Underground Railroad: The William Still Story

Slavery and Freedom

Clip | 3m 16s  | Video has closed captioning.

As incredible as it sounds today, in the 1850s many Americans believed that slaves were incapable of thinking for themselves and could not survive on their own. They believed that the black man was created by God to serve a white master and found passages in the Bible to prove it. Some slave holders even argued that they were doing their slaves a favor by providing them with food and shelter.

Aired: 02/05/12

Rating: TV-PG

Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning

Funding provided by CN Railway, Rogers Cable Network, Canada Media Fund, and Rogers Documentary Fund. Additional support from David W. Pretty, Vernon Achber & Phil Lind, and CPB.