The Underground Railroad was a road of hardship and tragedy for many who traveled it. Slaves made the decision to travel this daring road with the help of conductors. This system was called the Underground Railroad, because activities were carried on in secret and because railway terms were used to describe the system in order to disguise the real nature of the operation. The Underground railroad stretched through 14 northern states, extending for 650 miles. The Underground Railroad helped many seek their freedom. Some former slaves were also active in the system. One of these was Harriet Tubman, a runaway slave herself who helped many blacks escape to freedom. She became a famous conductor. All together, the journey took about four decades. It stopped right before the Civil War. Many years later, Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln declared freedom for the slaves. After the Civil War in 1861, slavery was made illegal in the United States.