The Underground Railroad: History, Fiction, and Freedom Journey

This essay explores the realities of the Underground Railroad, examining its portrayal in historical narratives and fiction, particularly in Colson Whitehead's novel. It delves into the brutal conditions of slavery, the limited freedoms of enslaved people, and the efforts of individuals who risked their lives to help slaves escape to freedom in the northern states. The essay discusses the debate over the existence of a literal underground railroad system versus a metaphorical network of abolitionists and safe houses, highlighting the dangers and challenges faced by escaping slaves, including the threat of slave catchers and the harsh punishments for those caught aiding them. Ultimately, the essay seeks to understand the historical context and the enduring legacy of the Underground Railroad as a symbol of resistance and the fight for freedom. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar essays and study resources.

Running head: ESSAY
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD: TRUTH OR FICTION?
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1ESSAY
Slavery was one of the darkest problems of mankind that has occurred in earth. The
attributes of the slavery included forced labour and torture at the hands of the slaver. Slavery
in America was one of the darkest chapters in the history and bears some of the harshest
examples of human atrocities that have been committed to the people of colour over the
years. The novel The Underground Railroad provides a detailed explanation of the treatments
that the slaves were subjected to and how they wanted to gain freedom from these atrocities
even at the cost of their lives (Colson). The existence of the Underground Railroad is based
upon the efforts that were made by the slaves who ran away from their masters to free the
other slaves from their pain. The journey from the southern states to the northern ones is the
key subject of the novel. The purpose of the novel is to understand how the slaves were
stripped of their own-free will and were rendered powerless in the hands of the white masters.
However, there was a group of people who took risks to save the slaves and provide them
with a secured and respectful life.
As seen in the novel The Underground Railway, the slaves were stripped of all the
powers of a free human-being and were forced to work under the extreme conditions
(Colson). They were exposed to extreme torture and the slave masters found immense
pleasure in a torturing a coloured person just like torturing an animal. There was no
difference between the black human-beings and animals irrespective of the genders. As the
men were subject to beatings and punishments, the women were subjected to rapes and
torture (History.com). The inability to read and write cut them off from the outer world, and
made them the puppets in the hands of the slave masters. The fear of torture often led the
slaves to accept the loss freedom and work tirelessly throughout their lives. The southern
states of USA formed several laws which prevented the slaves from entering the normal lives.
They were to remain the property of their masters upon the masters’ wish.

2ESSAY
The powers of the slaves were nil regarding the decisions of their lives. As has been
mentioned earlier, they were the mere puppets in the hands of the slave masters. As can be
seen in The Underground Railroad, even the basic freedom of the slaves such as their
freedom to choose their partners to marry was taken away from them (Colson). It was the will
of the slave master to make the matches between the slaves and they had to marry
accordingly. Moreover, it was also seen that the black people had no right to establish
themselves in the society. One such incident was of Solomon Northup, who was a free man
but was kidnapped by the slave traders and had to spend twelve years as a slave before he got
justice for himself and freed himself from the clutches of slavery (History.com).
The underground was one such mysterious organization, which worked to save the
slaves from the southern plantations and provide them with good lives in the northern states.
There had been rumours of the existence of a real railroad, which helped the slaves to travel
from the southern states to north. However, no such evidence has been recorded in history
which establishes the existence of such a railroad system (History.com). The American
history denies the existence of such a railway network. However, it has been argued that the
underground railway was metaphorically used to represent a chain of network of free men
and women who worked hard to free the slaves from the plantations in the south. These
efforts were not legal and were done in secret as it was not possible to free the slaves in a
normal manner due to presence of the slave laws.
In the novel The Underground Railroad, it has been highlighted that it was a very
difficult task to get rid of the slave masters (Colson). The strict laws and the presence of the
head-hunters made it more difficult for the slaves to run away from the plantations. As seen
in the novel, the mother of the protagonist Cora died on the way to escape (Colson).
Similarly, Cora too had to go through different hardships and was caught several times by the
head-hunters before she could finally escape the slave masters.

3ESSAY
The novel presents a true picture of the conditions that were once dominating the
slave trade in America. The darkness behind the slavery led to the rise of a system, which
helped the slaves to find a way towards their freedom. There were several aspects of the so-
called Underground Railroad, which the slaves were required to follow. However, the process
had several loopholes, which led to several mistakes and resulted in the capture of the slaves.
The result was severe torture or at times death as the ultimate punishment.

4ESSAY
References:
Colson, Whitehead. "The Underground Railroad." (2016).
History.com. "Underground Railroad". HISTORY, 2018,
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad. Accessed 14 Oct 2018.