Runnin’ and Runnin’ in Louisiana: The Underground Railroad
First-person accounts of enslaved people who sought freedom enliven this exploration of the Underground Railroad in Louisiana.
Learn about the Underground Railroad from primary sources in this interactive presentation. Excerpts from runaway slave ads, oral histories of formerly enslaved people, photographs, and more illustrate the stakes, challenges, and triumphs of freedom seekers.
Learn more in this presentation created by Kerri Sullivan-Leger, HNOC Derven Scholar and graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
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