The Underground Railroad was a method that helped enslaved people escape from the South to the North during the mid-1800’s. The passengers did not travel on a real train nor did they go underground. They traveled by whatever means they could, moving during the nighttime and hiding during the daytime in safe houses.

Many railroad terms were used as code words. For example, hiding places were called stations, and people who helped the runaways were known as conductors.

The most famous black leader of the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman, a runaway slave herself.