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The Underground Railway operated between 18:40 and 18:60 and was a support network dedicated to safe passage and freedom for slaves. The Fugitive Slave Act passed in 1850, had made life increasingly miserable for escaped slaves. The Act gave slave owners the right to hunt down and return slaves even when they were on free soil. The Freedom Quilt was one method used, with much success, to aid slaves in their escape to freedom.

A look at many of the Freedom Quilts in museums today, while beautiful works of art, gives one a sense of the horrors of slavery. But these quilts also served a very crucial purpose. The held hidden maps, that were intricately treaded and patched into quilts. These maps serve as a guide to the fleeing slaves and their helpers.

During these times, whispers were circulated about where a slave might travel to gain freedom. The underground Railway meant embarking upon arduous and dangerous expeditions from the South to Canada and the Northern States. From shared stories passed around by slaves and from information gathered on the plantation, slaves knew that their hope lay North. This valuable information had to documented in a way that would not attract suspicion, and with tools that were accessible to slaves. Sewing was a creative way to capture directions and codes for the benefit of runaway slaves.

Pieces of fabric and thread would be painstakingly transformed into rivers, lakes, trails, houses and other guideposts and landmarks, that produced colorful quilts used by the runaway slaves. Quilts also served as guidelines for the slave preparing to leave. A "plan" of action was often embedded in the quilt. There were signals to let a slave know when to start getting ready for a journey in the form of the "Wagon Wheel". A "Shoofly" pattern was code name for getting dressed, while "Tumbling Block" patterns meant it was time to start the Journey. Other symbols also helped the slaves survive on their journey. The "Star" pattern showed the passage north while a "Log Cabin" pattern meant danger.

The very popular story about Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson, is a true account of Clara, a house slave. After overhearing other slaves talk about escaping if they had a map, she used scraps to quilt a map of the land. Freedom quilts offered a sense of hope for many slaves.

These pieces of scraps when put together, served as valuable signposts for the Underground Railroad. The homes and businesses of abolitionist along the Underground Railroad, would have been of little use to slaves, had it not been for these freedom quilts to guide them. Freedom quilts are an Important part of the African American experience and I encourage you to visit an exhibition of these beautiful threads of freedom that emerged from one of the darkest periods of African American History.

Learn more about this author, Joan Schroeder.
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