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Delia Webster and the Underground Railroad
Explores the conflicting reports surrounding the roles of a mild-mannered school teacher and a Methodist preacher in transporting slaves for the Underground Railroad. For those interested in Kentucky history, the antislavery movement, and the role of women in the 19th century. Includes b&w photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1996
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October 13, 2018
White perspective on abolitionist activity in antebellum Kentucky that loosely follows the trajectories of black freedom seekers turned abolitionists Harriet (Bell) & Lewis Hayden, and their son Jo; white abolitionist Delia Webster; and white abolitionist and Methodist minister Reverend Calvin Fairbank.
Other people of note briefly mentioned include:
* Governor John A. Andrew, white Massachusetts governor who raised the first regiment of enlisted men of color;
* black freedom seeker Gilson Berry;
* US Senator Henry Clay, the white Kentucky slave owner who is too often cast as anti-slavery in whitewashed history;
* white abolitionists Levi Coffin and Laura Haviland;
* black freedom seekers Ellen & William Craft;
* black abolitionist Frederick Douglass;
* white abolitionist newspaper publisher William Lloyd Garrison
The Bibliography is a treasure trove, perhaps more so than the book itself. The two things wanting improvement in the book both concern the author's perspective as both a man and a white man; Runyon occasionally editorializes and I got the repeated impression that he was underestimating Delia Webster's intelligence (a very haughty, high brow lady if quotes from her own writing are any measure) and a tendency to focus on white savior roles without much acknowledgment of black agency. There's also plenty of language scattered throughout that indicates Runyon hasn't done the deep dive into dismantling and disrupting the ubiquitous racism inherent in being raised white and American; there's a lot of doubting-black-people language throughout the book, such as "Lewis claims" instead of "Lewis wrote."
Other people of note briefly mentioned include:
* Governor John A. Andrew, white Massachusetts governor who raised the first regiment of enlisted men of color;
* black freedom seeker Gilson Berry;
* US Senator Henry Clay, the white Kentucky slave owner who is too often cast as anti-slavery in whitewashed history;
* white abolitionists Levi Coffin and Laura Haviland;
* black freedom seekers Ellen & William Craft;
* black abolitionist Frederick Douglass;
* white abolitionist newspaper publisher William Lloyd Garrison
The Bibliography is a treasure trove, perhaps more so than the book itself. The two things wanting improvement in the book both concern the author's perspective as both a man and a white man; Runyon occasionally editorializes and I got the repeated impression that he was underestimating Delia Webster's intelligence (a very haughty, high brow lady if quotes from her own writing are any measure) and a tendency to focus on white savior roles without much acknowledgment of black agency. There's also plenty of language scattered throughout that indicates Runyon hasn't done the deep dive into dismantling and disrupting the ubiquitous racism inherent in being raised white and American; there's a lot of doubting-black-people language throughout the book, such as "Lewis claims" instead of "Lewis wrote."
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review