The Underground Railroad; First Person Narratives of Escapes to Freedom in the North

by Charles L. Blockson

They were often running with nothing to call their own and a price on their heads to a place in the North known only as the "promised land"; they were dependent upon the kindness and trust of strangers known only for a fleeting moment - strangers who might warm them, feed them, clothe and shelter them for a night then shuttle the fugitive slaves on to the next "station." Though many slaves were American born, African-Americans were denied the right to freedom. Their struggle to gain that freedom has been traced back to 1786 and a fugitive slave owned by George Washington. The Underground Railroad could only save few from shackles until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Pursuit began in the south, but few people know that slave hunters, after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, were allowed to capture their bounty in northern "free" states, where slaves were still considered property that would be forcibly returned to southern owners. This book chronicles not only the paths that were taken by fugitive slaves, but the land and the people that were the answers to many prayers for deliverance. Within the homes of Underground Railroad conductors there were false walls, cellars and attics, tunnels and stairways to confuse fugitive slave hunters. Often barns or even the heavy brush of a swamp could conceal a fugitive. Due to the very nature of the covert operation that was the Underground Railroad, the names of the people who hid fugitives, and many of these hiding places, have been kept a precious secret. While a few American communities were tolerant of the Underground Railroad, many more were less so. For some conductors who were caught, the penalty for aiding a fugitive slaveincluded hanging; for others it meant the ruin of their livelihood or their community standing.

Genres: History, African American, Civil War

308 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1987

Reviews

[Chris Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some interesting and eye-opening narratives, but overall it was a little disappointing, primarily because it wasn't quite as advertised. I expected this to be more narrowly focused on the Underground Railroad itself, and there certainly was a decent amount of that, but many of the narratives were more broadly about slavery rather than specifically about escapes and/or the Underground Railroad. Many of those narratives were still worth reading, but they weren't what I was looking for from this book. Quite a few of them were also not what I would call "First Person" narratives, but instead were more like contemporary second-hand accounts. The sections of the book written by the author could have also done with some slightly better editing, as there were a few fairly clear mistakes (for example, the description of Jamestown, New York as being "east" of Tompkins County, when a quick look at a map would show that Jamestown is far west of Tompkins County). Minor and mostly insubstantial mistakes to be sure, but seeing such easily verifiable facts misstated leads me to question what else might be wrong.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, though some of the text was slow to read due to the somewhat formal, unpolished language. But the lack of modern editing also made the stories more real, as they were taken from real life accounts. The book was a good reminder that, although the worst place for a slave to be was the Deep South, the northern states also had many anti-abolitionists who were more than willing to return an escaped slave back south.

After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, the migration of escaped slaves into Canada increased. I always thought Canada was a paradise for escaped slaves -- a Promised Land. Not so. The last chapter on Canada was very disheartening: "In the 1850s... blacks were expelled from camp meetings, and those churchmen who... wished to help educate the fugitive, now argued that separate schools were needed because of white opposition." One town with many blacks was called "Nigger Hole." The chapter goes on to say: "...racial jokes increased in the press; Negroes who, a decade or two earlier, had been able to employ whites to work for them no longer could do so."

A worthwhile, recommended history book.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in college and wrote my senior thesis on it and on slave narratives that dealt with women and motherhood. My husband bought this book for me for Christmas and I was so excited to read so many narratives I’d never come across before. The book is both first-hand accounts and retellings of slave experiences from secondary sources, but is also organized by region, which I really liked. I feel just as strongly now as I did in college that this information is so important for all US citizens to read and understand. So many brave men and women sacrificed all their time, energy, and resources to rescue as many men, women, and children as possible from the horrors of slavery. It’s an awful part of our history, but the heroism of so many, both bond and free, is so inspiring.

[Catherine E. Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the stories of Harriet Tubman (Moses to her people), Francis Henderson and Margaret Ward and her infant son Samuel Ringgold Ward. There were so many stores of courage and many accounts of trusting God to provide miraculous rescue and protection. I am so grateful to God He has freed America from slavery. Over and over again the overriding theme to me was “civil disobedience.” We do not have to obey the law if the law is against God’s law.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. I enjoyed most the narratives about rescuing slaves. The parts describing geographic locations of Underground Railroad routes would be most enjoyed by those living in those areas and would understandably be less interesting to others.

[Marine Captain Kimberly Landen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter how long it took for each one for the escape. I knew God was with all as I read every documented page as they escaped the tragedy to find new homes

[Stephanie Eastwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving this 5 stars for how reading it was a one-stop immersion in first-hand glimpses of the Underground Railroad in action. Most of this dense compendium is highly readable excerpts from Underground Railroad conductors' memoirs, fugitives's own accounts of their escapes, with a few early 20th century history magazine articles. Includes accounts where, in northern states, anti-slavery neighbors sprang into action to thwart slave catchers and pro-slavery mobs, but were sometimes faced by soldiers and U.S. Marshalls making sure that, in free states of the north, the Fugitive Slave Law was enforced (a federal compromise placating southern enslavers whose votes needed in Congress). This book has very little commentary, background history, or analysis of the larger story of U.S. history to which it belongs. Divided by region, each section of the book summarizes important people and places actively part of the UGRR in each state of that region, from the earliest days of our nation through the 1860s. This makes it easy to use if you want to learn or teach about the UGRR your own state. It's easy to pick up and read a few pages at a time.

[Kyren Ethington]

the book is good, the underground railroad is the name given to the many ways of black escaped slavery in the southern united states before the civil war even began. The story tells how slavery days was hell because slaves were out on the field and the story also tells how it is bad for a slaveholder to own you, your soul, and your body. The slave trade is another big thing because slaveholders traded slaves to other slaveholders and it followed a long history, the slaves were sold, traded, purchased, or captured to do work for the slaveholders. The slave trade symbolizes the horrors and persistence of slavery.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for all Americans; we must acknowledge the reality of the horror and extreme abuse the people enslaved suffered, and for their descendants who relive the experiences through family stories passed down the generations! And we must also tell of the cooperation of the Black and White communities to end the practice by lazy, sub-human southerners!

[Diane Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice overview of experiences with the Underground Railroad. The author combines first person accounts with narrative description about the most active people and places in the system.