Justitia - Underground Railroad in Michigan, Next Elementary Webinars (2/17)

Being a free state so close to Canada, Michigan played a large role in the history of the Underground Railroad, a network of individuals who believed slavery was wrong. They helped freedom seekers escaping enslavement in the South before the Civil War. 

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Michigan's Underground Railroad: The Fugitive Slave Rescues of 1847

Usually, the Underground Railroad was secret, but in 1847 several Michigan communities rose up publicly. They kept people who had escaped enslavement from being taken back. As a result, slaveowners in the South lobbied Congress to adopt the Fugitive Slave Act (1850), which made it illegal to help freedom seekers - a move that led to the Civil War.

Learn more from the 1847 Fugitive Slave Rescues story map, a project developed by the National Park Service's Network to Freedom, Michigan Freedom Trails, and the Boone County Public Library. 

• The Crosswhite Family (Calhoun County)
• The Kentucky Raid (Cass County) 
• John Felix White (convergence of Jackson, Lenawee, and Washtenaw counties)
• Robert Cromwell (Detroit)

Additional Resources

How Is Freedom Defined in the Statehood Era? Readings and primary sources for grades 3-5, Michiganology

Freedom Road in Cass County, State Bar of Michigan Legal Milestones

Fourth Annual Heritage Gathering (in-depth presentations), Michigan Freedom Trails Commission

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Next Webinars for Elementary - February 17

• Michigan's Judicial Branch: Powers and Role, 10 a.m. | Register
• Symbols of the Judicial Branch: Reflecting Constitutional Principles and Democratic Values, 1 p.m. | Register

Need a different date, grade level, or additional topic? Want more details? See Virtual Field Trips for more information.