For a Century, Underground Railroad ran South

Except for about 20 years when the British held St. Augustine between the end of the French and Indian War and the end of the American Revolution, the Spanish policy of sanctuary remained in effect until 1790 when Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson convinced the Spanish crown to end it.

Many runaways escaped amid the chaos and violence of the revolution, and keeping that corridor open could have drained the Southern colonies of slaves, Landers said.

Unlike the Underground Railroad going north, the early network was more informal: Neither the slaves nor the indigenous tribes that helped them left written records, and there was no church structure like the Quakers organizing the effort, Landers said. It’s unknown exactly how many stayed among the American Indians or how many died.

The British saw slaves as property and labor for their plantations and offered rewards for their return.

By contrast, Landers said, “the Spanish believe the indigenous people and Africans could be converted and as such were humans and had families and souls to save.”

Article Appeared @http://news.yahoo.com/century-underground-railroad-ran-south-140743141.html

 

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