0Jersey City is one of the cities that has high cultural diversity in America. It has an underground rail that passes through, and it helped the slaves escape to Canada and the North that had banned slavery. The term “Underground rail” does not mean the actual railway system, but it means that the area helped facilitate the movement of slavery who were sneaked through homes, churches and businesses as they escapade to the North in the late 18th Century. The city is located at UTM Easting 580,188.65, and UTM Northing 4,508,005.82.
The Dutch settlers were the initial occupants of the city, and they introduced slavery in the region in the 1640s. Slaves were taken from Africa and transported to the New Netherlands, currently known as Jersey City (Ibarra, 2020). The settlers, whom most streets are named after, purchased the slaves to work in their plantations. For example, Jacob Stoffelsen was a slaveholder who settled in the area and was married to Vrouwtje Ides Van Vorst, a park and a street named after.
The gradual abolition of the slave trade made Jersey City free the remaining slaves by 1827. During the travelling of the escapee, slaves from the south passed through Jersey City and estimated that between 50,000 to 57 000 were facilitated to the North (Ibarra, 2020). Slaves were usually hidden in wagons and transported through the city, which risked many lives of the people who were against slavery and supported the abolition of slavery. After transportation to Jersey City, the facilitators hired coal boats and ferries to help the slaves across the Hudson River to New York, Canada, and New England.
The African American people have a special connection to the city. They reared the town as their gate to freedom since most settlers in the city participated in one way or another to help them achieve their freedom from slavery. The residences risk their lives to transport the slaves at night since the slave owners were ruthless in their actions and could have even killed the facilitators. The blacks were also incorporated into the white Christian churches before they established their African churches that are currently witnessed in the area. During the crossing of the River Hudson, it is believed that the blacks offered their loading services of the cargo to the ferry and coal bats owners as a way of paying for their transport.
Jackson Avenue, currently known as Martin Luther King Jr. drive, has a rich history regarding the experiences of the black community living in the area. The street is named after Thomas and Jackson, who were brothers and were freed from slavery; the two brothers purchased the Land in Jersey City and used the Land to house numerous saves who escaped to the North during the 19th-century civil war (Ibarra, 2020). As a result of their actions, many slaves were freed and using the underground rail. The use of underground rail is one reason why the city is considered one of the diverse cities in the United States.
Jersey City played an essential role in ensuring that African slaves were free. The abolitionists in the area were passionate about justice and an end to slavery. They worked together regardless of their race to ensure that those who were enslaved received freedom. There are many archaeological remains in the area that shows that numerous slaves passed through the region. As a result of theses combined effort, the city is one of the peaceful cities across the US and cases of racial discrimination is rarely heard in the area.
Reference
Ibarra, E. (2020). Jersey City: The last stop on the underground railroad. Web.