So it’s not underground, right?December 6th, 2007 @ 7:01 am
I remember learning about the underground railroad in elementary school and thinking how crazy it was that there was this train that ran underneath the ground that the slave owners knew nothing about. I mean, how were the rails laid without anybody noticing? And who was forging all the metal for the rails? Let’s not even get into the semantics of the tunnel digging. I mean, dude, how did the slave owners not notice piles and pile of soil?
Seven year old Isabel could not get her head around this topic. And since none of my classmates seemed to have any qualms about believing in a railroad that ran underground, I just accepted it as truth and did not think more of it.
I mean think about it, never once did a teacher explain to me that trains weren’t used. Sure they told the class that abolitionist were helping the slaves escape, but they never said it wasn’t a railroad. They just kept calling it the underground railroad over and over again. Naturally I assumed it was just that.
I’m not sure when I came to the realization that the underground railroad was a code name for a network of secret routes and safe houses that slaves used to escape to free states with the aid of abolitionists (thanks Wikipedia).
Duh, it wasn’t a real railroad.
I recently told The King about this not-so-proud life moment of mine. He laughed. He laughed some more. He brought it up to friends and family. And then he laughed, again. Okay, it’s funny. But it’s not that funny. I mean, I can’t be the only one that thought the underground railroad was an actual railroad.
(I blame the public school system. Yeah, let’s blame them.)
I decided to ask my coworkers about this last week. Come to find out they agreed with The King that it was funny. That is until another one of them spoke up and said, “so it’s not underground?”
Haaa! At least I figured it out before I hit middle school.
While my coworker admitted she knew the underground railroad wasn’t an actual railroad, she thought it was a system of underground tunnels the slaves used to escape. This is a grown adult with a college degree.
(I blame the higher education system for this.)
So tell me, have you ever been a little confused about something like this? Please assure me that I’m not alone.
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Operation Pink Herring
said,
December 6, 2007 at 5:15 pm
When I was a kid I asked my mom why there were flags outside the firehouse and she said they were “to catch your eye”. A few months later, she noticed that I would cover my eyes with my hands whenever we passed a flag. When she asked why, I said “I don’t want them to get my eyes!” I was terrified of flags snatching out my eyeballs.
Erika
said,
December 6, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Wait…it’s not underground? Yes, seriously I get you. I may have been confused about the railroad thing for a short time, but yeah, I always imagined Harriet Tubman in cellars and tunnels.
Stefanie
said,
December 6, 2007 at 5:42 pm
I totally took that one literally as well. I don’t know when I realized there was no railroad (or even underground tunnels); I don’t think I’ve really even stopped to think about it at all since I was a kid.
I don’t think that’s so silly. Surely The King has something equally amusing in his past. You must drive it out of him (and tell us).
Stephanie
said,
December 6, 2007 at 6:35 pm
don’t feel bad I am SURE you’re not the only one to feel that way…
I had a friend who’s house was part of the underground railroad, with secret passages and EVERYTHING (super cool to a teenager needing an “secret out”) and I can assure you… all those passages were indeed underground!!
Isabel: Okay, this is just awesome. I think we all need to hear more about this.
Carrisa
said,
December 6, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Ok so I knew it wasn’t an actual railroad, but then you said it wasn’t even underground. And I suddenly felt like a moron. Until reading Stephanie’s comment. So yes I’m sticking with my original though that yes underground passages and tunnels were involved. But no choo choos.
Kerry
said,
December 6, 2007 at 7:54 pm
I also first believed it to be a train, followed by many years of believing in the tunnels. This is partially due to the fact that there allegedly were underground tunnels on my parochial school’s property that were used in the underground railroad - the school is located close to the Delaware-PA state line. Delaware was the last state they passed through before getting into PA, which was a free state.
Loralee
said,
December 6, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Absolutely. Kids can be very literal sometimes. I thought the same thing about the underground railroad.
I also was confused about why they called it the “Civil War” because really, it did not seem in the least bit polite…
Keri
said,
December 6, 2007 at 8:37 pm
OK I totally thought a portion of it was underground, so I just went & was reading about it in my state. There is alot of info I need to read.
http://pathways.thinkport.org/about/about1.cfm
This is proof that I need to go back to school & relearn american history.
velocibadgergirl
said,
December 6, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I’m pretty sure I used to think it was a tunnel system.
