How many slaves escaped using the Underground Railroad?
While it’s tough to separate fact from legend in the history of the Underground Railroad, there’s some evidence that quilts were used to communicate with fugitives. The images on quilts hanging outside slave quarters could signify if that particular place was a safe stop. Stitching patterns might have indicated the distance to the next safe stop [source: The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education]. There is much more evidence for coded songs, most notably in reference to Canada (called “Canaan” in song) and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman (who’s referred to as “Moses”) [source: Howell].
