Blight, David W., ed. Passages to Freedom. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2004. E450.P27 2004
This book is a history of this topic. Each chapter is written by a different author. It begins with the necessary background of slavery in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It goes on to explain abolitionism and the Underground Railroad as well as remembering it today. The use of colored and black and white photographs along with reprints of paintings and letters adds greatly to show the history.
Bordewich, Fergus M. Bound for Canaan. New York: Harper Collins, 2005. E 450.B735 2006
This book tells the story of this subject. It sets up the context of it by including background beginning at 1800. The research is well documented with footnotes. A selected bibliography is included in the back.
Tobin, Jacqueline L. with Hettie Jones. From Midnight to Dawn: the Last Tracks of the Underground Railroad. New York: Anchor Books, 2007.
E 450.T62 2008
The authors tell about the Railroad and in relation to the rest of American history. They also include the history that lead up to it and what happened after it was dissolved. A timeline and a bibliography are included. It has black and white photographs as well.
Tobin, Jacqueline L. and Raymond G. Dobard. Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of the Underground Railroad. New York: Anchor Books, 1999.
E450.T63 2000
This book tells about the code system used to communicate with the runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. Quilt patterns were used to convey messages about where and when to go. A timeline, charts of the quilt blocks, and a bibliography are included.
Smedley, R.C. History of the Underground Railroad in Chester and Neighboring Counties of Pennsylvania. New York: Negro Universities Press, 1968. E450 S.63 1968
The author says in the preface that he began this history in 1883 as a newspaper article so that the history of the Underground Railroad and its management in Chester County, Pennsylvania would not be forgotten. This book is a reprinting of his narrative of the people and events involved in that that portion of it. So close to the time of the Railroad and his exact rendition of events makes this a primary source work.
As an online type of history, you can see this topic from the perspective of a fugitive slave on a Web page at the National Geographic. You can click on the link below or put in Underground Railroad in any online search engine.
National Geographic. "Underground Railroad." National Geographic. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/ (accessed July 25, 2011.)
The Public Broadcasting System or PBS also has an excellent online history. There is a teacher's guide but it gives a good basic overview with some related articles. Its link is: PBS Online. "Judgement Day." PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2944.html (accessed July 25, 2011.)
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center located in Cincinnati, Ohio as part of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program has a great website to learn more for a variety of resources. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. "The Underground Railroad." U.S. Department of Education Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural (URR) Program. http://www.freedomcenter.org/underground-railroad/ (accessed July 25, 2011.)
The National Park Service has a Web page title, "Underground Railroad Network to Freedom" is another resource. On their listings page off the left side of their main Underground Railroad page, places where the network was used are listed by state. It also includes places in the free states which did keep slaves.
National Park Service. "Underground Railroad Network to Freedom." National Park Service. http://www.cr.nps.gov/ugrr/ (accessed July 25, 2011.)
There is an excellent page about using primary sources of history as a Webpage titled, Exploring a Common Past, Researching and Interpreting the Underground Railroad of the National Park Service's website as part of their "Links to History." There are also other pages and sources dealing with its history at National Park Service. "Exploring a Common Past, Researching and Interpreting the Underground Railroad." National Park Service.
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/ugrr/exugrr1.htm (accessed July 25, 2011.)
