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Origin of the name Underground Railroad

1m 19s

Historians haven't been able to pin down how the Underground Railroad got its name. Many believe it was a slave-catcher who coined the term, when the runaway he was chasing seemed to just disappear as though he'd escaped on a mysterious underground rail line. But one thing is certain: the "railroad" that helped runaway slaves flee to the free states had nothing to do with steel rails.

Underground Railroad: The William Still Story is made possible by CN Railway, the Rogers Cable Network, Canada Media Fund, The Rogers Documentary Fund, and by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Extras
This is the story of a man who risked his life shepherding runaway slaves to freedom.
Program segment for PBS Learning Media.
Program segment for PBS Learning Media
Program segment for PBS Learning Media.
Slaves who ran away from their masters and were re-captured suffered terrible punishments.
Well-known Negro Spirituals of the mid-1800s are much more complex than they first appear.
The Fugitive Slave Act was an attempt by the government to appease southern slave states.
William Still earned the name "The Father of the Underground Railroad".
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This is the story of a man who risked his life shepherding runaway slaves to freedom.