"If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there's shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going." General Harriet Tubman

"Free Black communities in the upper South". I'd be interested in learning more about where such communities were and how they maintained that freedom.

The Underground Railroad was a group of people who broke federal laws to do what was right, and hopefully save lives. There are a lot of people who focus so much on what the laws are that they forget that laws are often immoral and wrong, and sometimes the only right thing to do is to break them.

I felt very emotional when Clint was describing his feelings as a child about people who didn't escape. Such an important thing to clarify. If these systems of cruelty didn't have effective methods of preventing most people from escaping or revolting, they'd never have existed in the first place.

This series should be required for high-school. Every episode I watch I'm blown away by how well and clearly everything is presented.

This entire series is so enlightening, important, and well done. Kudos to the entire team that has put this together.

Mexico is one of three countries in the world, where the act of escaping the prison is NOT a crime. They argue that the will to freedom is so natural for human soul, that one can not simply punish others for this will (ofc. you can not do other crimes while escaping, but basicaly, if you escape and don´t hurt anyone or destroy anything, they will not add to your time). Now I know where this has it´s roots

I definitely, as a white woman, while watching this realized that the story of how the north was this "magical haven" for enslaved black people was something I hadn't even realized I had internalized. Thank you for calling attention to that and giving me an opportunity through knowledge to improve. I deeply appreciate all that you've done.

I gotta say, as a teacher, this series is far and away the best crashcourse history content available. And that is saying a lot because I love John Green.

Vicente Guerrero was the one who abolished slavery legally in Mexico, but the one who first championed the idea with his documents "Los sentimientos de la nación" was José María Morelos y Pavón. In Mexico, we are taught he was the first to abolish slavery in the south of the country

This series has made me thoroughly appreciate that I spent 3rd-6th grade east of Richmond VA. At my school, even with it being majority white students, we visited plantations, slave quarters, a house that was a stop asking the underground railroad and the cramped hiding quarters located within, and heard several stories of ugly truth that have always made me empathize with the truly horrific aspects that enslaved ppl have gone through. (Though admittedly part of that empathy likely arises from being of Native American and Mexican heritages.)

This was one of the most thought-provoking episodes of the series. Not only for the subject at hand, but for its relation to things like Texas/Mexico and those who did not go North to freedom. I look forward to future episodes. Thanks for an excellent Crash Course.

Thank you for being so transparent in sharing your own views from a child’s perspective. I think you are uplifting our ancestors and hopefully our generation would pay attention and have more respect and admiration for our elders instead of viewing them as weak. You shine light into the institution they were trapped into and as we pause and look around we are still in the same social settings that trap our minds. Respect and appreciation for the work and research you do.

Yep, when I first heard of the underground railroad growing up I thought exactly what you described, a vast underground railroad network going from south to north with each train station being located in abandoned sheds, peoples cellars or in the middle of the woods. Lol

This series is an invaluable teaching tool. So candid, so clear, and more relevant in recent history than ever before.

Wow. I never knew William Still had a book about hundreds of former slaves who escaped and their lives. Definitely will have to add that to my reading list

I hope there's an episode about Solomon Northup. Such a powerful story that, in some ways, speaks for the enslaved who never had a chance to speak.

Indeed, escaping slavery was a terrifying endeavor, with uncertainty of the future and the possibility of being caught ever present. This is why we hold the efforts of those in the Underground Railroad to high regard, as they demonstrated insurmountable courage against these fears and possibilities by merely attempting to escape. Those that didn't escape or were unable to escape were no less brave as many combatted the institution in various other ways, but the challenge of stepping into the unknown and dangerous world of freedom for an escaped slave certainly took guts.

This series is important ❤️

By far my favorite crash course

Thank you for keeping their heroism and desperate struggles green in our memory! Like so many have said: I'm learning so much from this invaluable series 💖

55 years ago when I was roughly 8, I read a book about Harriet Tubman. I was fascinated then and remain fascinated.

Clint Smith is a good narrator.

