Sailing to Freedom: New Bedford and the Underground Railroad

This National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks Workshops for School Teachers features a series of discussions with leading scholars about the intersection of the Underground Railroad, whaling, and the maritime trade within the United States. New Bedford, MA, a premier seaport and whaling capital of the United States during the Antebellum period, provides a perfect backdrop for our focus on the Underground Railroad and sea routes to freedom. The workshop emphasizes the powerful abolitionist forces within the free African-American community and the Quaker establishment of New Bedford.