Monday, December 24, 2007

MAROON

MAROON Derived from the Spanish cimarra (thicket) and the American Spanish cimarron (wild), the term maroon was origin­ally used in the West Indies in reference to a fugitive black slave. Subsequently, in both the West Indies and the American South, the term was applied to the camps or "communities" organized by runaway slaves following their escape. In the United States, maroons (usually located in the forests and swamps of southern states) were especially common before the Underground Railroad became an effective antislavery device by enticing most runaways to permanently leave the South for the North.

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