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The Underground Railroad Research Paper

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Judy Chang 25 March 2016 Period 2 The Cost of Freedom: The Underground Railroad Steal away to Jesus? Steal away, steal away home! I ain’t got long to stay here! My Lord calls me! He calls me by the thunder! The trumpet sound it in my soul! I ain’t got long to stay here! (unknown) This song meant everything to me. It meant freedom, life or death, and the ability to express myself. It meant that I would be leaving soon, to run away from my master under the Northern stars. My name is Nathaniel Grant, and I was a former slave to the white man named David Alacaster. I lived in the deep south of Georgia in the cotton fields along with many other slaves, who are now part of my family. I’m not sure what I would do without them. My …show more content…

I was 21 years old, and I was ready to be on my own. I was preparing for the journey of my life. Not only was I packed with what little belongings with me, but I was ready to seek the world outside of the fields. The days get dark late in the summer, and the other slaves were winding in for the night. I had not told the other slaves about my plans, but I will tell my closest friends tonight. The Underground Railroad was a secret way of helping slaves escape slave territory to free states. There were no railroads nor was it underground. People such as abolitionists and free blacks who helped the slaves were called stationmasters. The houses that fed and hid slaves were called stations. Each person knew a small section of the railroad. His or her goal was to hide the slaves until the coast was clear to send the slaves off to the next station. That evening I bid my friends goodbye. Tears were shed, especially when I got to Aunt Henrietta. She gave me a piece of gold as a goodbye gift. I did not think it was the best gift to give to a runaway slave, but I did not object. She was my only mother, and I thanked her dearly for everything that she has done for me. My gift to her was a crown of beautiful flowers that I had picked from my master’s garden. Aunt Henrietta’s eyes glowed as I placed the crown gingerly on her gray hairs. She smiled, and kissed me, whispering, “The cost of freedom is great, use it

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