For the first three decades of Chicago's existence, slavery was legal in the United States,

and that meant people tried to escape bondage, often walking over hundreds of miles, hoping to settle

in a safe place. These freedom seekers sometimes got help in that journey. And you've probably heard of the Underground Railroad, an informal network of people who offered shelter, protection, food, clothing, and advice to freedom seekers.

You've also probably heard of Harriet Tubman, who guided people to freedom on the eastern shore of Maryland,

or John Brown, who created a network that

began in Kansas and Missouri, and then sent people north from there. The Underground Railroad

existed throughout Illinois, including Chicago, but sometimes Chicagoans have made dubious

claims about family ties to the Underground Railroads. The big problem we have with this is that all the time people are identifying underground

railroad sites that simply are not.

And often, the story is told as good-hearted white people helping black people escape slavery,

which did happen, but it's not the whole story.

We know that they were black freedom seekers coming through Chicago,

and they were being assisted by black families.

Coming up, reporter Olivia Richardson explores truths and myths

about the Underground Railroad in Chicago and Illinois.

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