In conjunction with Student Affairs Diversity Committee’s recognition of International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, this presentation explores the myths of the Underground Railroad that helped promote a narrative of national reconciliation. The Underground Railroad has been a part of the American collective intelligence since the mid-19th century, but what really is the Underground Railroad?
North or South, everyone seems to have an “Underground Railroad” story where a particular church or house functioned as a station for the fugitive enslaved escaping the yoke of chattel slavery. However, there is a romantic lore concerning the Underground Railroad that significantly exaggerates the prevalence and prominence of “stations” and participation throughout the United States. In short, hearsay narratives have been passed down for generations to show that many localities played an active hand in eliminating slavery. This presentation seeks to dispel the Underground Railroad myth and illuminate the reality of the Underground Railroad in the United States and Western Pennsylvania.
