¶ … Underground Railroad Functioned and Assess Its Significance During the 1850s, slaves had few alternatives in life --a slave could remain on the plantation of his/her master, come to terms with the idea of a life filled with frequent cruel physical punishments and grueling labor, and the possibility of one's family getting separated, (accompanied by the pain of watching family members being sold away). While this wasn't necessarily the fate all slaves met, they could expect it, if they remained enslaved. The idea of escape was fraught with uncertainty. The slaves would be hunted either by the master himself or by cruel, professional slave hunters. If a runaway slave was caught, he was nearly always put to death; further, the other slaves (i.e., his coworkers in the plantation) were also punished and were, normally, made to witness the defiant slave's execution. Moreover, a run-away life wasn't at all easy. Even in the event the slave managed to reach any of the Northern states, threats still persisted. A large number of people, both Blacks and Whites, coveted the sum offered as reward for turning in a runaway slave; also, the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act was made still severer in the year 1850 and permitted a master...
Therefore, the best hope for a runaway slave was fleeing beyond the country's borders. In light of all the threats he encountered in his path, though, the probability of success was minimal. However, if a slave did cross the nation's boundaries, he would be free. The word 'freedom' was, for numerous slaves, too much to even think about, much less strive for. Nevertheless, no less than one estimate states that, in the 1800s, over 100,000 slaves, via the Underground Railroad, would take a risk and attempt to begin a fresh life (Connors para 1-4).
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously declared that John Brown's execution would "make the gallows as glorious as the cross." (Quoted by Reynolds 127) Other historians have opined that Brown's martyrdom was the single most important event that "sparked the Civil War" and ultimately ended slavery. During his lifetime, Brown's uncompromising, radical ideas were often considered dangerous even by such anti-slavery politicians as Abraham Lincoln. In death, Brown became a symbol
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