A little known fact about the South is that many of the plantation owners had ties to royal families in Europe. A younger son (not able to inherit property in the old world since all titles and lands went to the eldest son), would take his stake and come to America and set up a plantation. With slaves, he would work his land and grow rich. These slaves were usually caught by rival tribesmen in Africa and delivered to slave traders. The slave traders owned the slave ships.
If someone did not like you or if you had been caught by slave tribesmen, you could soon find yourself in chains aboard a slave ship headed for the new world. There you would have been sold like cattle in public auctions with all manner of indignities endured by men, women and children. You had no hope of ever getting away.
Many southerners as well as northerners felt slavery was wrong. The growing tide of disapproval of the system in the north gave some hope to slaves that freedom might be at hand. Word of the Underground Railroad had spread to the south and some slaves took a chance and fled. Most of the blacks that were runaways were young single men. About 30,000 ex slaves found their way to Canada and freedom. As many went as far as the northern states. Although the word railroad implies riding it was no such thing. These fugitives walked and ran the distances from one safe house to another. In the south bordering states, the safe houses were farther apart by as much as 15 miles. How many miles could you cover in a day? In the heat of the summer? In the frigid cold of winter? So it sometimes could take days to get from one rest station to another. To get food, and clothing and to be able to rest without having one eye open.
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