Instead Of Relying On Abolitionist Networks Of The North, Many Slaves Escaped To Mexico Along Different Paths

After Mexico first attempted to abolish slavery in 1829, a growing number of enslaved people fled across the Rio Grande. This map shows approximate routes of escape in the Texas-Mexico borderlands and via the Gulf of Mexico between 1836 – after Texas gained independence from Mexico – and 1861.

Source: Thomas Mareite, PhD

Credit: Zach Levitt/NPR