It is the stories of freedom seekers who bravely escaped enslavement, and their allies who defended their right to freedom, that make up the heart of Underground Railroad History. This landing page provides a sample of stories of the people at the heart of the Underground Railroad. Click on the links below to learn more about the person pictured.
The photographs and corresponding links are organized in alphabetical order by first name.
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Ellen Craft
Learn more about freedom seeker Ellen Craft.
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Frederick Douglass
Learn more about freedom seeker and activist Frederick Douglass.
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Harriet Beecher Stowe
Learn more about the famous author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
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Harriet Tubman
Learn more about freedom seeker and Underground Railroad Operative Harriet Tubman.
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John Brown
Learn more about controversial activist and Underground Railroad operative John Brown.
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Josiah Henson
Learn more about freedom seeker Josiah Henson.
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Joshua Glover
Learn more about freedom seeker Joshua Glover.
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Reverend Leonard Grimes
Learn more about Underground Railroad operative, abolitionist, and activist Reverend Leonard Grimes.
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Levi Coffin
Learn more about Underground Railroad operative Levi Coffin. Image Credit: Indiana Historical Society.
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Lewis Hayden
Learn more about freedom seeker, Underground Railroad operative, and Civil Rights activist Lewis Hayden. Image Credit State Library of MA.
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Mary Ann Shadd Cary
Learn more about Underground Railroad operative, activist, writer, and teacher, Mary Ann Shadd Cary. Library and Archives Canada / C-029977.
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People
Learn more about freedom seeker Robert Smalls and others . Image Credit Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division.
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Robert F. Wallcut
Learn more about Underground Railroad operative and abolitionist Robert F. Walcutt. Image Credit Massachusetts Historical Society.
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Samuel Gridley Howe
Learn more about abolitionist Samuel Gridley Howe.
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Sojourner Truth
Learn more about freedom seeker, abolitionist, and author Sojourner Truth.
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Stephen Spencer Hill
Learn more about freedom seeker and gold miner Stephen Hill.
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William Craft
Learn more about freedom seeker William Craft.
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Anthony D. Allen
Learn more about freedom seeker Anthony Allen and his journey to Hawaii.
Last updated: May 11, 2023