Social Studies TEKS Review

“The Underground Railroad”

Comments by Dr. Carole Hornsby Haynes

 March 26, 2026 

Grade 2

7. People of the Civil War

 b. The Story of People Who Opposed Slavery (e.g. Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman) 

CHH - Larry Gara, The Liberty Line: The Legend of the Underground Railroad. Gara found little evidence that the “Underground Railroad” existed, if any. Instead, he writes that the legend was crafted by abolitionists to enhance their role in defining American history. 

The War had to be a righteous cause because losing one million men to preserve a Union would not have been morally acceptable. The legend grew as Americans moved further away from the War. And today, Americans firmly believe, without any evidence, that thousands of Northern crusaders guided miserable and terrified slaves to freedom in Northern towns through a series of safe houses.  

It makes us feel better about the past, but “feel good” history based on legend isn’t history. It’s propaganda. That is the very essence of the “Righteous Cause Myth.”This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.