Underground Railroad

by Larry Gara

The Underground Railroad

 

The Underground Railroad, published by the National Park Service and bestseller for United States Government Printing Office, is a colorful Park Service handbook that provides details of the many ways that blacks took to escape slavery in the Southern United States before the Civil War. The Underground Railroad provided an opportunity for sympathetic white Americans to play a role in resisting slavery, and brought together, men and women of both races to begin to set aside assumptions about the other race and to work together on issues of mutual concern.

Genres: History, American History, African American, Nonfiction

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Larry Garza was emeritus professor of history at Wilmington College, where he taught from 1962 through 1992.

Reviews

[Jayne Cravens · Rating 4 out of 5]

In less than 100 pages, this book provides the basics about the Underground Railroad -- which was neither underground, nor a railroad. It attempts to strip away the myths (which are many) and point the reader to the more interesting realities surrounding the Underground Railroad, such as how informal and unorganized it was. Some of the statistics are jaw-dropping -- prepare to have some of your preconceptions turned on their head. This short read will definitely enhance one's appreciation for visiting any historic site in the USA even remotely associated with slavery. The "Further Reading" section at the end is excellent -- now I have even more to read!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book produced by the Park Service contains a total of three essays about the history of the Underground Railroad and slavery in the United States. It is a very good overview and has a wonderful further reading list at the back. It is stuffed with infromation and illustrations. Well worth the purchase price.


Crossposted at Booklikes.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, I liked this book. I liked the fact that it gave African-Americans much more credit when it came to the Underground Railroad than has ever been given in the past.

There were some things that frustrated me, though. The book is entitled, "Underground Railroad", and yet about half of the book talks about slavery. While I thought the information on slavery was good, it wasn't what I was necessarily looking for.

I was a bit frustrated that it perpetuated the myth about the number of people Harriet Tubman rescued. However, it has only been recently that I have seen real refutations of that -- including from the National Park Service, who produced the book.

The thing that was hardest for me is that I still feel like the Underground Railroad is something I just don't quite "understand". I mean, I get that enslaved people were running away, but there is so much of the URR that is enshrouded in mystery that it feels like full comprehension is just out of reach. However, I also know that separating fact from fiction with something like the URR is daunting. From what I gather, myths rose up about it shortly after the Civil War. How does someone disentangle fiction from reality after over 150 years? I feel like there are historians who are doing a better job than ever, and this book is a good place to start, but I suppose the URR will always be something of an enigma.

[📚Linda Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been told by an historian friend that the Underground Railroad did not exist, so I set out to see what other historians had to say on the matter. Trusting the late 90s National Park Service not to lie, I selected this little handbook as a quick read. Indeed there is a lot of myth surrounding the Underground Railroad, but there is also historical evidence that there was a loosely organized group of blacks and whites who helped slaves escape from bondage. The book provides some detail regarding slavery in the United States and the abolitionist movement. The assertions regarding the role of blacks in their own liberation seemed strained to me and I wonder if the historians themselves are black. Black writers would certainly bring a different perspective.

The book serves as a basic introduction to the topic due to it’s straight forward and clearly articulated approach and because of its layout and graphics.

[Ashleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok enough but felt it was pretty draggy and the flow was weird

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to the topic of slavery in the United States and the struggle against it.

Published by the National Park Service in 1996

The format of this small book (88 pages) is much like a small old-style National Geographic with three wide-ranging informative essays by Larry Gara, Brenda E. Stevenson and C. Peter Ripley. The pictures are excellent in that they are reproduced wonderfully and well-shot.

Most importantly, these three essays are an excellent introduction to the topics of slavery, the slave trade (not just to the United States but also to the Caribbean and Brazil) and the contradictions of some of the Founding Fathers fighting for their personal freedom while owning other people.

But, the heart of the book is the fight against slavery - both political and practical. After all, it is one thing to say you are against slavery and it quite another to help a runaway slave that comes to your door and help her move on to another safe place.

The book documents the different...

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[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical overview of the Underground Railroad, the secret enterprise to move people from the South to the North to freedom. A very quick read, recommend for anyone looking for information about this period of time that changed America.

More information on my blog: http://hesaidbooksorme.blogspot.com

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book. Small and easy to read. Reinforced the tragedy of slavery and methods of escape.