The Underground Railroad had been established about 10 years before the Civil War. Those who participated in the Underground Railroad included both white and black abolitionists, enslaved African Americans, American Indians, and members of religious groups of Quakers, Methodists and Baptists. The movement helped approximately 70,000 slaves escape and journey safely northwards into Canada.
The Underground Railroad stretched for thousands of miles, from Kentucky and Virginia across Ohio and Indiana. In the Northern direction, it stretched from Maryland, across pennsylvania and into New York and through New England into Canada.
This secret organization helped transport the fugitive slaves from slave owning southern states to freedom in the North. Using railroad terms helped both the slaves and participating people to have a common language of communication. The routes had "safe-houses" where fugitive slaves were kept; these routes were called "lines." Stopping places were called "stations. Those who aided fugitive slaves were known as "conductors." The fugitive slaves were known as "packages" or "freight." The average distance covered by an escaped slave was 10 to 15 miles to each "station." The weary slaves were given food, rest and a change of clothing at these stations.
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