Question

Using the map below, explain why the journey from Louisiana to Canada through Wisconsin would be especially difficult.

Answer 1

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

The journey from Louisiana to Canada through Wisconsin would be especially difficult because it had to pass through many states that were "slavery states," and this maximized the risk to be caught.

And even more, reaching Wisconsin, slaves had to cross the Great Lakes, which represented a major risk. And during the winter, this was almost impossible.

We can say this was a dangerous route to get to Canada.

We have the case of Shadrach Minkins. He was sent to Canada on the Underground Railroad.

Shadrach Minkins lived as a slave in Virginia but one day he decided that he should be free and in 1850 escaped to Boston with the help of abolitionists of the North. These northerners that helped him, were part of the network called the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves to escape and introduced them into the northern territory.