The Underground Railroad Used These Secret Codes

From wearing disguises to physically fighting off slave patrols, our freedom-seeking ancestors had an arsenal of strategies that they used on the Underground Railroad. One of the most powerful of these strategies was using code words.

Phrase #1: French Leave: When our ancestors were preparing to escape enslavement, the need for absolute secrecy meant that they weren’t always able to say goodbye to the parents, siblings, or children they were leaving behind. These people who had departed suddenly were said to have taken “French leave.”

Phrase #2: Load Of Potatoes: Hauling a load of potatoes isn’t easy, but compare it to hiding people under sacks of fruit, vegetables, cotton, or other crops and transporting them safely to a free state. A shipment like this was called  “a load of potatoes.”

Phrase #3: Bundles of Wood: Safe houses, known as “stations” along the Underground Railroad were alerted when bundles of wood – incoming fugitives  – were expected. It was a joyful occasion when those “bundles” arrived safely.

Our people crafted these codes to stay safe while escaping bondage, but it was our togetherness that made them work. Without trust and cooperation, these codes would have failed. When we unify, we crack the code to Black liberation.