The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom by Wilbur H Siebert - Essay Example

?Summarize or describe the of the book in two pages or less. The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom (A comprehensive History) by Wilbur H. Siebert (1898) is a detailed history of the system of the Underground Railroad that helped a large number of slaves escape during Antebellum to Canada and Northern States. Siebert’s narrative is based on a comprehensive research expanding over fifty years. The book is an interesting compilation of various forms of writings such as speeches, letters, biography as well as direct narratives. The author begins with a detailed description of the various sources - articles in periodicals, contemporaneous documents, and collections of reminiscences - that have been used to write this book. As many locals were aiding the escape of slaves, the author chronicles the events that led to the draft of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1793, by which helping slaves escape was declared as an offence. This high level of ill-treatment resulted in the deep desire among the slaves to attain freedom. At this time, they also began to hear about the favorable condition in Canada. Soon, the Underground Railroad system began to develop in Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. The author further talks about the abduction of slaves from the south and how the local people assisted in helping the slaves escape and lead a better life in a place where they have enough freedom. The operations of the Underground Railroad were also done through innovative ways like midnight service and the passing on of cryptic messages.Slaves hid in hiding places and resorted to disguises. Committees of vigilance were formed in places like Boston and Philadelphia and supplies for passengers were also arranged. The Underground Railroad soon became a much formalized process as people took up the responsibilities of being the Underground Agents, Station Keepersor conductors. Here, the author also gives credit to those who stepped forward as Underground helpers and commends the efforts of people like Gerrit Smith and Elijah P. Lovejoy, Seth Concklin, Charles T. Torrey, Calvin Fairbank and so on. As Canada was considered to be the safest haven for the escaped slaves, author moves on to chronicle the life of colored people in Canada, where the refugees had better circumstances than what they have undergone.The natives in Canada were receptive and open to these refugees and welcomed them to share their land and resources. To give this compilation a comprehensive view, the author brings into light, the concepts of denial of jury, arrest without legal process and the penalties for aiding the fugitives. The author tracks the subject of Underground Railroads in terms of political aspects by looking at the rules of extradition, the demand for slave laws, slave agitation, anti-slavery movement and so on. The proclamation of emancipation of slaves as well as the repeal of the anti-slavery laws is also discussed in detail. In the end, the writer proceeds to unearth facts about the loss faced by the slave owners, the census reports on the fugitive slaves, the fugitive slave controversy, and how all this led to the Civil War that ultimately to the abolition of slavery in the United States of America. It presents a poignant account of the slaves lives and conditions and elucidates the struggles and the vigour with which the Underground Rail was used during the highly politically volatile environment of the times. The book is therefore a useful documentary on the growth and spread of the freedom spirit among the slaves and meticulously details the antecedent conditions that led to the great Civil War. THE ABOVE SECTION IS SUMMARY AND IS 501 WORDS OR 2 PAGES THIS SECTION BELOW IS INCLUDED IN YOUR INSTRUCTIONS Criticize or comment on each of the following about the book: • Organization – The book is organized into 11chapters with each chapter dealing with a critical aspect of the Underground Railroad. The book has been organized with clarity, according to chronology as well as according to particular context. For example, the author begins by tracing the origins of slavery and ends by writing about the abolishment of this practice. To set the right context, the book also has a preface and introduction as well as appendix. • Writing style – The writing style can be described as one that is simple and clear. As the book revels deep into history, it is important to use clear and precise language and the author has been successful in doing that. The book is full of references to various sources, which the author again mentions with great clarity. • Fairness – The author has tried his best to adopt a neutral perspective on the matter of Underground Railroads as he has presented both the pictures – the struggles of the slaves and the fugitives as well as the losses faced by the slave owners. However, through the narrative of the book, we can sense a slight leaning or empathy towards the fugitives and the slaves. However, this does not question the fairness that the writer has adopted, because years of research about the plight of the fugitives can create a natural empathy. • Use of aids (charts, graphs, maps, photographs, etc.) –. Where ever possible the writer has included photographs to give us a first-hand experience of the historical images. For example, The picture of the Old First Church in Illinois where fugitive slaves were concealed in the gallery and the photographs of prominent personalities such as Rush R Solane (who was fined $3000 for aiding runaways) and Thaddeus Stevens who appeared for the fugitives in a court in Pennsylvania have been included. • TWO persons or events discussed– One of the most important events described in the book revolves around how the word Underground Railroad began to be used. While the exact origins of the incident are not yet know, the incident of a fugitive named Tice Davids was described by Hon. Rush R. Solane. This fugitive ran away with his master in pursuit. After a while, the fugitive jumps into the Ohio River and the master follows him. However, when he reaches the shore, the fugitive is nowhere in sight. When the master returned back, in response to the questions, he replied, "the nigger must have gone of an underground road". This story was repeated with amusement and hence, underground road became the Underground Railroad. Another event of interest was narrated by Mr. Sidney Speed of Crawfordsville. It was around 1858 where a mullato girl reached their home.. As there was high alert, it was difficult to move her to the Underground. Finally, she was dressed in a silk robe and a white baby was handed over to her and was provided a nanny. Using this disguise, this girl could escape. Describe each of the following: • The value of the book in helping you to achieve a greater understanding of the historical topic(s) discussed. The book has a very high value because it helps in developing a strong understanding of the practice of slavery, the struggles involved in escaping through the Underground and the life of the escaped fugitive. The research is very detailed and involves descriptions, narrations and memoirs from many prominent people. The interesting fact related to this book is how it is not just a historical document that talks about the facts, but it also adds perspectives, attitudes and emotions. • the importance of the historical topic(s) discussed to