Escape from Slavery

Slaves escaped from bondage any way they could, risking punishment and even death to seize the opportunity for freedom. Their best hope was to leave the United States for Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. Freedom-seeking slaves often received help from abolitionists, who believed slavery was evil. Whites and free black abolitionists worked together to help slaves reach safety through the Underground Railroad, and tried to restrict slavery through state and national legislation. Finally, all slavery was ended through passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.