The Underground Railroad - Freedom Quiz

Answer: slaves

The Underground Railroad wasn't an actual railroad. It was a special system of people - abolitionists including both free blacks as well as whites, places, and routes that provided assistance, guidance, and shelter to slaves who were freedom seekers. News regarding the existence of the Underground Railroad was largely spread by word of mouth, from those who had escaped to those who were still slaves.

It was kept secret on purpose, with no maps or other documents being used.

Answer: Free states and British North America (Canada)

Many slaves made their way to the free northern states, such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey, and others went to what is now Canada. Slavery was not economically viable in the free northern states due to their diversified economies.

In Canada, on the other hand, because of its legal status and the structure of its society, slavery had been abolished in Upper Canada (modern day Ontario). In 1793 the Act to Limit Slavery had been passed, which restricted slavery and emancipated the children of enslaved women. The entire British Empire eventually abolished slavery in 1834.

Answer: people who helped the slaves escape

The conductors were people who were both white and black who took huge personal risks to help slaves escape to freedom. They acted as guides, helping escapees reach safe houses along the Underground Railroad. Some of the more famous conductors were Frederick Douglass, Levi Coffin, William Still, Reverend Grimes, John Brown, and, of course, Harriet Tubman.

Answer: True

Yes, it did. Mexico officially abolished slavery in 1837, fueling the southern Underground Railroad. It was less organized than the northern route, relying heavily on the support of the community as well as individual knowledge of the terrain. The Mexican government refused to return the escapees despite the American slave owners repeated attempts to negotiate extradition treaties.

Answer: Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman is one of the more famous conductors on the Underground Railroad. She took 13 separate trips between 1850 and 1860 to lead approximately 70 people to freedom in the free northern states and Canada. Although Tubman was illiterate, she was a courageous and intelligent woman who was able to navigate the way through instinct and observation.

The amazing thing is that she was never caught.

Answer: Quaker

Due to their religious beliefs, the Quakers were very strong opponents of slavery, as strongly believed in equality. Quakers were a vital part of the Underground Railroad, providing safe havens, food, clothing, and transportation, as well as financial aid.

They also helped the former slaves settle in to free communities. Quakers were not concentrated to one part of the country. They were active in various parts of the United States, including the Northeast and even in some parts of the South.

Answer: It is not known for sure

There are several accounts regarding who coined the term 'Underground Railroad'. According to one, a shoemaker and former slave, Thomas Smallwood, came up with it. He wrote under a pseudonym for an abolitionist newspaper in New York and used the term to deride slaveholders and slave catchers.

Another account suggests that Tice Davids, an enslaved man, escaped and his owner blamed an 'Underground Railroad'. Another possible source is from an 1839 Washington newspaper article, where an escaped enslaved man mentioned a plan to go north on an 'Underground Railroad' to Boston.

Answer: In 1793 more power was given to state and local officials

The U.S. Constitution of 1789 stated that freedom seekers had to be returned to their owners, and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was passed to enforce that, with state and local authorities being tasked with returning runaway slaves. The act allowed captured suspected freedom seekers to be brought before a judge, and the judge got the final say on whether the escapees were fleeing slavery or not.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 relied more on the federal government that authorized federal agents to arrest and return escaped slaves to their owners, even if they had made it to the free states. It also provided more consequences for those individuals who helped them escape, and put more pressure on private citizens to help with the capture of escapees.

Answer: stations

The homes, barns, churches, and schoolhouses where escaped slaves could rest, eat, and get help were known as stations. Some of the more well known ones are Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, NY), which was nicknamed the 'Grand Central Depot' of the Underground Railroad, the Harriet Tubman Home (Auburn, NY), which provided assistance for those seeking freedom, and the Johnson House (Philadelphia, PA), a Quaker family's home that served to aid those fleeing slavery.

Answer: Yes

Oh, yes. The conductors on the Underground Railroad took action to help the escaped slaves at substantial personal risk. They faced fines, jail time, loss of their homes and other possessions, execution, branding, societal backlash, and even being sold into slavery themselves. Samuel Burris, a free black man, was caught helping escaped slaves and was fined, jailed, and eventually put on the auction block to be sold. An abolitionist posing as a slave buyer bought Burris and immediately set him free. Reverand Calvin Fairbank, a white abolitionist, was arrested more than once for his work on the Underground Railroad, and served a total of 19 years in prison.

The sea captain, Jonathan Walker was jailed, fined, pilloried, and branded on his hand with the letters, 'SS' for 'slave stealer'.