Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
The Erie Canal was a hot bed for Underground Railroad and anti-slavery activity. Slavery was gradually abolished in New York starting in 1799 and abolished in 1827, although some people continued to be legally enslaved into the 1840s in the state. The Second Great Awakening, an evangelical Christian movement that was spread along the Canal, spurred reform movements such as abolition, women’s rights and temperance. The canal was completed in 1825, and created a pathway to freedom in canal cities and Canada west. The existence of slavery in other states and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act put free Black people at risk of being captured and being taken back into slavery in the South. Many people followed the Erie Canal to Niagara Falls and crossed into Canada to seek their freedom.
Did you know: The former International Suspension Bridge, operated between 1855-1897, was the world’s first Railway Suspension Bridge and a point of crossing for freedom seekers, including Harriet Tubman.
Chapters
0:00 Slavery in NYS
1:46 Erie Canal and Underground Railroad
3:38 Second Great Awakening
4:40 Fugitive Slave Act and moving to Canada
6:50 Role of Niagara Falls in Underground Railroad
8:12 Learning about Underground Railroad today
Image credits
Erie Canal Museum
Derrick Pratt
New York Public Library
New York State Archive
New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections
New York State Museum, Albany, New York
Library of Congress
Jermain Wesley Loguen image, Onondaga Historical Association/Coulter Library, Onondaga Community College, “A History of the Black Community of Syracuse.”
Want more info on this topic? Check out the resources below:
Underground Railroad Consortium
urcnys.org
Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center
niagarafallsundergroundrailroad.org
Erie Canal Museum
eriecanalmuseum.org/exploring-abolition-along-the-empire-state-trail
New York State Canal Corporation - More Voices Initiative
canals.ny.gov/About/History/More-Voices
Learn more about Reflections on the Erie Canal at wmht.org/ErieCanal
#ErieCanal200
The Erie Canal was a hot bed for Underground Railroad and anti-slavery activity. Slavery was gradually abolished in New York starting in 1799 and abolished in 1827, although some people continued to be legally enslaved into the 1840s in the state. The Second Great Awakening, an evangelical Christian movement that was spread along the Canal, spurred reform movements such as abolition, women’s rights and temperance. The canal was completed in 1825, and created a pathway to freedom in canal cities and Canada west. The existence of slavery in other states and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act put free Black people at risk of being captured and being taken back into slavery in the South. Many people followed the Erie Canal to Niagara Falls and crossed into Canada to seek their freedom.
Did you know: The former International Suspension Bridge, operated between 1855-1897, was the world’s first Railway Suspension Bridge and a point of crossing for freedom seekers, including Harriet Tubman.
Chapters
0:00 Slavery in NYS
1:46 Erie Canal and Underground Railroad
3:38 Second Great Awakening
4:40 Fugitive Slave Act and moving to Canada
6:50 Role of Niagara Falls in Underground Railroad
8:12 Learning about Underground Railroad today
Image credits
Erie Canal Museum
Derrick Pratt
New York Public Library
New York State Archive
New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections
New York State Museum, Albany, New York
Library of Congress
Jermain Wesley Loguen image, Onondaga Historical Association/Coulter Library, Onondaga Community College, “A History of the Black Community of Syracuse.”
Want more info on this topic? Check out the resources below:
Underground Railroad Consortium
urcnys.org
Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center
niagarafallsundergroundrailroad.org
Erie Canal Museum
eriecanalmuseum.org/exploring-abolition-along-the-empire-state-trail
New York State Canal Corporation - More Voices Initiative
canals.ny.gov/About/History/More-Voices
Learn more about Reflections on the Erie Canal at wmht.org/ErieCanal
#ErieCanal200
