Through the decades leading to the Civil War, African Americans and other opponents of slavery increasingly acted in secret to help runaways to safety in violation of Federal Law. Their practices coincided with the rapid expansion of railroads and came to be called “the underground railroad.” These efforts were decisive in destabilizing slavery and inspiring expanding numbers in the North to resist “the Slavery Power.”
This course also provides a case study of how a minority of citizens changed the course of history.
