Thomas L. Smith Interview, Sept. 18., 1894

Thomas L. Smith Interview, Sept. 18., 1894

Siebert, Wilbur Henry, 1866-1961; Underground railroad; Abolitionist; Fugitive slaves--Ohio--History

This interview of Thomas L. Smith, a man who moved about Ohio and Pennsylvania quite a bit during the mid-nineteenth century, taken by Wilbur Siebert, an Underground Railroad historian residing in Columbus, Ohio, discuss Smith’s knowledge and interactions with the Underground Railroad in and around Wayne County. Smith discusses where he got his anti-slavery ideals and how he spread these ideals around Wayne County. The importance of Wayne County was undeniable because it was a major stop for many slaves seeking freedom as they were on their way to Oberlin, Ohio, a major hub for the freed slaves coming from the South looking for safety.

Smith and other like him that helped fugitive slaves to safety, worked in dangerous conditions, with punishments ranging from $1,000 fines and imprisonment. However, the danger that Smith and others like him faced was minimal compared to that fate of a run-away slave if caught. Slaves were attempting to escape with little knowledge of the area they were going to and no sense of direction. They could never be completely sure if they were safe because of the Fugitive Slave Act. In addition, if they were caught and sent back to the plantations they came from, they would face harsh punishments and beatings. The Underground Railroad helped to free thousands of slaves with the help of free Northern citizens such as Thomas Smith.

Use Ohio Social Studies Standard for Grade Eight 11 (Disputes over the nature of federalism, complicated by economic developments in the United States, resulted in sectional issues, including slavery, which led to the American Civil War) and 16 (Cultural biases, stereotypes and prejudices had social, political and economic consequences for minority groups and the population as a whole) for integration into the classroom.

Thomas L. Smith

Ohio Memory Project, Wilbur H. Siebert Collection http://www.ohiomemory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/siebert/id/632/rec/1 MSS116AV BOX56 07OH 069

Unknown

1894-09-18

In Copyright http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Wilbur H. Siebert Collection

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Fredericksburg, Ohio; Holmes County; Wayne County; Westmoreland County;