The Underground Railroad was a large group of people who secretly worked together to help slaves escape slavery in the South. Despite its name, the Underground Railroad had nothing to do with actual railroads and was not located underground (www.freedomcenter.org). Each year the Underground Railroad helped move hundreds of slaves north. It is estimated that the South lost 100,000 slaves from 1810 to 1850 (www.pbs.org). The Underground Railroad was named after two events involving masters chasing slaves. In 1831 a slave escaped to Ohio and had to swim across the Ohio River because that was the only way to escape his master. His owner got into a small one and continued to follow him. The slave reached the shore and then disappeared. When his master couldn't find him, he told his friends that "he must have wandered off down an underground road." Eight years after this incident, there was talk of the torture of a captured slave. The reporter said he talked about a railroad that went underground to Boston. This is how the Underground Railroad became the Underground Railroad, even though it isn't about railroads or subways (The Underground Railroad by: Shaaron Cosner). The Underground Railroad began in the late 18th century, by which time slavery had been abolished in every northern state. The underground railroad was at its most popular in the three decades following the Civil War. When the North made the decision to abolish slavery, the South responded by enacting laws against helping slaves escape, and rewards began to be offered to anyone who could return a slave to their master. By 1807, slaves could no longer be brought into the country, which caused the value placed on slaves to skyrocket. The Underground Railroad…middle of the paper…ahem. The songs spoke of “going home” or “being headed to the land of Canaan.” People generally thought they were singing about death and going to Heaven, but they were actually singing about going north to Canada and freedom (www.pathways.thinkport.org). The quilt code was another way to communicate. They used different geometric patterns in quilts to convey messages through the Underground Railroad (www.ugrrquilt.hartcottagequilts.com). There were various patterns that a seamstress would sew there. She would make a sample quilt for the slaves to memorize and then she would make large quilts to hang in the window and things like that. The wrench scheme meant gathering tools and preparing physically and mentally. The wagon wheel signified packing one's belongings, while the bear paw symbolized literally follows the bear's footprints. Falling blocks meant pack up and go.