Established in the late 18th century and running through the 19th century until the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, the Underground Railroad was a carefully organized and secretive network of routes and safe houses established to help enslaved African Americans flee their captors. Since then, much has been learned about this system and its importance in the ending of slavery in America, and this edition in the Defining Documents series presents numerous first-hand accounts of how this network came to be, how it operated, and what its legacy was. 

These volumes explore the development of the Underground Railroad from the early days of slavery to the present, where social movements still resound with the same call for equality as the railroad once did. Documents examined include legislative documents, political speeches, historical accounts, court cases, news articles, and more.