New York City Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour

Begin this walking tour at the Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan. Then get ready to journey back in time to trace the history of slavery and the Underground Railroad in New York City.

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century African-American slaves to escape to freedom with the help of abolitionists and allies who supported their cause. This path from slavery to freedom ran right through New York City, where thousands of people, including noted social reformer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, escaped to the most populated city in the nation.

Visit the site of Fort Amsterdam, the first settlement in colonial Manhattan, and learn about the important role slaves played in transforming American society. Walk down Wall Street and see where slaves hid while escaping to free states with the help of abolitionists.

Visit the African Burial Ground National Monument, a sacred space in Manhattan and memorial dedicated to enslaved Africans in colonial America. It has been called the most important archaeological find of the 20th century and is an important reminder of a period in New York City history that is oftentimes forgotten.

Finally, walk to the former site of the first African-American church in New York, which was also one of the stops on the Underground Railroad.