Final Exam

Klaudija Kunic

Wilmington College

HI350-52 Top in US Hist: The Underground Railroad

Dr. Eric R. Jackson

October 8, 2021
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1. What are some of the little-known and famous Underground Railroad stories known
locally and regionally? (Explain your answer in at least four detailed paragraphs)

The first story is about Henry Bibb. He was a slave in Kentucky for a family that was

very violent towards him. The owner’s wife treated Bibb poorly on many occasions. “She was

every day flogging me, boxing, pulling my ears, and scolding so that I dreaded to enter the room

where she was” (Bibb, 2005). That is why Bibb decided to escape as soon as he could. He tried

to escape many times, however, he was caught and brought back to the family that would give

him beatings. After a while and many failed attempts to escape, the family gave Bibb back to the

previous owner. This is where Bibb met his wife Malinda, and she gave birth to their daughter

Frances. After living in poor conditions for many years, Bibb decided to make another attempt to

escape to freedom. He left his wife and daughter and decided to travel to Canada in search of

freedom. His journey was not easy. When he arrived in Canada, Bibb was able to find a job and

save enough money to go back to Kentucky to save his family.

On the way back to Kentucky, Bibb was caught by a couple of slavecatchers that

represented themselves as abolitionists. Bibb was betrayed by them and ended up in a slave

prison. In the book “Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb”, we can see that

Bibb’s attempts to escape were not successful for a long time. Every time he planned an escape,

he got caught and sent to prison or a different slaveholder. After many years of failed attempts to

save his family, Bibb’s wife was sent to another state where she settled with another man. Even

though Bibb’s family fell apart, he was persistent and courageous to find his freedom. This

shows that he kept going and reaching for a better life even though life threw many obstacles at

him. The story of Henry Bibb is one of the stories that is not well-known, however, it has a

meaning and people can learn from it. He was a great man who kept going no matter what life

brought him and he should be remembered.

The second story is about Adam Crosswhite and his family that was escaping through the

Underground Railroad. After they found a safe home in Marshall, Michigan, their previous

owner sent slave catchers to find them. As soon as the slavecatchers showed up at the door where

the Crosswhite family lived, the neighbors both black and white came to support the family.

During the commotion, Crosswhite and his son went to the local sheriff and asked for help. The

sheriff arrested the slavecatchers for disturbing the family and other neighbors. Crosswhite

family was able to go to the court and say their side of the story. After the trial, they were able to

escape Marshall and settle there. “At the end of the court case, the people from Marshall had to

pay money to the enslavers, people who enslave another person, to make up for the lost property;

the people of Marshall thought that the price was worth getting the Crosswhites safely into

Canada” (michiganology.org, 2021). After the Civil war was over, Adam and his family moved

back to Michigan where they spent the rest of their life.

The last story is about Harriet Tubman who was a conductor in the Underground Railroad

and saved many fugitives. Tubman was known to carry her gun wherever she went and be a

threat to fugitives who got scared of escaping slavery. She was a very smart, quick thinker and

had many ideas on how to plan a successful escape. Tubman was involved in a lot of different

causes and spoke at social events to raise awareness and stop slavery in the country. During the

Civil rights, she served the Union army as a spy because she was familiar with the terrain and

had connections to people from the Underground Railroad. “Deeply admired by abolitionists in

the North, Tubman became a trusted friend and advisor to many, which earned her a role in the

Union Army as a scout, spy, nurse, and confidante of generals” (harriettubmanbyway.org, 2021).

Tubman committed her life to save fugitives and bringing them to safety. Even after the Civil

War, she stayed involved in the causes for human rights.

2. What were some of the daily hardships runaways faces during the journey on the
Underground Railroad? (Explain your answer in at least four detailed paragraphs)

Being a fugitive from slavery and traveling via Underground Railroad was not easy. The

journey to freedom was long and exhausting. The fugitives usually had to travel couple hundred

miles on foot to go from one destination to another. They did not possess any transportation that

could take. One of the reasons for not using transportations is that would prevent them from

being seen and caught by the slavecatchers. When they traveled on foot, they were able to

change the route and hide quickly if the danger was on the horizon. On their journey to freedom,

fugitives used roads that were not civilized and outside of the cities. That involved going through

the woods that was very unpredictable and dangerous, especially at nighttime.

The runaways had to think quickly if the slavecatchers were looking for them to bring

them back to slavery. When traveling near the river, they hid in the water and waited for the

catchers to disappear in the distance. This hiding technique was extremely difficult during winter

when there was a lot of snow, and the river was frozen. They were exposed to low temperatures

that made them sick and delayed their journey. Runaways had to travel light which meant that

they only wore light clothes during winter, no extra food or something else that would make

them slower. They traveled during the night to prevent them from being seen by slave catchers or

any other people that could report them. When runaways traveled by night, they had to be careful

of the dangers of the woods considering that they did not carry weapons or equipment to protect

themselves.

