The Underground Railroad was one of the more popular ways slaves could escape from their bondage and obtain their freedom. Many people would not assume that New York City was an important station on the Underground Railroad. Eric Foner, a professor and prominent historian from Columbia University, has published a monograph about the Underground Railroad. His monograph, titled Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad describes how New York City “was a crucial waystation in the metropolitan corridor through which fugitive slaves made their way from the Upper South” (Foner, 2015, pg. 7). Foner also explains about how the fugitive slaves issue affected the coming of the Civil War and the national debate about it. …show more content…
Although most of his secondary sources came from history books, his primary resources came from the abolitionist newspapers, reports from the organizations, and the Record of Fugitives. Although most of the resources Foner uses applies to the abolitionist movement, the main idea of his monograph was how New York City “was a crucial waystation” for the Underground Railroad, and not necessarily about the other cities, such as Philadelphia and Boston (Foner, 2015, pg. 7). Others do not agree that New York City was crucial for the Underground Railroad. History states that “there were many well-used routes stretching west through Ohio to Indiana and Iowa [with] others… into New England… on their way to Canada” (“Underground Railroad,” n.d., para. 11). History does mention New England, but does not point out New York City, which might reference that it was not as crucial as Foner depicts it to be. Some little-known facts that Foner puts in his monograph can backed by others. An example of this is where Foner states that Torrey was credited with creating the Underground Railroad as an organized system. Stanley Harrold, a professor at South Carolina State University, agrees with Foner and states that Torrey “became an antislavery martyr… for having initiated an underground railroad” (Harrold, 2000, pg. 274). Since Foner only recently published his monograph, most of the information that he infers would supported until
All people. regardless of race, religion, or gender, are human beings, they should be treated fairly and equally, although even in modern society, that is unfortunately often not the case. Peaceful resistances help shape our nation as a whole, and bring us together in a way that created a more diverse and understanding culture. While there will always be people who refuse to accept changes like this, civil disobedience leads to the betterment of society and more equality for everyone by making people more aware of the problems at hand.
The book I decided to review is titled, “Slavery in the Cities: The South 1820-1860” by Richard C. Wade. The book is about slavery in the cities, mainly in the south. Wade also spoke about conditions of life of the slaves, the law, and the runaways. To conclude the book, he spoke about the transformation of slavery in the cities during the 19th century. Wade’s thesis was stated in the introductory paragraphs.
David N. Gellman is a professor of Early American History at DePauw University in Indiana and his written work focuses greatly on colonial America and emancipation in the United States. As an expert in Early American History, David N. Gellman gives us a strong background on the institution of slavery in New York in his book Emancipating New York and the road to the emancipation of African Americans in the state of the New York. David N. Gellman’s book Emancipating New York describes the process by which the state of New York abolished slavery with a combination of white opposition, black resistance and political changes. The abolition of slavery in New York was an effort of the above-mentioned sectors of society and government, all with differing views, interests and agendas.
Eric Foner wrote how New York had the underground railroad and also, how they contributed by the Vigilance Committee on aiding slaves and the rise of the abolitionist movement. “Excellent . . . Mr. Foner, bringing to bear his well-honed research skills and his deep knowledge of slavery and race relations . . . vividly describes the key
While this book focuses on the escape of runaway slaves and especially the support and obstacles they encountered in New York City, he places his study within the wider context of American politics at the time. Foner really opened many Americans eyes and made them more informed on the Underground Railroad, he did a great job on informing us about this topic and letting us explore the idea of what he was trying to get through to us. Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad made people appreciate the people that really didn’t get any much credit for it, this book truly makes you want to understand and learn more. ““The “underground railroad” should be understood not as a single entity but as an umbrella term for local groups that employed numerous methods to assist fugitives, some public and entirely legal, some flagrant violations of the law,” (
Many of these routes were in the South, where a majority of slavery was most common. These routes were organized by abolitionists, who were people that opposed slavery. Abolitionists had individual actions that would help slaves become free and escape.. In addition to the South, slaves passed through Connecticut at a number of times. After passing through Connecticut, Stamford, New Haven or Old Lyme, often on to Farmington, the "Grand Central Station", the slaves would go North, which led them to Westfield or Springfield, Massachusetts.
