How Did Thomas Garrett Contribute To The Underground Railroad

Hua 1

Edison Hua

Ms. Rehling

GATE English 8

13 October 2015

Contributors to the Underground Railroad In 1810 to 1850, slavery was major profit in the South. People from Africa were kidnapped and taken to work as slaves in the colonies. Life as a slave was harsh, cold, cruel, and life threatening. As a result, many people opposed slavery by creating the Underground Railroad. Although the Underground Railroad was not a real railroad, it had many brave conductors and stationmasters that helped free many slaves. Three of these honorable individuals were Thomas Garrett, William Still, and Harriet Tubman. Although slavery would have ended without their contributions to the Abolitionist community, they helped jump start the freeing of slaves before

Her notoriety to slave owners grew so high, by 1856, in the south, the reward for her capture was $40,000 (pbs.org). Harriet Tubman was one of the most prominent figures in the freedom of slaves in the Underground Railroad. She was also friends with another Abolitionist named Thomas Garrett. Thomas Garrett an active Abolitionist who lived in Wilmington, Delaware, helping to free slaves along with Harriet Tubman and William Still. As a child, Garrett’s family hid runaway slaves, inspiring him to help slaves at a young age. As an adult, he aided slaves in their paths to freedom. He hid and fed them in his home, refreshing them on their long journey to freedom. In one case he was put on trial for freeing slaves, and lost a lot of money, almost becoming bankrupt. After he was fined, he stated that he would still continue to help slaves, showing his determination to freeing these people. His friends helped him with his financial losses and helped him get his business back up and running. By the time he died, he had helped over 2,700 slaves become free (castle.eiu.edu). His funeral was attended by many blacks of Wilmington who hailed him as, “Our Moses”