The Underground Railroad: Crash Course Black American History #15

Escape was one of the many ways that enslaved people resisted their captivity in the system of American slavery. The Underground Railroad was not literally a railroad. It was a network of people, routes, and safe houses that helped people escape from slavery in the south to freedom in the north. Today we'll talk about the origins of the Underground Railroad, the systems that helped people escape, and the people who helped along the route.

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[Dan-udhz]

"If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there's shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going."
General Harriet Tubman

[kevind]

"Free Black communities in the upper South". I'd be interested in learning more about where such communities were and how they maintained that freedom.

[drunkmanreviewsdrinkingtec]

This series should be required for high-school. Every episode I watch I'm blown away by how well and clearly everything is presented.

[SamyTheBookWorm]

The Underground Railroad was a group of people who broke federal laws to do what was right, and hopefully save lives. There are a lot of people who focus so much on what the laws are that they forget that laws are often immoral and wrong, and sometimes the only right thing to do is to break them.

[thecaveofthedead]

I felt very emotional when Clint was describing his feelings as a child about people who didn't escape. Such an important thing to clarify. If these systems of cruelty didn't have effective methods of preventing most people from escaping or revolting, they'd never have existed in the first place.

[sheknitsslow]

This entire series is so enlightening, important, and well done. Kudos to the entire team that has put this together.

[kairyumina]

I gotta say, as a teacher, this series is far and away the best crashcourse history content available. And that is saying a lot because I love John Green.

[sboochek]

Mexico is one of three countries in the world, where the act of escaping the prison is NOT a crime. They argue that the will to freedom is so natural for human soul, that one can not simply punish others for this will (ofc. you can not do other crimes while escaping, but basicaly, if you escape and don´t hurt anyone or destroy anything, they will not add to your time).
Now I know where this has it´s roots

[z.zomb.z]

I definitely, as a white woman, while watching this realized that the story of how the north was this "magical haven" for enslaved black people was something I hadn't even realized I had internalized. Thank you for calling attention to that and giving me an opportunity through knowledge to improve. I deeply appreciate all that you've done.

[KY_CPA]

This series has made me thoroughly appreciate that I spent 3rd-6th grade east of Richmond VA. At my school, even with it being majority white students, we visited plantations, slave quarters, a house that was a stop asking the underground railroad and the cramped hiding quarters located within, and heard several stories of ugly truth that have always made me empathize with the truly horrific aspects that enslaved ppl have gone through.
(Though admittedly part of that empathy likely arises from being of Native American and Mexican heritages.)

[crispinamarybush]

Thank you for being so transparent in sharing your own views from a child’s perspective. I think you are uplifting our ancestors and hopefully our generation would pay attention and have more respect and admiration for our elders instead of viewing them as weak. You shine light into the institution they were trapped into and as we pause and look around we are still in the same social settings that trap our minds. Respect and appreciation for the work and research you do.

[ebell]

This was one of the most thought-provoking episodes of the series. Not only for the subject at hand, but for its relation to things like Texas/Mexico and those who did not go North to freedom. I look forward to future episodes. Thanks for an excellent Crash Course.

[RofLuxRay]

Vicente Guerrero was the one who abolished slavery legally in Mexico, but the one who first championed the idea with his documents "Los sentimientos de la nación" was José María Morelos y Pavón. In Mexico, we are taught he was the first to abolish slavery in the south of the country

[Rabcup]

This series is an invaluable teaching tool. So candid, so clear, and more relevant in recent history than ever before.

[historyking]

Wow. I never knew William Still had a book about hundreds of former slaves who escaped and their lives. Definitely will have to add that to my reading list

[tianeshadrayton]

Thank you for teaching this with such integrity, and offering dignity to the individuals who history has not had the chance to acknowledge or highlight.

[MrQueerDuck]

Thank you for keeping their heroism and desperate struggles green in our memory! Like so many have said: I'm learning so much from this invaluable series 💖

[hzifvjy]

wow they are literally heroes. this makes me so emotional :(

[pfalzerwaldgumby]

55 years ago when I was roughly 8, I read a book about Harriet Tubman. I was fascinated then and remain fascinated.

[silverswordstudios]

Indeed, escaping slavery was a terrifying endeavor, with uncertainty of the future and the possibility of being caught ever present. This is why we hold the efforts of those in the Underground Railroad to high regard, as they demonstrated insurmountable courage against these fears and possibilities by merely attempting to escape. Those that didn't escape or were unable to escape were no less brave as many combatted the institution in various other ways, but the challenge of stepping into the unknown and dangerous world of freedom for an escaped slave certainly took guts.