Motivation of the Participants
Slaves families were split up at slave auctions
The Underground Railroad would not have been able to function as efficiently as it did without the motivation of the participants. Slaves were a major factor in the Underground Railroad, and without them this form of escape would not have existed. Slaves had the most obvious motivation of all participants. They worked in horrible plantations with deadly living facilities, being overworked and facing physical, verbal, and sexual abuse from their owners. Ben Simpson remembers how he was treated on the plantation. "He tied my wrist together and stripped me... then he beat me. He beat me worse then I ever been beat before, and I faint dead away. When I came to I'm in bed. I didn't care so much iffen I died" (37 Blight). If slaves stayed in this environment they would be tortured, and did not want to risk losing their new families which were formed because most biological families had been split up and sold to separate owners. John M. Washington, and escaped slave, says "Parents, Wives, husbands and children; all seporated one from another; perhaps never to meet again on this Earth. I shall never forget the weeping that morning among those that were left behind, each one expecting to go next" (168 Blight).
Slaves risked even more if they fled and were caught. Slave owners were armed with dogs to race humans and hired people to patrol the roads and near by paths. If an
attempted runaway was captured they were tortured. Sometimes their feet were cut off, or were branded with the letter “R” for runaway. Often the runaway would be sold to keep from spreading information throughout the plantation. A runaway, Wallace Turnage, shares his story of his narrow escape in his journal saying " Three dogs too right after me... I was going so fast, the dogs nor the people could catch me. I come to a very deep ditch and did not think I could jump over it but any how I tried and the Lord helped me and I jumped over safe" (222 Blight). Slaves had no rights and were considered property, therefore “the lure of freedom was a powerful motivation” (96 Blight).
Slaves were not the only participants in the Underground Railroad who risked their lives. Most non slave participants were abolitionists and Quakers. Abolitionists in general wanted to abolish slavery, however not many were willing to risk their social status or lives to help. Therefore, the Underground Railroad relied on radical abolitionists such as Reverend John Rankin, who was an early voice against slavery. John influenced other abolitionists, such as William Lloyd Garrison, to participate by speaking at anti-slavery organizations. His wife Jean Rankin, cooked and sewed clothes for runaways. Garrison went on to write a radical abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, which was sold on the streets by Black youth.
Quakers were another group known to work with the Underground Railroad. Their motivation was their religious belief that every man came from God and therefore was equal. Helping runaway slaves was illegal at this time. If participants were caught they risked serious punishment or even death. Slaves and non slaves risked their lives, reputation, and social status to help strangers, without whom the Underground Railroad would not exists.
attempted runaway was captured they were tortured. Sometimes their feet were cut off, or were branded with the letter “R” for runaway. Often the runaway would be sold to keep from spreading information throughout the plantation. A runaway, Wallace Turnage, shares his story of his narrow escape in his journal saying " Three dogs too right after me... I was going so fast, the dogs nor the people could catch me. I come to a very deep ditch and did not think I could jump over it but any how I tried and the Lord helped me and I jumped over safe" (222 Blight). Slaves had no rights and were considered property, therefore “the lure of freedom was a powerful motivation” (96 Blight).
Slaves were not the only participants in the Underground Railroad who risked their lives. Most non slave participants were abolitionists and Quakers. Abolitionists in general wanted to abolish slavery, however not many were willing to risk their social status or lives to help. Therefore, the Underground Railroad relied on radical abolitionists such as Reverend John Rankin, who was an early voice against slavery. John influenced other abolitionists, such as William Lloyd Garrison, to participate by speaking at anti-slavery organizations. His wife Jean Rankin, cooked and sewed clothes for runaways. Garrison went on to write a radical abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, which was sold on the streets by Black youth.
Quakers were another group known to work with the Underground Railroad. Their motivation was their religious belief that every man came from God and therefore was equal. Helping runaway slaves was illegal at this time. If participants were caught they risked serious punishment or even death. Slaves and non slaves risked their lives, reputation, and social status to help strangers, without whom the Underground Railroad would not exists.