Underground Railroad

Ripley was a town that hated slavery. Maybe Tice Davids, a Kentucky runaway slave, knew that as he swam for his life across the Ohio River.

 His white master wasn’t far behind. With his eyes fixed on his “property,” the owner furiously rowed across the river which separated free states (like Ohio) from slave states (like Kentucky). What happened next gave the “Underground Railroad” its name.

How did people like Tice Davids get to Kentucky in the first place? They were kidnapped from their African homes, sent to “the new world” amidst appalling conditions on slave ships, sold at auction to the highest bidder and then “worked to the bone” for no wages. They, and their families, were considered “the property” of plantation owners throughout the American South and the Caribbean Islands.

To escape, slaves sometimes used the underground railroad. How did it work? Were there actual routes? Who were some of its principal conductors? What happened to slaves who were caught?

In this story behind the underground railroad, investigate what life was life for slaves. See pictures of slave auctions where families were often split apart. Virtually visit the American South and examine photos from America’s national archives.