Underground Railroad Quilt Signals

This course explores the centuries-long struggle to end slavery, tracing a movement defined not by a single event, but by a collection of voices, prayers, protests, and resistance spanning continents. From dramatic displays of faith in 18th-century England to political decrees in Mexico and the United States, we will examine how freedom was won through the "unstoppable will of the enslaved" and their allies. This course also critically examines the cultural memory of this era, specifically the folklore surrounding the Underground Railroad and the use of "coded quilts" to communicate secrets.