the Underground Railroad; The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850; Harriet Beecher Stowe’s
Uncle Tom’s Cabin ; The Dred Scott decision; The Civil War; and the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Underground Railroad.