Fleeing For Freedom: Stories Of The Underground Railroad As Told By Levi Coffin And William Still

Fleeing for Freedom: Stories of the Underground Railroad as Told by Levi Coffin and William Still

Published to coincide with Black History Month and the opening of the new Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, Fleeing for Freedom includes selected narratives from the two most important contemporary chroniclers of the Underground Railroad, Levi Coffin and William Still. Here are firsthand descriptions of the experiences of escaped slaves making their way to freedom in the North and in Canada in the years before the Civil War. George and Willene Hendrick have chosen a broad range of stories to reflect the strategies, tactics, heartbreak, and dangers-for both the slaves and the "conductors"-of the secret network. In their Introduction, they provide basic information about the scope and workings of the Underground Railroad and its impact on slaves, slaveholders, and the Northern abolitionist societies that were so heavily involved. Fleeing for Freedom offers gripping personal accounts of one of the great collaborations between whites and blacks in American history. With 15 black-and-white engravings and line drawings.ReviewA must for African American history collections, this book provides a compelling glimpse into a noble juncture in the American experience. -- Margaret Flanagan - BooklistTheir introduction is particularly valuable, offering excellent background for what follows.... This well-edited work makes history accessible. - Library JournalThe Hendricks' judicious selection of period accounts drawn from classic nineteenth-century texts honors the memory of both the fugitive slaves and their Underground Railroad and Vigilance Committee benefactors. Its colorful, yet balanced portrait of Liberty Line heroism should win the new book a wide readership. -- William L. Van Deburg, author of Modern Black Nationalism and Slavery and Race in American Popular CultureCoffin's and Still's stories underscore slavery's cruelties, document the heroism of the slaves' black and white allies, and remind us of the resiliency and determination of the human spirit to be free. -- John David Smith, author of Black Judas; co-editor of The Dictionary of Afro-American SlaveryThis book offeres insight on the movement's impact on slaves, slaveholders, and the Northern aboltionist societies that were so heavily involved. -- Kiley Clapper - Grand Forks HeraldThe book brings together for the first time...stories from...the two major chroniclers of the Underground Railroad. - University Of Illinois News BureauThe editors...reflect the strategies, tactics, heartbreak and dangers for both the slaves and the