The underground railroad wasn't really underground nor a railroad but, routes that the enslaved took to get to freedom. It was also nicknamed Liberty Line. Escape routes ranged from the North to the Western territories, Mexico, and even the Caribbean. Although no one really knows exactly when it was started, some reports of aid being given to the runaways in the early 1700's and ended promptly in 1856 due to the union's victory over the Confederacy. …showed first 75 words of 1802 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1802 total…is full force. The slaves would escape and take refuge in Union lines. Immediately after the war ended, the Underground Railroad did, too. This was due to the passing of the 13th amendment into the United States Constitution which freed over four million enslaved African Americans. All in all, "the true heroes of the underground were not the abolitionists or sympathizers, but those runaway bondsmen who were willing to risk their lives to gain freedom."