A | B |
abolitionist | A person who did not believe in slavery and who worked to free slaves |
anti-slavery | against slavery |
auction | a place where slaves were sold |
Big Dipper | A group of seven stars that form a bowl with a handle |
Civil War | A war fought from 1861-1865 between the northern and southern states that brought about the abolition of slavery |
conductor | A person who provided shelter for runaways and directed them where to go next |
Drinking Gourd | Code name the slaves used for the Big Dipper |
emancipation | to free from slavery |
fugitive slave | a runaway slave |
master | the owner of a plantation was called this by his slaves |
North Star | The brightest star in the northern sky |
overseer | A person who directed the work of field slaves on a plantation |
plantation | a large farm on which crops are grown |
Quakers | A religious group, many felt it was ther duty to help slaves escape to freedom |
quilt | a blanket made from pieces of fabric sewn together, it was sometimes used as a signal that a station was safe |
runaway | an escaped slave trying to make their way to freedom |
safe house | a place where runaway slaves could find food and shelter |
slave | a person owned as property of another person |
slave catcher | a person who earned his living by tracking escaped slaves, capturing them and returning them to their owners for reward money |
spirituals | religious songs sung by slaves to lift their spirits and relay information |
station | another name for a safe house |
Underground Railroad | a secret network of people who helped runaway slaves escape to freedom |