What Part Did Michigan Play on
the Underground Railroad?
By: Jordan R.
Slavery Was Bad
• Slavery was bad and
was against our Core
Democratic Values.
• Slaves could not own
land, property, or
anything.
• Slaves also had no
rights to their own
children.
How did the Underground Railroad
Get Its Name?
• There is a story of a
runaway slave named
Tice Davids. He ran
away from his owner.
His owner said, “ He
must have gone on a
railroad !”
• People began to say he
went on The
Underground Railroad.
The name stuck.
Would White Men Help Slaves?
• Yes. Some white men •
would. William Lloyd
Garrison wrote an
article about how
slavery was unfair. An
angry mob beat him up
and the police put him
in jail to save him.
He wrote on the wall,
“William Lloyd Garrison
was put into this cell on
Monday afternoon,
October 21, 1835, to
save him from the
violence of a mob, who
sought to destroy him
from preaching that all
men are created equal.”
William Lloyd Garrison
• All men are created
equal are a part of our
Core Democratic Values.
Quaker House (AKA Safe House)
• People who were on
The Underground
• A Quaker is a family
Railroad went to Quaker
who thinks that slavery
houses. There, they
shouldn’t be allowed
would hide there, eat,
and would like to help.
sleep, maybe get healed
from wounds and go to
another Quaker house
and do the same thing
until you get to a free
state.
What is a Conductor?
• Conductors are people
who got free, but go
back and help others
get freed. Harriet
Tubman was a famous
conductor. When she
heard that her niece
was about to go south
in an auction, she
wanted to help her
niece be free.
Conductor (Continued)
• So, she went back, got
her niece and family
and freed others from
then on. When she was
older, she said, “I was a
conductor and I never
let one person go.”
The North Star
• If you needed help on
The Underground
Railroad you would
follow the North Star.
The North Star lead you
to freedom. If you
didn’t see the North
Star, you would follow
the moss.
What Happened if you Got
Caught?
• If your owner’s helper
catches you, you would
probably get whipped,
chained up, locked in
your room, or killed.
• Some slaves killed
themselves because
they’d rather die than
be a slave.
What else Happened on The
Underground Railroad?
• The Underground
Railroad didn’t help
people get free, but
also it helped people
find friends and family.
William Still was on The
Underground Railroad
when he found a
stranger.
• They talked and talked
and finally he found out
that he was his long lost
brother!
Why was Michigan Important?
• Michigan was important
to the slaves’ escape to
freedom because
Detroit is close to
Canada, and in Canada,
slavery was already
illegal!
Why was Michigan Important
(continued)?
• Slaves lived in the
southern states, like
Kentucky, Alabama,
Mississippi, South
Carolina, and North
Carolina.
• They did not have cars
or trains, so they had to
walk to Michigan. To
get to Michigan by foot
took them several
months.
• Can you imagine
walking for months at a
time?
What Cities in Michigan Helped
Slaves?
• Some cities in Michigan
where slaves could get
help were: Detroit,
Trenton, Adrian, Ann
Arbor, and Battle Creek.
• “Midnight” was the
code name for Detroit,
the most important
gateway to Canada on
the Underground
Railroad.
What Cities in Michigan Helped
Slaves (continued)?
• The Second Baptist
Church in Detroit was a
resting place for
escaped slaves and
those who helped
them.
• This church still exists in
Detroit.
• My grandmother used
to be a member of this
church.
Strange Wagons at Goodell’s Farm
• The Goodell farm was
located in Adrian,
Michigan. In the barn
were strange wagons
with covers on them.
Mr. Goodell’s son was
confused why the
wagons were in their
barn.
• Mr. Goodell knew the
answer. He and others
used the wagons to
transport and hide
escaped slaves.
How Come So Many People Came
To Detroit?
• With its churches and
ministers, the Detroit
area attracted a number
of blacks who were
against slavery and
secretly worked on The
Underground Railroad.
George De Baptiste’s Ship
• George De Baptiste was
a black businessman
and member of the
Second Baptist Church
in Detroit. He bought a
ship, the T. Whitney, to
take escaped slaves
across the Detroit River
to Canada.
Conclusion
• In summary, slavery was • Michigan was important
bad and against our
to helping slaves get
Core Democratic Values,
their freedom by having
so many people, black
Safe Houses and
and white helped slaves
churches on The
escape.
Underground Railroad
to help them get to
Canada.
• I am glad to live in
Michigan.
Sources
• http://www.motopera.o
rg/mg_ed/educational/
UndergroundRR.html
• The Underground
Railroad In Michigan, by
Carol E. Mull
• If You Traveled On The
Underground
Railroad…, by Ellen
Levine