While The Underground Railroad was similar to the Abolitionist Movement, the direct effect of the railroad and the people involved varied from those
His claim reminded people to remain silence of the secret in the Underground
“I freed a thousand slaves, I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves” , this quote was said by Harriet Tubman, the leader of the underground railroad, she freed some of the slaves, which caused the Southern states to resent the North. The Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses and secret routes, led by Harriet Tubman and a vast number of other people. 19th century enslaved people used the Underground Railroad to free themselves and others from slavery. The slaves went to the Free states and Canada, the Underground Railroad only worked at night, the slaves would move from “station” to “station”, meaning they'd move from safe house to safe house, most of the time it was difficult because of slave catchers
The cotton gin was a machine that was able to pick the seeds from cottons faster than the slaves and the machine was able to sell more profits for the south then ever before although the cotton gin was able to pick cotton seeds it also demanded the need for more slaves to pick the cotton from the fields which gave a negative impact for the slaves themselves. The Underground Railroad was an underground tunnel system that allowed African Americans slaves to escape from their slave owners. The system had a conductor, lines, stations, and freight to help them in the underground tunnels which is why people call it an underground railroad. Conductors were people that would help the slaves most of the conductors were Men and Women, The lines were
It is surprising that after all of the obstacles that were put in the way of those that were helping the slaves escape and the runaway slaves that such a high amount of people were actually able to escape enslavement and lead on better lives. Some historians believe that as many as 100,000 slaves escaped via Underground Railroad between the years of 1800 and 1865 alone. While this seems like an extremely high number, in the 1840’s there were over 4 million slaves living in the south. Of those that attempted to escape, a majority of them were caught and returned to their owners. Unfortunately, the number is constantly debated because there were no records that were kept by the slaves or by those helping the slaves during this time for fear
African Americans were slaves in the South and free in the North. The abolitionist movement gave hope for the slaves to run away into freedom. Slaves escaped their masters on the secret route to the North, called the Underground railroad. The Underground Railroad had been around since the beginning of slavery. The railroad had multiple routes all leading into the Northern states, or even Canada.
These conductors guided these fugitive slaves to escape from their enslavement in order to be free as part of the “underground railroad”. Among these conductors is the notable Harriet Tubman, a former slave who led three hundred slaves to safety in the North (McGill, 2005). Besides assisting these fugitives in escapement, other efforts included housing these slaves, recapturing them from authorities, and providing resources for the fugitives to settle in once freed. To further illustrate the metaphor of the underground railroad umbrella, “the homes and businesses where fugitives would rest and eat were called "stations" and "depots" and were run by "stationmasters," those who contributed money or goods were "stockholders," and the "conductor" was responsible for moving fugitives from one station to the next” (“The Underground Railroad”, n.d.). This network of systems continued on and as it became more widespread and more known about, the underground railroad found success in bringing the issue of slavery “to the forefront of public consciousness and convinced a substantial and growing segment of the northern population that the South’s peculiar institution was morally wrong and potentially dangerous to the American way of life” (Devine, 2011).
Literature is often credited with the ability to enhance one’s understanding of history by providing a view of a former conflict. In doing so, the reader is able to gain both an emotional and logistical understanding of a historically significant event. Additionally, literature provides context that can help the reader develop a deeper understanding of the political climate of a time period. Within the text of The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead’s, the use of literary elements such as imagery, metaphor, and paradox amplifies the reader’s understanding of early 19th century slavery and its role in the South of the United States of America. Throughout the novel, Whitehead utilizes a girl named Cora to navigate the political and personal consequences of escaping slavery, the Underground Railroad, and her transition
Annotated bibliography Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Print.