Levi Coffin's article on the Underground Railroad

Levi Coffin's Artical About The Underground Railroad

Levi Coffin is considered to be an important character in the anti-slavery movement that marked the period of the 19th century in America. His religious beliefs determined him to have a positive attitude towards the freeing of slaves and it is considered that through the initiative of the Underground Railway he helped free more than one hundred slaves a year for 33 years. His actual reasons for his actions are however in doubt and most historians are spilt in considering his reasons for acting in such a manner.

Indeed, for that period, it is hard to consider the motivation of a white person willing to help in the antislavery movement. Nonetheless, the religious argument may prove strong enough to motivate a Quaker to fight against inequality and mistreatment of human beings (Jenkins, 1997). In Levi Coffin's article on the Underground Railway, he tries to point out precisely the key issues that would have encouraged him to take such an offensive stand in the matter of slavery. In his argumentation there are certain aspects that relate to the nature of the human being which explain his actions from a moral point-of-view.

Therefore, he considers his actions of helping fugitive slaves as an act entrusted by God and His authority had been bestowed upon him to do a moral and superior deed, that of helping his fellow human beings. From this perspective, helping slaves to be free from the yoke of slavery was "doing my duty and endeavoring to fulfill the injunctions of the Bible." (Coffin, n.d.). In this sense, from his perspective, his actions were based on a strong religious adherence to God, an element typical for the Quakers.

Another point he makes is in connection with the remarkable sacrifices he is willing to make in order to reach his goal of offering freedom to other human beings. In this sense, he argues that "As to my safety, my life was in the hands of my Divine Master, and I felt that I had his approval. I had no fear of the danger that seemed to threaten my life or my business" (Coffin, n.d.). Therefore, the strength of his convictions and the acceptance of sacrifice create indeed a vivid impression of the character. Moreover, he openly admits the challenges facing his business and his ability to support his family, yet "yet my faith was not shaken, nor my efforts for the slaves lessened"(Coffin, n.d.). The power the belief in a higher authority that offered the blessing on the affairs he conducted represented the main argument which drove him forward and enabled him to make the efforts to set in place and conduct the Underground Railway.

The financial support he was able to have at his disposal was an essential element in the entire success of the initiative. This can be seen from the perspective of the system his partners and he managed to set in place. In this sense, they had at every moment a wagon stationed in the places slaves were considered to escape. Most of the times, the journeys were made at night and always careful to avoid slave hunters. The strategy of protection of the slaves was a rather elaborate process and included every precautionary measure, such as even using different passage roads.