The Most Dangerous Role of the Underground Railroad

1. The Most Dangerous Role of the Underground Railroad Runaway Slaves

2. Runaway Slaves Runaway slaves faced the most dangers during their tip to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Unfamiliar territories/climates, lack of food and appropriate clothing, traveling at night, slave catchers, and fake safe houses are some of the dangers they faced.

3. Unfamiliar Territory Runaway slaves had to quickly adapt to new and strange territories. • Swamps • Forests • Rivers/streams • Fields

4. Climate Changes Especially in the Northern states, the climate changes dramatically from that of the Southern states. • Colder weather • Snow • Frost • Sleet/hail

5. No Food Runaway slaves didn’t pack food before they ran away. • Berries, roots, plants, etc. from forests • Given food by people in favor of anti slavery • Safe houses provided food • Stole from farms along the way

6. Inadaquit Clothing Slaves didn’t own nice clothing. • Basically wore rags • Rarely wore shoes

7. Traveling by Night Traveling by night wasn’t very easy. • Can’t see much of the unfamiliar land • The North Star wasn’t always visable

8. Slave Catchers Slave catchers were always a threat. • Some hunted slaves using dogs • Brought back to slavery if caught • Don’t know who to trust • Miss communication could lead to being caught

9. Decoy Safe Houses As time went on, not all safe houses were authentic. • Slave catchers caught on to safe houses • Fake safe houses were set up to capture slaves • Harder to tell whether a safe house was real or not