The Underground Railroad (Journey to Freedom)

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Summary: The journey to freedom on the Underground Railroad
Review: "The Underground Railroad" is one of the most aptly chosen volumes in the Journey to Freedom series of the African American Library, which is dedicated to educating children about the achievements and contributions of noted African Americans. Carla Williams, who has authored some of the better volumes in this series, explains how the Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad. After covering how abolitionists wanted to help slaves escape to freedom, Williams explains the "agents," "station masters" (such as Levi Coffin) and "conductors" (such as Harriet Tubman) who made the Underground Railroad work. Students will also learn about the creativity involved in arranging these escapes, such as Peg Leg Joe, who traveled from plantation to plantation, teaching slaves "The Drinking Gourd" song, the lyrics of which told slaves to follow the Big Dipper north to freedom. There are also examples of secret codes hidden in quilt patterns. Williams ends her book by covering the end of slavery after the Civil War and efforts to study and remember the Underground Railroad initiated in the 1990s. Students researching this topic for Black History Month or a class unit on slavery will find this book informative about this the people and process by which the Underground Railroad helped tens of thousands of slaves escape to Mexico, the Free States and Canada.