7 Pervasive Myths About the Underground Railroad That Have Been Debunked

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Many believe that enslaved Africans invented their own language to communicate in front of plantation owners about escape attempts without them knowing. This was a myth, however. Reality, according to Many Rivers, was that, for reasons of safety, privacy, security and protection, most enslaved people ran seeking freedom on their own. They did not inform many outside their families about their plans for fear of betrayal.

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