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Year: 1800

Who: Enslaved steamboat workers​

Where: from New Orleans to St. Louis​

What: The advent of steamboats in the early 19th century revolutionized transportation and had a profound impact on the lives of enslaved individuals, providing them with unique opportunities for autonomy. For people like William Wells Brown and Milton Clarke, steamboats were not only a tool for commerce and travel, but also a means of escaping the rigid controls of plantation life. Both Brown and Clarke, who worked as steamboat men, were able to leverage their positions to gain freedom, reconnect with family members, and assist others in their quest for liberty.

Steamboats offered enslaved individuals a level of mobility and independence that was otherwise rare in the highly controlled, stationary life on plantations. These workers had the ability to travel along rivers and waterways, often moving between states where different laws and enforcement practices existed. This mobility allowed enslaved people to reunite with loved ones who had been sold or relocated, a possibility that was otherwise limited by the geographic restrictions imposed by slavery.

In addition to personal freedom, the work on steamboats enabled enslaved individuals to develop intricate networks of communication. These networks became lifelines for those seeking safety or escape from slavery. Workers on steamboats, who interacted with people from different regions and social classes, often passed on crucial information regarding escape routes, safe havens, and abolitionist activities. This system of communication allowed enslaved people to find freedom or avoid capture by sharing knowledge about the Underground Railroad or other routes to freedom.

Steamboats, as technological innovations, thus became more than mere vessels for commerce; they became conduits for freedom, providing enslaved people with critical opportunities to alter their fates. This autonomy—though precarious and fraught with danger—represented one of the few means by which enslaved individuals could gain control over their lives, make connections across distances, and resist the systems that sought to keep them bound.

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2800 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

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