Traveling the Underground Railroad Through Testimonies

The Underground Railroad by Charles Blockson chronicles the accounts of slaves escaping Maryland who risked death to find freedom.

Allie Yisa

    • Baltimore, Maryland
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    • New York

Margaret Ward and Infant Son, Samuel Ringgold Ward

Samuel Green, Jr (Alias Wesley Kinnard) and Father Samuel Green, Sr

    • Baltimore, Maryland
    • Havre de Grace, Maryland
    • Wilmington, Delaware
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    • New York, New York
    • New Bedford, Massachusetts

Frederick Douglass

Summary:

Slave narratives have always had an immense importance because they're one of the only ways history has of counteracting the narratives that slaveholders tried to tell showcasing slavery as an institution and themselves as simply caretakers in a favorable light. The accounts highlighted here show the brutality that African Americans suffered at the hands of their masters, but also the bravery and strength they demonstrated in their escapes. Margaret Ward, postpartum with a tiny infant, walked alone with nothing more than the North Star to guide her seeking freedom. Samuel Green, Jr., inspired by the feats of Harriet Tubman, waited for his own chance to use the Underground Railroad seeking freedom in Canada. Frederick Douglass put up with injustices to gain an advantage for his well-thought-out and daring escape. Each creates freedom out of their meager resources.  

While each of them did immense things with next to nothing, they never did it alone. A common thread through each of their stories, though they’re all extremely different, is the community that surrounded them to lift them up out of slavery. Every bit of help they received was dangerous for not only the slave escaping but also for anyone offering the help, Black or white. Margaret Ward’s story could have been extremely different if not for the solidarity of the elderly slave woman willing to weigh her down with enough food to keep going. Frederick Douglass borrowed papers from a freedman. Both were hidden and helped along the way by those active in the Underground Railroad. Samuel Green, Jr.’s story, unfortunately, highlights exactly how dangerous escaping can be, even for those not involved in the escape, with his father exchanging his freedom for his son’s.

Still, the Underground Railroad was extremely successful in rescuing slaves through a network of people who were dedicated to helping those suffering and doing what they could to end slavery in the US. The struggles that slaves undertook to gain their own freedom rarely ended there, with each of them fighting to help others after their own escapes.

Sources:

Blockson, Charles. Maryland: Narrative of Margaret Ward and Infant Son, Samuel Ringgold Ward. Underground Railroad. New York. Prentice Hall. 1987. 0139357432. pp. 100-104.

Blockson, Charles. Maryland: Narrative of Samuel Green, Jr. Underground Railroad. New York. Prentice Hall. 1987. 0139357432. pp. 104-109.

Blockson, Charles. Maryland: Narrative of Frederick Douglass. Underground Railroad. New York. Prentice Hall. 1987. 0139357432. pp. 110-117.

North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association (NCUGRHA). (n.d.). NCUGRHA - People & Places - Lake Champlain: Gateway to Freedom. 2005-2023 North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association (NCUGRHA).  https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/lake-champlain.php?page=2 

Amanda. (2021). Cleveland street art: The best murals in Cleveland and where to find them. The Cleveland Traveler.  https://clevelandtraveler.com/cleveland-mural-guide/