President Clinton Signs Underground Railroad Act To Preserve Sites Of Historic Slave Escape Route

Jet, August 10, 1998

President Clinton recently signed into law a bill that will help preserve the slave escape route known as the Underground Railroad.

The law authorizes the National Park Service to spend $500,000 a year to link the sites of the Underground Railroad, produce educational materials and enter partnerships to commemorate the 19th century escape route.

The bill was sponsored by Reps. Bob Portman (R-OH) and Louis Stokes (D-OH) in the House and by Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL) and Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) in the Senate.

"Today is a proud moment in the history of the Congress and this nation," said Stokes, the former head of the Congressional Black Caucus. "We can now begin the exciting task of officially documenting the historical significance of the Underground Railroad."

Sen. Moseley-Braun said the new network will be significant not just for Blacks, but for all Americans. "It really is something that all Americans can take real pride in because it celebrates the best of our history," she said.

Sen. DeWine said the law will help future generations relive the experience of escaping slaves.

"This is a proud moment for Ohioans and other Americans who risked their lives to help one another," he said.

A 1995 Park Service survey documented nearly 400 sites associated with the Underground Railroad in 29 states, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. But it also found many were in danger of being lost or destroyed.