Abolition and the Underground Railroad in Vermont

Manybelieve that support for the abolition of slavery was universally accepted inVermont, but it was actually a fiercely divisive issue that rocked the GreenMountain State. In the midst of turbulence and violence, though, some braveVermonters helped fight for the freedom of their enslaved Southern brethren.Thaddeus Stevens—one of abolition’s most outspoken advocates—was a Vermontnative. Delia Webster, the first woman arrested for aiding a fugitive slave,was also a Vermonter. The Rokeby house in Ferrisburgh was a busy UndergroundRailroad station for decades. Peacham’s Oliver Johnson worked closely withWilliam Lloyd Garrison during the abolition movement. Discover the stories ofthese and others in Vermont who risked their own lives to help more than fourthousand slaves to freedom.