Timeline of Events on Kansas Underground Railraod

Resource courtesy of Watkins Community Museum
1793   Congress passes the Fugitive Slave Act, legalizing the capture of fugitive, or escaped, slaves. 1830's   Frederick Douglas escapes in 1838, and subsequently becomes one of the staunchest advocates for the abolitionist cause. His efforts, along with many others, increase the help given to fugitive slaves to escape on the Underground Railraod. 1849   Harriet Tubman, having been a slave for many years on a Maryland plantation, escapes. Renowned as the Underground Railraod's most famous "conductor," she has been credited with helping more than three hundred slaves find freedom. 1850   Congress, seeing more and more slaves escape to freedom, amends the Fugitive Slave Act, greatly increasing the danger for runaways. Now, escaping to Canada is the only sure route to freedom. 1852   Uncle Tom's Cabin is first published. It is based on the story of Josiah Henson, a fugitive slave who settled in Ontario. 1854   The new establishment of the Kansas and Nebraska territories opens up a new battleground for the "slavery question." Concurrently, new routes on the Underground Railroad open in both territories. 1854, August   New England Immigrant Aid Society's first party arrives on the banks of the Kansas River to establish the town site of Lawrence. 1857   The United States Supreme Court rules in the Dred Scott case (which had been argued in St. Louis), stating that blacks, whether free or slave, are not U.S. citizens. 1861   The Civil War begins. Amidst the turmoil of war, the number of fugitive slaves increases dramatically. 1863   In Kansas, William Quantrill and a band of his men ride into the tiny, abolitionist town of Lawrence, killing 166 citizens and at least 17 recruits. Lawrence was known as a thoroughfare on the Underground Railroad. 1865   The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, finally outlawing slavery.
Type:	text
Project:	WJHS Grant
Temporal coverage:	1840's, 1850's, 1860's
Spacial coverage:	Kansas Territory
Creator:	Watkins Community Museum
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