Resistance+to+Slavery

//__Rebellion__// Slaves were always looking to rebel in some way. Some slaves were quiet about their rebellion while others rebelled out loud. The secretive slaves would use books and the bible, and decode them to learn. There were also secret schools that children would attend. When it came to religion slaves would merge their culture with the Christian culture forced upon them. They would also establish places to pray deep in the woods called "hush harbors." Some slaves would give up and kill themselves or they would not eat. Others just did not work as hard as their slave owners would have liked them to. The slaves that rebelled out loud would use words to defy slave owners. The really brave slaves would use violence. They would kick, punch, bite, and some even murdered. Before the end of the Civil War slaves led more than 200 uprisings where many whites would die! And of course, many slaves would flee from plantations. If a slave was caught rebelling he could be severely punished. Rebelling was one of the ways slaves could control their own lives which was something they wanted to do. -Carly Black

//__Underground Railroad__// The Underground railroad led many slaves to freedom. The Underground Railroad is defined as "secret network of helpers and routes north" in the book //No More! Stories and Songs of Slave Resistence,// written by Doreen Rappaport. They would sing songs with codes, follow constellations, and get help from abolitionists (people who are against slavery) and free slaves. One of the most famous free blacks, who acted a big leader in the Underground Railroad, was Harriet Tubman. She was known as Moses to her people because she led so many to freedom. A constellation often used in the Underground Railroad was known as the "Drinking Gourd North." We know this constellation as the big dipper. Runaways would follow the big dipper and go through rives and mountains to the north. Some of the songs sung about the Underground Railroad and finding freedom were "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "River Jordan." Even though slaves were punished especially badly if they tried to run away and were caught, they had faith that they could make it and people working the Underground Railroad were there to help them. -Carly Black

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//__Abolitionists__// Although many people in America were racist during civil war times, there were still people who opposed slavery. These people were called abolitionists. Most abolitionists were from the north and they had different reasons for wanting slavery to end. Some abolitionists were racist and only opposed slavery because it was in the south and they did not want the south to be producing so much cotton and having their whole economy depend on it. Other abolitionists believed slavery was morally wrong and cruel even if they were racist. Abolitionists in the south were loathed or hated by most people. If they gave speeches they would usually be booed off the stage. Some southerners who were very pro-slavery would become violent and harrass or even kill these abolitionists. This never stopped them from expressing their feelings about slavery and they continued to protest it until it was outlawed. -Carly Black