Underground Railroad Basics
What was the Underground Railroad?
A secret network of routes and safe houses that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
Who escaped slavery and returned many times to rescue others?
Harriet Tubman!
What 1850 law punished people who helped enslaved individuals escape?
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
What visual medium showed Black family life and dignity?
Photography.
Showing Black joy and everyday life resisted what ideology?
Dehumanization
Why did missions mainly take place at night?
Darkness reduced the risk of being caught by slave patrols or bounty hunters.
Who was the most photographed American of the 19th century?
Frederick Douglas
What punishments did helpers of escapees face?
Heavy fines and prison time.
Why did Frederick Douglass never smile in portraits?
To reject racist caricatures and project seriousness and intelligence.
What shared goal connects the Underground Railroad and resistance art?
Freedom and liberation.
About how many enslaved people escaped through the Underground Railroad?
Around 30,000.
Who was known as the “Moses of her people” for guiding enslaved people to freedom?
Harriet Tubman
Why were freedom seekers unsafe even in Northern states?
Slave catchers could kidnap them and force them back into slavery.
Why was photography powerful for Black communities?
It allowed self-representation without white intermediaries.
What did resistance art preserve when textbooks erased Black history?
Memory and cultural identity.
What were “safe houses” or “stations”?
Homes, churches, and barns where escapees could hide during their journey.
Which abolitionist gave powerful speeches worldwide and published The North Star newspaper to support the antislavery movement?
Frederick Douglas
Why did people escaping slavery often travel in groups or with conductors?
To avoid profiling and reduce the risk of being detained alone.
How did resistance art flip the power dynamic of representation?
It let Black people define their own image instead of accepting stereotypes.
Douglass believed changing how Black people were seen would change how they were what?
Treated.
What were enslaved people escaping on the Underground Railroad called?
Passengers or freedom seekers.
Which artist preserved Black cultural memory through storytelling quilts?
Harriet Powers.
What method did enslaved people use to communicate secret escape information?
Coded messages in spirituals.
What is the term/phrase for using creative expression to fight oppression?
Cultural resistance.
What root belief of white supremacy do both escape networks and resistance art challenge?
The belief that Black people were inferior and lacked humanity.