Under The Oaks

Under The Oaks. . , Birthplace of a Political Movement , On July 6, 1854, a new movement was born from a gathering of like-minded people who knew every man and woman was created equal. This gathering created a political change in the United States by signaling the birth of the Republican Party - a party that was founded on an anti-slavery platform., You are standing in the spot where the course of American history was changed on one hot summer day. The convention lit the fire for the anti-slavery movement, which led to the Civil War and eventually to the Emancipation Proclamation., Jackson - Hub of the Underground Railroad , During the decades leading up to the American Civil War, Jackson, Michigan was both hub and haven for thousands of slaves escaping through a human network called the Underground Railroad. The ultimate destination (usually Canada) for slaves on the route varied by slave and guide, but it was always considered "the land of freedom" and was sought by slaves one night, one mile, and one act of kindness at a time., Several community leaders and families in Jackson secretly housed, clothed, fed and reassured runaways, while others supportive of the business of slavery openly hunted and punished escaped slaves or anyone aiding their flight. Some northerners went so far as to capture the runaways and return them to servitude. Not every slave on the Underground Railroad escaped.