Cold Case

Detective Valens: So in 1965 you set up an Underground Railroad for abused women and children? The Underground Railroad was a term used of a clandestine system that helped slaves escape from the southern United States in the days before the Civil War. Abolitionists helped transport the slaves to northern states (where slavery was outlawed). When the government started hunting down escaped slaves in the north and returning them to their owners, the abolitionists responded by leading the slaves to Canada instead. Being an abolitionist required a great deal of bravery; people caught helping escaped slaves could be killed or imprisoned. Some people were involved in the Underground Railroad because they had a personal or religious opposition to slavery. Others were former slaves themselves; Harriet Tubman is a well-known example.