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"Escaping Child in Trunk." This enslaved child escaped from his master, hidden in a trunk with the aid of a conductor on the Underground Railroad. His journey probably took days to reach freedom. Just how long he was shut away in the total darkness of this small trunk is unknown. How old to you think this boy is? How did he prepare for this trip? Did he have food to eat and water to drink? Will he know anyone when he arrives in a northern free state? What happened to runaway slaves if they were caught? William Still. The Underground Railroad: A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, & etc. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1872. Mariners’ Museum.	"Osman." 1856. David Hunter Strother, an artist for Harper's Magazine, captured the alarm and determination of this runaway slave in the Dismal Swamp of North Carolina. Strother remarked: "I had long nurtured a wish to see one of those sable outlaws who dwell in the fastnesses of the Swamp ... [Osman's] hair and beard were tipped with gray, and his purely African features were cast in a mould betokening, in the highest degree, strength and energy. The expression of the face was mingled fear and ferocity, and every moment betrayed a life of habitual caution and watchfulness." The dense vegetation and marshy land made the swamps a difficult place for masters and bounty hunters to search for runaway slaves, for the same reasons it was also difficult for slaves to survive these treacherous parts for long periods. Notice that Osman is holding a musket, how common do you think it was for runaways to have weapons like this for protection? Mariners' Museum.	"Anti-Slavery Meetings!" 1850. This anti-slavery broadside was produced by abolitionists in Salem, Ohio. Northern abolitionists fought against the institution of slavery by organizing meetings and printing and distributing leaflets, pamphlets, newspapers, and books on the evils of slavery. One way abolitionists promoted support among northerners for their cause was to hold meetings in which they highlighted, often by featuring orations and speeches by runaways from slavery, the inhumane treatment slaves endured in the South. Abolitionists were especially concerned that western territories petitioning to enter the Union after the War with Mexico in 1850 enter as free states rather than slave states. They also worried about the use of federal laws to track down and capture runaway slaves. The supporters of slavery, on the other hand, were outraged at what they thought were the gross exaggerations by the abolitionists about the poor conditions endured by the enslaved people of the South. Library of Congress.
"Laura Smith Haviland." (1808-1898) Laura Smith Haviland was an abolitionist and conductor in the Underground Railroad. Haviland's anti-slavery efforts became her life's work, establishing the first Underground Railroad station in Michigan and traveling to the South many times to help runaway slaves find their way to freedom. In 1849, Haviland opened a school for African Americans in Toledo, Ohio in an effort to educate free blacks. She continued her humanitarian work as a nurse in the Civil War and agent of the Freedmen's Aid Society. Here Haviland is pictured probably speaking at an anti-slavery meeting. What are the various instruments in her hands and in front of her? What were they used for and why do you think she is displaying them? If you were in the audience, able to see and touch these devices, would it make you want to end slavery? Also, do you think it unusual, or typical, that a woman would emerge as such an activist leader in the anti-slavery movement? Ohio Historical Society.	"Josiah Henson." (1789-1883) Henson escaped as a fugitive slave from Maryland in 1830, to Canada on the Underground Railroad. By 1841, Reverend Henson revealed his skills as an abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, and businessman when he organized with others to purchase 400 acres of land near Dresden, Ontario. This became the Dawn Settlement where the British American Institute for fugitive slaves was located, the first vocational training school for blacks in North America. Henson's work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad brought at least 118 enslaved to freedom. Harriet Beecher Stowe credits Henson's autobiography, written in 1849, as inspiration for the "Uncle Tom" character in her book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Today the "Uncle Tom" label is often used as a derogatory reference that Henson's great-granddaughter, Barbara Carter, argues was a result of minstrel shows in the late 19th century misusing the term as a racial slur. Josiah Henson, pictured here with his wife, appears dignified and of middle-class wealth. Obviously it was dangerous for Henson leave the safety of his home and freedom in Canada to travel south in order to guide other enslaved men and women to freedom? What dangers awaited him as he helped others escape from slavery? What do you think motivated Henson to take these risks? Ohio Historical Society.	"Reverend John Rankin and Wife." (1793-1886) Pictured here with his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary, the life of John Rankin represents a deep belief in the right to freedom for all peole regardless of race. As a Presbyterian minister, Rankin started an anti-slavery society in Carlisle, Kentucky, amidst angry slaveowners. He eventually moved to Ripley, Ohio, where slavery was illegal although many whites in the area remained strong pro-slavery supporters, and risked working as a conductor and station keeper on the Underground Railroad. Rankin lectured across the northern states for the American Anti-Slavery Society, often falling victim to mob-violence. One time, pro-slavery advocates shaved his horse’s tail and mane in an effort to embarrass and scare him. In 1829, Rankin established the historic Ripley College, enrolling the first African-American student in 1831. Do you think it was dangerous to hide slaves in your home? How do you think slaveowners felt about Rankin’s work? How do you think his family felt about sharing their home and food with these strangers? Ohio Historical Society.

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