The Underground Railroad was not underground, not a railroad, and not a single route or system of trails, but a term for both random and concerted efforts by people to free themselves from bondage. In Louisiana, stories of freedom are hidden in secrecy and mystery. The struggle for freedom ran deep in the hearts of enslaved Africans in Louisiana as elsewhere in the country, and the spirit of self-sacrifice for the cause of freedom and democracy has been present throughout the history of African Americans. The Louisiana "Freedom Garden" serves as an educational tool for better understanding the survival skills used by freedom seekers in their gallant attempts to attain liberty.