what was the underground railroad

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and from there to Canada. The network was primarily the work of free African Americans and was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees. The Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad, and it was not underground. The term "Underground" implies secrecy, and "Railroad" refers to the way people followed certain routes, with stops along the way, to get to their destination. The operators of the Underground Railroad were abolitionists, or people who opposed slavery. Many were members of organized groups that helped runaways, such as the Quaker religion and the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Often called "agents," these operators used their homes, churches, barns, and schoolhouses as "stations". There, fugitives could stop and receive shelter, food, clothing, protection, and money until they were ready to move to the next station. The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family, who made significant contributions to the Underground Railroad. Exact numbers dont exist, but its estimated that between 25,000 and 50,000 enslaved people escaped to freedom through this network.