Border States and Free States
This video is about the history of the Underground Railroad in Boone County, Kentucky, a border state. Kentucky was considered a border state because while it was a slave state, it shared a border with a free state. A border state would be the last state a fugitive slave would have to cross before reaching free states in the North. Enslaved people were both owned and sold during slavery in Kentucky. However, slavery was illegal in Ohio, a free state that bordered Kentucky, just across the Ohio River.
Now watch the video to learn about slavery, and the challenges and dangers slaves faced in the Underground Railroad in Boone County, Kentucky.
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Take Notes
Think about what life was like for enslaved people and why they wanted to escape even though it was very dangerous. Consider the hardships they faced in attempting to escape. Write a sentence or two about your thoughts in the space below. (Click "Save" when you have finished. To see your saved or submitted work again, click "My Work" at the top of the page.)