the history of African Americans, and Every individual appreciates the struggle which has gone behind abolishment of slavery, however; the details documented in this book give a true sense of the struggle. The abolishment of slavery was a landmark event in American history because only then, the terms of Equality and Liberty attained their true meaning. Your personal opinion of the book. Even though there are many history books that talk about the situation during the era of slavery, this book takes history a step further and brings a firsthand account of numerous incidents. Interesting anecdotes and narrations of stories make this book a very compelling read. Answer the questions that follow about the book you selected. • Why did you select this book? This book was selected because it offers very minute as well as graphical details about the history related to slavery, the landmark Underground Railroad movement as well as the abolition of slavery. Even though this may be a compilation of historical events, the narration that is filled with stories and events makes it a very interesting read. • Who is the author? Provide a brief biography. This source may be helpful: http://biography.com/ Wilbur H Siebert was a Professor at Ohio University. Before teaching, he finished his undergraduate degree from Ohio State University and did graduate studies at Harvard. During his studies and teaching period, Siebert spent a considerable amount of time research about slavery. • What else has the author written? Provide some specific titles of these other publications. Wilbur H Siebert’s major work is, The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom (A comprehensive History) which was published in 1898. The other book that was written is The Government of Ohio (1903). What is the author's purpose for writing the book? Provide the reason for the writing of the book. Even though most people did have a good idea about slavery and fugitives escaping, most of them did not know about the stories, tales and narrations. Through this book, the writer wants to share his detailed research to provide a comprehensive perspective. • What is the thesis of the book The book can be described as a historical monograph. Even though the author has a primary focus on the issue of slavery, he includes many different aspects into it. The writer talks about the advent of slavery, beginning of the Underground Railroad, the legislatures, the anti-slavery movements as well as the abolishment laws. • Is the bookcontroversial? This book is not a controversial one as the author primarily lays down facts based on solid evidence. The authors tone is mostly neutral, even though there is a slight empathy towards the fugitives; the attitude adopted by the author does not have any biases. • Does the author use primary sources? Yes, the author uses primary sources in this book. Two examples are – New York Colonial Manuscripts, vol. 10, 1747. Thoreau, H.D (1854). Slavery in Massachusetts. New York: Forgotten Books • What were the main sources used by the author to obtain information? Works Cited Mitchell, W.M. (1860). Underground Railroad. Oxford: W. Tweedie Sanborn, B. (1885). The Life and Letters of John Browd: Liberator of Kansas and Martyr of Virgina. NY: Robert Brothers Book Review Historical Interpretation Task (THIS PART HAS BEEN EXPANDED) For the Historical Interpretation task, the book that has been selected is written by William Still in 1886 and is known as the Underground Railroad Records. This text is extremely significant from a historical perspective because the author himself has participated in rescuing around 60 refugees per month. The author had spent time in interviewing and documenting each of the refugees that he came in contact with during these historical times. For this effort, William Still came to be known as the Father of the Underground Railroad. While the work of Still and Siebert revolve around the same issue and their descriptions of the incidents match, there are several differences in the perspectives adopted in both the books. The chief stem of this difference comes from the fact that Still’s origin goes back to slavery and his parents were previously slaves. This made him a more intricate observer and interpreter of the emotions of the slaves that he interviewed, and hence makes it work more lively and emoting. Both the works, by Still and by Siebert, have a detailed narration of Seth Concklin’s contributions. However, in Underground Railroad Records, Still goes into a very detailed narrative, describing even the minutest of the plans and elevating Conckiln’s contributions to almost a saint like level. On the other hand, Siebert narrates the events in a very clinical manner, almost too detached in his book. This difference in narration may originate from the difference in personal experiences of the two scholars, with Still hailing from a slave lineage and having a more emotional attachment with the topic. However, there are factual agreements on various happenings and occurances that happened during the period. For example, both Still and Sibert, have agreement on the description of Seth’s plans as well as how he met his tragic death. According to Still’s book, Elijah F. Pennypacker, holds a very strong and pivotal place as he took a strong stand to support the outcasts and the misrepresented population in the fight for liberty of slaves. Still has also glorified the stance of Pennypacker, talking about the immense respect he had for women and the great service he did by providing a refuge to the fugitives. However, in Siebert’s work, Pennypacker is not mentioned in detail, with only one quote from him, which says, ‘we have within the past two months passed forty-three through our hands’ (Siebert, 1898). Even though both the books have essentially the same theme, Still’s book has detailed narratives from the perspectives of the slaves and how they escaped. For example, the narrations related to Sheridan Ford who escaped in a steamer and Perry Johnson who suffered a lot of ‘flogging’ from his masters is mentioned in detail . However, Sibert’s book lack this level of detailed narration and missed out on the names and the specific details of these slaves, but instead focuses on the overview of the situation. Thus, there were some differences in the way that both the writers adopted towards the same person or incident. Additionally, there is a difference in the tone and the style adopted by the two scholars, while Still’s narration develops more like a story that has passion and undertones, Sibert’s book is a written in a distanced and objective manner. Another noteworthy aspect is the different approaches that both the books have adopted. Still’s book has a very high focus on the people who were involved in this struggle and describes their condition, journey and life in detail. On the other hand, Siebert also brings in the political, social and legal aspects of the Underground Railroad. Still, himself being a participant adds a much more personal element to his work, where as Siebert adopts a much more neutral approach. Nevertheless, Sibert’s book provides an insightful commentary on the social, political and legal environment of the time is an accurate historical repository of the time. Works Cited Still, W. (1886). Underground Railroad Records. Virginia: University of Virginia Siebert, W.H. (1898). The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom (A comprehensive History). New York: Macmillian Company   Read More