The Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is an important part of African American history. The Mississippi River stood as a symbol of both liberation and bondage for Blacks in the Deep South during slavery. The ports of the Mississippi River provided as a place to import African Slaves and also served as a place where Slaves were sold on the auction blocks. It also provided as an escape from the entrenched bondage and slavery that categorized the Deep South. Many slaves took to the Mississippi River in their quest from freedom. In fact, it has been established that a large portion of the Underground Railroad aided escapes in the western slaves states involved travel along the Mississippi River. Escaping slaves used the Mississippi River to flee north into Illinois and Ohio. It is estimated that at least 40,000 people used the system to escape slavery. Northern abolitionists, black and white, and escaped slaves raised funds and acted as guides in helping fugitives flee north. Harriet Tubman, the most famous of these guides, led 300 slaves to freedom, making 19 trips south during her lifetime. She carried a price on her head of $40,000, placed there by slaveholders who wanted her captured dead or alive. |