The Underground Railroad was a system of people who wanted to help Southern slaves escape to the free North or Canada in secret. Between 40,000 and 100,000 people escaped to freedom thanks to the Underground Railroad. Readers are presented with a wealth of primary sources, including photographs, personal accounts, literature from the time, and pre-Civil War legislation pertaining to slavery. Readers will have a chance to reach their own conclusions based on facts they find in the primary sources. Sidebars provide readers with supplementary information about the difficult route slaves traveled to reach freedom and encourage readers to continue asking questions about primary sources about the Underground Railroad.