9781422274194

Fifteen fugitive slaves arrive at Philadelphia in the mid-1850s. Philadel- phia had large populations of both anti-slavery Quakers and free blacks, two communities that helped the freedom seekers.

FINDING A SAFE PLACE During the colonial era, escaped slaves often headed south to the Spanish colony in Florida. Spain and Britain were often at war, and the Spanish authorities promised freedom to British slaves who ran away. A few slaves went west to the unsettled frontier, where they hoped to live outside the eye of British authorities. Around the time of the American War for Independence (1775–1783), some of the northern states began to pass laws that outlawed slavery. So once the United States became independent, it was logical for escaped slaves to try to reach these northern states, such as Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Runaway slaves often aimed for large cities in the North like Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, where they could blend in

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Escaping from Slavery