Although many people may believe that the Underground Railroad was an actual railroad, it was actually a large group of

people that worked together to help slaves escape into freedom.  The underground railroad was believed to be created

towards the end of the 18th century.  The process of using the underground railroad was not an easy one.  A slave would first

have to find a way to escape from their slave owner.  Sometimes a worker for the railroad would pretend to be a slave, come to

the plantation, and help the slaves escape.  These workers were called the conductors.  This was one of the hardest tasks of

the whole process.  Once the slave escaped they would go from "safe house" to "safe house."  The slaves would go to these

safe houses to rest, usually during the day, eat food, and discuss where they would go next on their journey.  The slaves often

had to change their appearance in order to be less recognizable.  If a white man saw a black man walking in old and ripped up

clothes they would probably assume that they were slaves and the slaves would take the risk of being caught.  Many times

workers of the underground railroad would give the slaves nice clothes to make them stand out less.  The slaves journey was

complete once they made it through the south and up to the north where slavery was prohibited.  A few important people that

helped tremendously with the underground railroad were Harriet Tubman and Edward Coles.