{"id":3758,"date":"2021-06-22T15:29:54","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T15:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oldsite.coloredconventions.org\/northwestern-fall-2020\/?page_id=3758"},"modified":"2025-10-01T19:23:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:23:19","slug":"underground-railroad","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oldsite.coloredconventions.org\/black-illinois-organizing\/chicago\/underground-railroad\/","title":{"rendered":"The Underground Railroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Page Header” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Exhibit Title” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#E09900″ global_module=”6078″ global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50Ijoic2l0ZV90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMj4iLCJhZnRlciI6IjwvaDI+In19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Section Title” module_id=”section-title” module_class=”page-header” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||5px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Making Black Chicago<\/h2>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Page Title” module_id=”page-title” module_class=”page-header” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

The Underground Railroad<\/h1>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

\n

From the late 1830s onward, Chicago was known as a place where Black residents and white allies opened their doors to freedom seekers and helped secure their safe passage to Canada. It was a city where crowds regularly assembled to stop slavecatchers from seizing people and forcing them back into bondage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some rescues followed the letter of the law. In one instance,<\/span> John Jones<\/span><\/a> helped rescue a man named Albert Pettit. <\/span>Pettit had escaped slavery in Tennessee. <\/span>His enslaver chased him all the way to Chicago, but then <\/span>declared his willingness to sell Pettit for a price. Jones, according to one account, \u201cwent among his friends\u201d and <\/span>raised funds to<\/span> buy Pettit\u2019s freedom<\/span>. The contract Jones <\/span>signed with Petit\u2019s enslaver called human bondage<\/span> \u201cthe sum of all villainies,\u201d and stated: In \u201cconsideration of the love and affection I bear to the said Albert as a member of the family of man, I hereby release, relinquish and discharge to the said Albert any and every claim I may have to his body, soul or services . . . [and] declare him free from all personal obligations to me except such obligations as are due from every man to his fellow by the common law of humanity.\u201d[1<\/span>]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Map heading” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Underground Railroad stops in Chicago<\/h3>\n

Click on the red dots on the map below to view the \u201cconductors\u201d or \u201cstation masters\u201d of each stop.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n\n\n