People of the Underground Railroad: A Biographical Dictionary

The Underground Railroad was perhaps the best example in U.S. history of blacks and whites working together for the common good. People of the Underground Railroad is the largest in-depth collection of profiles of those individuals involved in the spiriting of black slaves to freedom in the northern states and Canada beginning around 1800 and lasting to the early Civil War years. One hundred entries introduce people who had a significant role in the rescuing, harboring, or conducting of the fugitives--from abolitionists, evangelical ministers, Quakers, philanthropists, lawyers, judges, physicians, journalists, educators, to novelists, feminists, and barbers--as well as notable runaways. The selections are geographically representational of the broad railroad network.

There is renewed interest in the Underground Railroad, exemplified by the new National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati and energized scholarly inquiry. People of the Underground Railroad presents authoritative information gathered from the latest research and established sources, many of them from period publications. Designed for student research and general browsing, in-depth essay entries include further reading. Numerous sidebars complement the entries. A timeline, illustrations, and map help put the profiles into context.

Author: Tom Calarco
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 09/01/2008
Pages: 408
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.90lbs
Size: 10.10h x 7.20w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780313339240

Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 02/01/2009 pg. 64
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2009 pg. 74
Multicultural Review 07/01/2009 pg. 72

About the Author

Tom Calarco is an independent scholar specializing in the Underground Railroad. He is the author of The Underground Railroad in the Adirondack Region (2004) among other works.