One of the programs I give at work relates to the Underground Railroad, and I always take time to explain to the children that it wasn’t really underground or a railroad. I figure I’ll save them a lot of embarrassment later in life
May
said,
December 6, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Oh, there are PLENTY of things I’ve been wrong about. Pregnancy brain prevents me from bringing up anything specific, but I will keep you advised of my childhood idiocy… This topic reminds me of that TAL episode about the “scientist in the crib”. Mmmmm, Ira Glass…. Maybe I need to go listen to his soothing familiar voice right now…
super des
said,
December 6, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I thought the exact same thing you did. Then I thought the same thing your coworker did.
And now I know the truth.
Kidding.
I don’t remember when I found out the truth, but I was shocked. Then I was like, that makes more sense.
Carrie
said,
December 7, 2007 at 1:37 am
I definitely always thought it was a series of tunnels instead of an actual railroad until I was like 11. I still remember being told that they followed the Big Dipper constellation to find their way. Now whenever I see the Big Dipper I think of it.
liz
said,
December 7, 2007 at 3:25 am
i admit that i also thought it was a series of interconnected underground tunnels.
here’s another one i had wrong for years: in the town where i grew up there was a small (very small) mountain with a cross at the top. somehow someone referred to it as “easter mountain”, or maybe i came up with that name myself after sunday school or something, but i fully believed - for years! - that this little mountain was the site of jesus christ’s resurrection! in my little town! the cross was there and everything! i don’t know how old i was when i finally realized my error, but i was probably old enough to be embarrassed by my stupidity.
Marg
said,
December 7, 2007 at 3:19 pm
I think it took me a few years to realize that it wasn’t LITERALLY an underground railroad. Seriously - teachers need to explain these things.
Until I moved to Virginia at the age of 22, I thought that the Washington Redskins were in Washington STATE. A couple of weeks ago, my mom was visiting and asked why my husband was such a big Redskins fan. I had to explain to her that it was Washington DC (and she’s in her 50’s). I’m sure there are others that don’t realize this!
Fraulein N
said,
December 7, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Wait, shit. So NONE of it is underground? I always thought at least some of it was in tunnels and whatnot.
I’m so ashamed.
Fraulein N
said,
December 7, 2007 at 4:36 pm
And I just found out the Redskins play in DC too. Like, last week.
ali
said,
December 7, 2007 at 5:35 pm
okay THIS is embarrassing.
there’s a line in The Karate Kid where the sensei says “sweep the leg”
forever, like until 2 years ago, i thought the line was “sweet the lick” and i never understood what the heck it meant.
until i asked someone. and got laughed at. and laughed at. oh, and laughed at some more.
Rachel
said,
December 7, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I knew that it wasn’t an acutal railroad, but I did think that it was tunnels. I, however, figured out the truth when I was like 9.
michelle
said,
December 7, 2007 at 7:12 pm
I remember being very sad about all the Central American Gorillas being killed during some insurgency or another.
I was intimidated by our Veteranarian, due to the marches in DC for Vietnam Veteranarians benefits.
The Norman invasion of England? In 1066? For some reason I thought the Normans were from Norway.
And the Berlin Wall? I thought it was along the border between East and West Germany.
Christar
said,
December 7, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Sooo, wait… it wasn’t underground? Because I thought they had underground tunnels and routes that the slaves used.
I also thought it was a railroad system when I was younger. I don’t know when I came to the realization either.
I was just telling my mom the other day how when I was really little, I thought there was a little command center underground at every stop light, that a man sat at and controlled that intersection. When the light would change I would think, “Why isn’t he chaning it for us?”. Yea, talk about naive.
Audrey
said,
December 7, 2007 at 9:09 pm
It took me a long time to figure out that the underground railroad wasn’t an actual train, too. And don’t even get me started on “underground newspapers.” for the longest time I envisioned a whole printing press and distribution center set up in underground tunnels. Why don’t teachers ever explain these things?
alison
said,
December 7, 2007 at 10:53 pm
I have a story almost exactly like this. Have you heard of Naugahyde? The vinyl like product that old ladies used to have couches made out of? Well in my freshman year of high school we did a lineage project about “naugas.” No one even mentioned they were FICTIONAL animals! That summer my boyfriend at the time was describing his grandma’s naugahyde couch, and he asked me “you know what naugahyde is, right?” And I said “Yeah (duh!?). It’s the hide of a nauga!” I knew I was an idiot the second it came out of my mouth! He couldn’t stop telling people about it!
I can’t blame that one on public school, I went to private high school!!!