what was the undergroundrailroad

The Underground Railroad was a network of people devoted to providing shelter and support for escaped slaves. This was not a singularly organized movement though; the name Underground Railroad is simply a shorthand term for a number of different efforts by various groups and individuals on behalf of slaves.
A number of disparate organizations and groupings had provided assistance to runaway slaves as early as the late eighteenth century. Many of those involved were Quakers and other religious groups who had profound objections to slavery on both moral and spiritual grounds. One of these was the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
The term Underground Railroad was first used in the early 1830s. It was coined by a slave holder whose slave had been helped to escape. A particularly important role within the Underground Railroad was that of so-called conductors. Their highly dangerous job involved visiting plantations and guiding slaves to a place of safety. Prominent figures included Harriet Tubman, who made over nineteen such visits, leading over 300 slaves to freedom. She subsequently played an important role in the Civil War, passing on intelligence to the Union Army as well as continuing her vital role in the Underground Railroad.
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