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There are so many famous black slaves that it would be impossible to name them all. Harriet Tubman traveled over forty thousand miles freeing slaves in the south. Fredrick Douglass, a freed slave, became one of the most important intellectual blacks to walk the earth. Most of these slaves really did not become famous until they were actually free. This meant that all accomplishments that were made during slavery were not accounted for. There were many events and situations that could have made any slave famous. Sometimes it was not because of what they did, but whom they knew, rather than what they knew. Sometimes they just did something not known for that time, and that is what made them famous. Many of the famous slaves are still known today, but unfortunately there are slaves who made amazing contributions to the world and were never recognized for their achievements. Edward Alexander Bouchet became the first African American to earn a doctorate degree. He was one of many who never recognized for his achievement. |
| Another sad and unfortunate event is that most slaves could not become very famous or well known. They were either killed, or they never had a chance to make something out of their lives. Some of them were killed for trying to escape. Many of them escaped because they realized that freedom was possible and they heard of paradise away from their masters. Most slaves followed something called the drinking well, which was an alignment of stars that resembled a drinking well. Many slaves killed their masters and escaped. Some slaves used ropes, while other slaves used shovels to escape. There is no recording on how often slaves would escape, but historians say that it was mostly at night and in a large group, so that if they needed to defend themselves they could. Slaves were really smart when it came to planning escapes. Some would kill their masters so the master could not yell for help if they caught their slaves trying to escape, while others would simply leave. They would pack up what they had and leave the plantation for a life of freedom. There were a lot of people that were against slavery and did not support it. Many of these people would shelter the slaves at night and give them food and water so that they could be rested the next day for their journey. These people were called Abolitionists and they were totally against slavery. | 
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