The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the US during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. The network was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees. Various other routes led to Mexico where slavery had been abolished, and to islands in the Caribbean that were not part of the slave trade. An earlier escape route running south toward Florida, then a Spanish possession existed from the late 17th century until approximately 1790. One estimate suggests that by 1850, approximately 100,000 enslaved people had escaped to freedom via the network. We took a closer look at the life and bravery of Harriet Tubman.