The Underground Railroad and Iowa: On the Road from Slavery to Freedom

The Underground Railroad and Iowa: On the Road from Slavery to Freedom â€Å"I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person†¦ There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees, and I felt like I was in Heaven.† Harriet Tubman uttered these words when she arrived in Pennsylvania, a free woman at last (National Geographic). Years later, when talking about the reasons she ran away, Ms. Tubman would state, â€Å"[There are] two things I [have] a right to and these are Death and Liberty. One or the other I mean to have. No one will take me back alive† (America’s Civil War, 42). While most research on the Underground Railroad focuses on the northern states, the state of Iowa played an essential role in the Railroad. Clinton, Iowa was often a runaway’s last stop before crossing the Mighty Mississippi River. The first documentation of the name Underground Railroad is from the year 1831 and in one case, attributed to the owner of a former slave, Tice David. David successfully gained freedom by traversing along small creeks, rivers, and dense woods and his owner finally gave up searching for him. Upon returning to Kentucky, Tice David’s former slave-owner announced, â€Å"He must have gone on an underground road† (America’s Civil War, 42). Another name given to the Underground Railroad was the Freedom Train (National Underground Railroad Freedom Center) and Harriet Tubman was inarguably one of the most famous conductors on this train, leading thousands of slaves to their freedom in the north. Since the formation of the Iowa Territory, the largest population group, settling in what would become Iowa, came from southern states. Because of this, early historians assumed that Iowa would tak... ...ng, 1983. Patrick, Kathy. Escaped Slaves on the Underground Railroad found welcome havens in Ohio’s Oberlin and Wellington. America’s Civil War – Travel. May 1994: 66 – 68. â€Å"Harriet Tubman†. New Standard Encyclopedia. Standard Education Corporation. Volume 17. Chicago: 1994. (no author listed). National Geographic Web site March 28, 2002 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/> National Underground Railroad Freedom Center March 28, 2002 http://www.undergroundrailroad.org/> â€Å"Underground Railroad†. New Standard Encyclopedia. Standard Education Corporation. Volume 18. Chicago: 1994. (no author listed). Wilmot, Franklin A. â€Å"Disclosures and confessions of Frank A. Wilmot, the slave thief and Negro runner†. Philadelphia: Barclay & Co. 1860. Library of American Civilization. McIntyre Library, UWEC Campus. Eau Claire, WI.