Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory

By David W. Blight

Book Overview

Few things have defined America as much as slavery. In the wake of emancipation the story of the Underground Railroad has become a seemingly irresistible part of American historical consciousness.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588341577
• ISBN13: 9781588341570
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Smithsonian Inst Pr
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 3.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 1.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

an important work

I found this a valuable contribution for understanding this complex history. Not the easiest read in the world, even for those who read lots of nonfiction histories. But excellent. A book I loved because it offers such a personal, rivetting account from the perspective of one heroic African American woman is the fictionalized account of the life of Harriet Tubman, "Home, Miss Moses." It's also not a super easy read but its fictionalized form carries us home. Readers should take a look at both.

Passages to Freedom by Blight

The pictures pre-dating and post-dating the Civil War are an extremely valuable part of the overall presentation. I would purchase the volume for the value of the portraits alone. Famous slave hiding places, way stations, daring routes, Indian assistance and crossings into the Caribbean and Mexico are depicted. The mid-1840s was the time of the famous Underground Railroad. Aunt Lucy is depicted. She was a former slave. There is a 1792 view of the Mulberry Plantation with the manor, surrounding huts and a tree. The 3 generations of slavery are described; namely, - Charter Generation of the 1st arrivals - The Plantation Generation of staple producers and cotton growers - The Revolutionary Generation of the late 18th century A live slave auction was depicted in the Richmond of the 1850s. Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad was described together with important historical pictures. The Tubman property has survived the centuries in Cayuga County, New York. Overall, the work is a complete description and pictorial presentation for students of American History, Afro-Asian History, the Civil War and famous persons who lived and fought for freedom in the early days of the American Revolution onward. The acquisition would be very valuable for any personal library.