The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations
Editor/Author: Mary Ellen SnodgrassPublication Year: 2008
Publisher: M.E. Sharpe
ISBN: 978-0-7656-8093-8
Category: history
Image Count: 89
Book Status: Available
Includes full coverage of the Railroad in both the United States and Canada, which was the ultimate destination of many of the escaping slaves. Explores the people, places, writings, laws, and organizations that made this network possible.
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The Underground Railroad, an escape route for slaves, has been described in what may seem to be an oxymoron: a grand but informal network (p. xxxi). This encyclopedia, in two volumes, paged continuously (746 pages, plus 57 in index), presents entries in alphabetic order. These include names (e.g., Levi Coffin), places (e.g., Gist Settlement; Liberty Tree), documents (e.g., Fugitive Salve Law of 1850), themes (e.g., abolitionism), publications (e.g., North Star), and social organizations (e.g., American Anti-Slavery Society). These range from a brief paragraph of known information to several pages for prominent figures; for example, the entries on John Brown and Harriet Tubman are both three to four pages in length. The author enhances the entries with citations to primary source materials, such as the personal writings of Louisa May Alcott, or sermons by Henry Ward Beecher. The entry on Abolitionist newspapers (pp. 5-11) is particularly useful for researchers. It lists the title, editors, dates, and place of publication. Also useful is the list of over 100 terms used in the Underground Railroad (pp.124-127), such as Canaan (Canada), Glory to God (Windsor, Ontario), and the Old Man (John Brown).A chronology presents a 120-year timeline, from 1746 to 1865 (pp. 595-604). Appendix A includes 72 genealogies of families that were part of this secret network. This is followed by a list of about 800 major wayfarers (passengers) on the Underground Railroad, by state. These are some of the slaves who were known to have escaped. The third appendix lists the Underground Railroad operators by state and province (pp. 649-699). Concluding the volume are bibliographies of primary sources (pp. 701-709) and secondary sources (pp. 711-731). Entry titles feature the most notable figure first. In some instances, the woman played a more noteworthy role than her husband, but nevertheless, both were participants in the Underground Railroad.For ease of navigation and convenience, the maps (pp. xxxv-xl) are published in both volumes. These include maps of the routes to freedom, east coast escape and arrivals points, notable stops in Pennsylvania (just north or the Mason-Dixon Line), settlements in Ontario, and strategic stops and crossing points along the Ohio River. Headers can be used for navigation. Many entries conclude with see also references to relevant articles.In the Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad (see ARBA 2008, entry 399), J. Blaine Hudson presents a statistical analysis of the railroad, noting that the flow of people across the Ohio River and elsewhere could only be described as a trickle. This is due to the fact that 135,000 used the railroad over a 50-year period, from 1810 to 1860. Hudson's timeline covers the years from 1441 to 1865. His lists of people are more selective than those of Snodgrass. He also presented appendixes that included the lyrics to the songs sung by participants in the Underground Railroad, such as "Follow the Drinking Gourd," "Freedom's Star," and "Go Down, Moses."The chronologies of the two volumes differ in the events each highlights. While both cover the major people and issues (both have entries for Robert Purvis and the court case Prigg v. Pennsylvania), the newer work by Snodgrass contains over 1,500 entries; this includes a greater number of biographies. These facts make the volumes by Snodgrass a fine complement to that of Hudson, as each covers divergent aspects of the Underground Railroad.
The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations -
Writer, researcher, and educator Snodgrass (Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature, CH, Nov'06, 44-1266) has compiled an important and extensively researched encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad. Beginning with a concise, informative general introduction, this ambitious two-volume set neatly identifies the key people, places, documents, organizations, and publications of the Underground Railroad movement, along with significant actions, events, and ideas underlying it in the US and Canada. Offering photographs, bookplates, sketches, and handbills, the set is visually attractive. The entries are clearly marked and easily navigated; many are followed by a see also reference and a source list. Outstanding features of the encyclopedia include maps of the routes and stops along the Underground Railroad, charts of antislavery newspapers, Maroon settlements, quilt pattern codes, code terms, and designations. Especially useful are the supplementary materials found at the end of volume 2: an Underground Railroad time line spanning 1746-1865; genealogies for 72 families involved in the movement; a list of the major passengers, organized by state/province, including their destinations; a list of the operatives, grouped by state or province, often identified by religious association; a full, extensive bibliography of both primary and secondary sources; and a comprehensive index. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. -- C. Fuchs, Mina Rees Library/CUNY Graduate Center
The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations
