Reverse Underground Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Reverse Underground Railroad is the term used for the historical practice of kidnapping free Black Americans from free states and transporting them into the American South for sale as slaves. The name is a reference to the Underground Railroad
, the informal network of abolitionists and sympathizers who helped to smuggle escaped slaves to freedom, generally in Canada
.
From 1811-1829, Martha "Patty" Cannon
was the leader of a gang that kidnapped slaves and free blacks from the Delmarva Peninsula
of Delaware
, Maryland
and Virginia
and transported and sold them to plantation
owners located further south. She was indicted for four murders in 1829 and died in prison
while awaiting trial
, purportedly a suicide
via poison
. In the 1820s-1830s, John A. Murrell
, who led an outlaw gang in western Tennessee
, once was caught with a freed slave living on his property. He was sentenced to ten years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary for slave-stealing. Murrell was also, known to kidnap slaves and sell them back to other slave owners. John Hart Crenshaw was an American landowner, salt maker
, and slave trader, from the 1820s-1850s, based out of Gallatin County, Illinois
. Although Illinois
was a free state, Crenshaw leased the salt works in nearby Equality, Illinois
from the U.S. Government, which permitted the use of slaves
for the arduous labor of hauling and boiling brackish water to produce salt
. Due to Crenshaw's keeping and breeding
of slaves and kidnapping of free blacks, who were then pressed into slavery, his house became popularly known as The Old Slave House and is alleged to be haunted.
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, the informal network of abolitionists and sympathizers who helped to smuggle escaped slaves to freedom, generally in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
From 1811-1829, Martha "Patty" Cannon
Patty Cannon
Martha "Patty" Cannon was the leader of a gang in the early 19th century that kidnapped slaves and free blacks from the Delmarva Peninsula and transported and sold them to plantation owners located further south. Later accounts of her life refer to her as Lucretia P...
was the leader of a gang that kidnapped slaves and free blacks from the Delmarva Peninsula
Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...
of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and transported and sold them to plantation
Plantations in the American South
Plantations were an important aspect of the history of the American South, particularly the antebellum .-Planter :The owner of a plantation was called a planter...
owners located further south. She was indicted for four murders in 1829 and died in prison
Penitentiary
Penitentiary may refer to:* Prison or penitentiary, a correctional facility* Apostolic Penitentiary, a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Roman Catholic Church* Penitentiary...
while awaiting trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
, purportedly a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
via poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
. In the 1820s-1830s, John A. Murrell
John Murrell (bandit)
John A. Murrell , a near-legendary bandit operating in the United States along the Mississippi River in the mid-nineteenth century...
, who led an outlaw gang in western Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, once was caught with a freed slave living on his property. He was sentenced to ten years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary for slave-stealing. Murrell was also, known to kidnap slaves and sell them back to other slave owners. John Hart Crenshaw was an American landowner, salt maker
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, and slave trader, from the 1820s-1850s, based out of Gallatin County, Illinois
Gallatin County, Illinois
Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,589, which is a decrease of 13.3% from 6,445 in 2000...
. Although Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
was a free state, Crenshaw leased the salt works in nearby Equality, Illinois
Equality, Illinois
Equality is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 721 at the 2000 census. Near the village are two points of interest, the Crenshaw House and the Garden of the Gods Wilderness.-History:...
from the U.S. Government, which permitted the use of slaves
History of Illinois
The history of Illinois may be defined by several broad historical periods, namely, the pre-Columbian period, the Era of European Exploration and Colonization, its development as part of the American frontier, and finally, its growth into one of the most populous and economically powerful states of...
for the arduous labor of hauling and boiling brackish water to produce salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. Due to Crenshaw's keeping and breeding
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
of slaves and kidnapping of free blacks, who were then pressed into slavery, his house became popularly known as The Old Slave House and is alleged to be haunted.