This is the episode that brings tears to my eyes. Bless this series 🖤🙏🏾✊🏿

Thank you for this video about the Underground Railroad. I am native New Hampshrre, however, my maternal grandmother's family came from Vermont. Her ancestors were farmers. They were drafted in the Civil War as gun runners. They ran guns down to the Mason/Dixon line and then smuggled , I believe they we ex-slaves, but still not free. Our men took the route up the coast to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. If they go caught , they all got hung! There were safe houses in Portsmouth that painted decorative black bands at the base of their roof top chimneys. Since these colonial homes were two and three stories high, these bands were a secret code to alert slaves they were entering a safe house. Some of these homes remain, but not all my ancestors survived the trip. We lost many of our men. I am the last Ried ( Scotish) and female. The name dies with me, but I am proud of their bravery. ~ Diane

Thank you for teaching this with such integrity, and offering dignity to the individuals who history has not had the chance to acknowledge or highlight.

These videos always keep hope in my heart and mind

Dr. Smith, very informative as always

I didn't know about the underground railroad, nor something similar in other places in history. Many stories must have happened on that time.

This episode was of particular worth

It is certainly no less heroic for those men and women who stayed to preserve their families

I love this series so much. Thank you for this episode.

Thank you for this channel, I wish more of this was taught in school.

I always wondered about the actual logistics of the Underground Railroad. Like, how did people who wanted to help actually get involved, especially those further south. I know that some people learned of such opportunities through their church, but it seems like that would be hard when so many people at your church are slave owners. And how did the Conductors know where the Stations were when it was all so loosely held together. The details are fascinating to me.

This is just brilliant. I love that this channel exists.

wow they are literally heroes. this makes me so emotional :(

Thank you for this. This video is so important.

I am truly enjoying this series! Thank you for making it.

Thx for covering! This channels so useful and usually very well researched and ethical

Great video! A huge THANK YOU to the whole team for publishing this series.

This was really helpful ❤️ thank you for producing it x

Thank you for making this video.

Love this so much.... really enjoy the thought bubbles.

One of you best episodes. Thank you for the education. Outstanding!

Exceptionally well written episode. Thank you.

I enjoy and admire this teacher!!! Thank you for teaching this!!!

Excellent series.

So interesting! Thank you!

Great video

He was right. An operation like this had to be on a need to know basis

Thank you

What a great video.

9:32 ehhm and a lot of blacks also escaped further north to Canada.

Thanks!

Thank you.

I hate the idea that theres different history; history is history. Thankyou for this man, I'm hoping to study true world history. Crash Course, if you see this, if you can please make a native American deep dive into our history, thankyou 🙏🏽🪶

This series needs to be in every school.. not critical race. I'm also mixed with Cherokee along with black...I know you guys are incrediblely busy and awesome, but could a series be made about the native American story as well?..

Thanks for hostin

y’all in the comments just helped with my homework lol

Well ... from the comments I learned that Mexico ended slavery in 1820. !! Well done them. 👏

I have read about Black Americans escaping slavery by going to Mexico to which slavery was already abolished during the 1820s. And that is why there are Afro-Mexicans who are probably living in Mexico. But of course there are other countries near the US that also has Black people, but according to the info that I remembered, they abolished slavery as early as the 1800s (about 30 to 60 years prior to the American Civil War).

I feel like the freedmen communities in Canada should have been mentioned.

Being Canadian and of Chinese heritage, I know that Canada's history is ugly with some earlier slavery, racism, and cultural genocide but before this video, I did think it was important part of the underground railroad (not from school, just the little I've heard in the media). General estimates we've heard was up to 30,000 people escaped to Canada.

Ya neh? 💔Ya.

why didn’t you mention the president of the underground railroad, Levi Coffin

Mexico

sup clint smith

All of these vidoes have lots of dislikes, especially compared to other videos by crashcourse. No matter what subject matter is covered in the crash course black history, theres a backlash. Why do people feel so uncomfortable learning about these parts of American history?

Thank you for being so transparent in sharing your own views from a child's perspective. I think you are uplifting our ancestors and hopefully our generation would pay attention and have more respect and admiration for our elders instead of viewing them as weak. You shine light into the institution they were trapped into and as we pause and look around we are still in the same social settings that trap our minds. Respect and appreciation for the work and research you do.

Thank you