Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad [Hardcover]

J. Blaine Hudson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786424591 | ISBN-13: 978-0786424597 | Publication Date: March 3, 2006

Fugitive slaves were reported in the American colonies as early as the 1640s, and escapes escalated with the growth of slavery over the next two hundred years. As the number of fugitives rose, the Southern states pressed for harsher legislation that they thought would prevent escapes. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 criminalized any assistance, active or passive, to a runaway slave—yet it only encouraged the behavior it sought to prevent. Friends of the fugitive, whose previous assistance to runaways had been somewhat haphazard, increased their efforts at organization. By the onset of the Civil War in 1861, the Underground Railroad included members, defined stops, set escape routes and a code language.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This volume brings together for the first time the array of important "people, ideas, events and places associated with fugitive slaves and the Underground Railroad." Author Hudson, a historian, has written extensively on the subject. The alphabetically arranged entries include the courageous acts of individual slaves as well as the "friend of the fugitive," black and white, North and South. Also covered are U.S. states, Underground Railroad sites, legislation, publications, and topics that provide historical and cultural background.

The accurate entries show that the attempt to escape was part of the larger antislavery movement and intersected with the call for women's rights. In the desperate measures of the slaves (especially mothers), the heroic black and white "conductors" on the railroad, and the attempts by white Southerners to thwart the escapes, an important story in U.S. history emerges. Although most of the articles are a few paragraphs long, several pages are devoted to topics as needed, such as eight pages on Routes. Further reading at the end of each entry leads to the sources. Illustrations deepen the reader's understanding.

To provide additional access, the author includes seven appendixes, among them, "Selected Friends of the Fugitive by Last Name," "Selected Underground Railroad Sites by State (and Canada)," and "Bibliography of Slave Autobiographies." An extensive bibliography, arranged by primary and secondary sources, leads users to African American newspapers, government documents, unpublished manuscripts, and articles from a wide range of local history journals. A time line at the beginning of the volume and an accurate index at the end complete the usefulness of the resource for high-school, public, and academic libraries. Arthur Meyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

J. Blaine Hudson is a professor of Pan-African studies and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisville. He is the author of Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad in the Kentucky Borderland (2002) and lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 316 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (March 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786424591
• ISBN-13: 978-0786424597
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,536,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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