underground railroad

Related to underground railroad: Harriet Tubman

underground railroad

1. capitalized An organized network of secret workers, routes, and safe houses used to ferry escaped African-American slaves to free states or present-day Canada. A former slave herself, Harriet Tubman was an instrumental figure in the Underground Railroad, saving roughly 70 people from slavery over the course of 13 rescue missions.
2. By extension, any network of people working together secretly to help fugitives escape to places of safety and freedom. The human rights organization has begun operating an underground railroad in the third-world country to help human trafficking victims escape from bondage. A former slave herself, Harriet Tubman was an instrumental figure in the Underground Railroad
See also: railroad, underground
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

underground railroad

A secret network for moving and housing fugitives, as in There's definitely an underground railroad helping women escape abusive husbands. This term, dating from the first half of the 1800s, alludes to the network that secretly transported runaway slaves through the northern states to Canada. It was revived more than a century later for similar escape routes.
See also: railroad, underground
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
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  • soul brother
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  • founding father
  • founding father (of something)
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References in periodicals archive
Discussion: Modern Underground Railroad Preservation and Education Efforts
The underground railroad reconsidered
"The Underground Railroad," however, has always been more false than true.
The Ungrounded Railroad
Though there are no extant production records of The Underground Railroad after 1880, the Hyers troupe performed Out of Bondage until the ensemble was disbanded for the last time in 1893.
African American Theater
"People Saving Places: The Underground Railroad in Illinois," was directed by University of Chicago student Catalina Parra.
'People Saving Places' Video focuses on Illinois' role in the Underground Railroad
For his services as the city's resident "expert" on the Underground Railroad, Cottrell received a salary and benefit package that cost city taxpayers $118,904 a year.
Some Dyster directed disasters
While the book centers on biographical material on 600 people and families who were part of the Underground Railroad, it also overviews events and offers context.
The Underground Railroad in DeKalb County, Illinois
Follow along as this awesome trio encounter some of history's best known heroes of the Underground Railroad.
The Neophyte Writer Presents an Author Who Loves Sharing History with Kids
This task first requires finding reliable narratives that connect Underground Railroad activities to Niagara Falls, then connecting those activities to specific sites within the present city.
Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, and the bridges at Niagara Falls
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has become a starting point for research on modern-day slavery.
A new eye on history: the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center updates its mission with a focus on modern-day slavery
Support comes from London-based Parisians UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
Also playing: Fight Like Apes; Music
"When Thunder Rolls: The Underground Railroad and the Civil War" is a tale of the Underground Railroad, a line of people that slaves knew to run to for aid and assistance in trying to flee northward for the most basic of freedoms that so many Americans hold dear.
When Thunder Rolls
Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson's HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX: A TRUE STORY FROM THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (043977733X, $16.99) tells of a young slave who doesn't know how birthday or age, and who dreams of freedom even as his family is sold.
Scholastic Inc
RENSSELAER -- Trent Graham of Black Dimensions In Art, Inc., who conducted a workshop session on the life of Edmonia Lewis at a recent conference on the underground railroad movement, addressed the March 7th meeting of the Rensselaer City Council on the same subject.
"Rensselaer should be proud"
Its flagship program teaches about monumental events in African American history, such as the Underground Railroad and the civil rights movement.
Mother of civil rights hands down her legacy: Rosa Parks gave birth to a movement and set the bar for future generations
A four-page index links Maine women to the Underground Railroad, Shakers, Penobscot Indians, suffrage, and the Audubon Society.
Kennedy, Kate. More than Petticoats: Remarkable Maine Women