Along with poor traveling conditions, runaways had to be careful of their owners who

were looking for them. The owners would post a reward for catching them and bring them back

to slavery. If the runaways were caught, they were physically hurt, sent to prison, or got killed by

the owners. According to The Fugitive Slave Law, slaves were marked as lost property, and
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people were allowed to capture them. Even though the runaways escaped slavery, they were not

safe until they crossed the border and arrived in Canada or island countries outside the U.S.

Some of the runaways did not survive the journey to freedom considering the poor conditions

they had to endure. The ones who survived made sure to make a trip back to the South, save

slaves and bring them back to safety. That includes John P. Parker, John Rankin, Harriet

Tubman, William Still, Levi Coffin, and many others.

3. What is the legacy of the Underground Railroad? (Explain your answer in at least four
detailed paragraphs)

The Underground Railroad describes the movement of people that assisted with the

escape of slaves from the South and brought them back to freedom. While many runaways

escaped slavery by themselves, many people wanted to help as much as they could. That number

of people started to grow from the moment slavery became legal. The Underground Railroad was

a secretive movement that only selected people knew about. To protect the runaways and keep

everything confidential, the participants of the Underground Railroad had to use secret language

and codes. It is believed that the term of the Underground Railroad comes from people who lost

their property and people who helped the runaways to safety. The movement was spread out

throughout the whole country.

The first reason why the Underground Railroad was important is that showed what

African Americans were capable of. They started a movement that freed thousands of slaves

from the South and brought them back to safety. It is important to remember that the

Underground Railroad was not about how many times the escape plan worked out, however, it

was about the powerful connection between African American people and to show that they can

make an impact on society. The second reason is that white people were able to be involved in
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this movement and work closely with the conductors to save as many slaves as possible. It

showed that both races can throw away any assumptions they might have and instead help each

other in need.

With the introduction of the 13th amendment, slavery became illegal, and slaves were

freed. They were able to settle in the communities around the country and make a better life for

themselves and their families. After they became free, African Americans started to build homes

and communities, raised families, established many educational and religious institutions,

founded schools and other organizations. While being a part of the Underground Railroad,

African Americans gained skills that helped them in the future. They became active participants

and advocates for human rights and racial equality.

Their contribution to social and economic growth and improvement of local communities

will not be forgotten. They left a legacy that will be remembered for years to come. “To come to

grips with the legacy of the Underground Railroad is to be reminded that in democratic America

ending slavery required a war, an important portion of which raged for decades along the banks

of the Ohio River under an unlikely and misleading name, the Underground Railroad” (Griffler,

2004).

4. Who is John P. Parker; and why is important to the Underground Railroad locally and
regionally? (Explain your answer in at least four detailed paragraphs)

John P. Parker was born in Norfolk, Virginia. His mother was African American slave at

the time, while his father was a white. At the age of eight, he was sold to slavery and brought to

Alabama. Parker was a slave in the home of a doctor who spent some time teaching him how to

read and write. He was able to leave Alabama for a short amount of time when he was ordered to

accompany his doctor’s sons when they left for college. However, Parker had to come back
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because the doctor was afraid that he will escape and never come back. In Alabama, he was able

to work in the local foundry where he gained skills and abilities that helped him in the future.

After working in Alabama for a couple of years, he moved to New Orleans to work in another

foundry and at the shipping dock. He saved money and bought his freedom.

As soon as he became free, Parker moved to Ripley, Ohio where he started his role as a

conductor for the Underground Railroad. He worked closely with John Rankin to help fugitives

cross the Ohio River and bring them to his safe house. “The joint efforts of Rankin and Parker

made Ripley a major escape route, rivaling Cincinnati in the number of fugitive slaves rescued,

and they assisted as many as 1,000 enslaved persons to freedom” (npshistory.com, 2021).

According to the book Front line of Freedom African Americans and the Forging of the

Underground Railroad in the Ohio Valley, John P. Parker “was often a leader of the whites in

perilous rescue work in addition to always carrying on an independent campaign for his race”

(Griffler, 2004). Parker devoted his life to helping runaways and fighting for their rights. Parker

spent the rest of his life in his foundry teaching his employees the foundations of the career. By

owning his foundry, Parker became one of the richest men in Ripley, Ohio. He also obtained a

couple of patents for his tobacco press and became a successful entrepreneur.

Today, his house in Ripley, Ohio serves as a reminder and carries the legacy of the

Underground Railroad movement and people who were involved in it. By preserving historical

sites and writing stories, people will be able to learn about John P. Parker and his impact on

society.
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Works cited

A community stands with the Crosswhites. Michiganology. (2021, August 25). Retrieved October
8, 2021, from https://michiganology.org/stories/a-community-stands-with-the-
crosswhites/. 

Bibb, H. (2005). The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb: An American slave. Dodo Press. 

Griffler, K. P. (2015). Front line of Freedom African Americans and the forging of the
Underground Railroad in the Ohio Valley. The University Press of Kentucky. 

Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman Byway. (2021, May 5). Retrieved October 10, 2021, from
https://harriettubmanbyway.org/harriet-tubman/. 

National Park Service history elibrary. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2021, from
http://www.npshistory.com/publications/srs/john-parker-house-rs-2018.pdf.