THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (With Illustrations) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Authentic Life Narratives of America's Unsung Heroes and Heroines Who Dared to Dream of Freedom and Escaped from the Clutches of SlaveryBy William Still
Length44h 3m
About this audiobook
William Still's The Underground Railroad is a monumental documentary history of resistance to American slavery, assembled from the records of fugitives who passed through the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee. Combining testimonial narrative, biographical sketches, letters, legal documents, and engraved illustrations, the work occupies a crucial place between abolitionist literature, archive, and collective autobiography. Its prose is direct yet morally charged, preserving the voices, routes, dangers, and strategies of self-emancipated people while exposing the violence of the slave system and the complicity that sustained it. Still, born free in New Jersey in 1821 to parents who had escaped enslavement, became one of the most important Black abolitionists of the nineteenth century. As a clerk and later chairman of Philadelphia's Vigilance Committee, he interviewed and assisted hundreds of freedom seekers. His personal history—especially the rediscovery of his long-lost brother Peter among the fugitives—gave his archival labor profound urgency and familial meaning. This book is essential for readers of African American history, abolitionist writing, and documentary literature. It offers not merely a record of oppression, but a disciplined, humane, and unforgettable account of courage, organization, and the making of freedom.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★★ 4.5 (2.8K)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, StoryGraph, LibraryThing
GenreHistory
Length44 hrs 3 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 9, 2017
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (With Illustrations) (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION
Show all chaptersShow less
6SETH CONCKLIN
7EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM REV. N.R. JOHNSTON
8LETTERS FROM LEVI COFFIN
9McKIERNON'S LETTER
10WM. STILL'S ANSWER
11THE SEPARATION
12UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD LETTERS
13LETTER FROM THOMAS GARRETT (U.G.R.R. DEPOT)
14LETTER FROM MISS G.A. LEWIS (U.G.R.R. DEPOT)
15LETTER FROM E.L. STEVENS, ESQ
16LETTER FROM S.H. GAY, ESQ., EX-EDITOR OF THE ANTI-SLAVERY STANDARD AND NEW YORK TRIBUNE
17LETTER FROM JOHN H. HILL, A FUGITIVE, APPEALING IN BEHALF OF A POOR SLAVE IN PETERSBURG, VA
18LETTER FROM J. BIGELOW, ESQ
19LETTER FROM HAM & EGGS, SLAVE (U.G.R.R. AG'T)
20LETTER FROM REV H. WILSON (U.G.R.R. AG'T)
21LETTER FROM SHERIDAN FORD, IN DISTRESS
22LETTER FROM E.F. PENNYPACKER (U.G.R.R. DEPOT)
23LETTER FROM JOS. C. BUSTILL (U.G.R.R. DEPOT)
24LETTER FROM A SLAVE SECRETED IN RICHMOND
25LETTER FROM G.S. NELSON (U.G.R.R. DEPOT)
26LETTER FROM JOHN THOMPSON
27LETTER FROM "WM. PENN" (OF THE BAR)
28LETTER FROM MISS THEODOCIA GILBERT
29WILLIAM PEEL, ALIAS WILLIAM BOX PEEL JONES ARRIVED PER ERRICSON LINE OF STEAMERS, WRAPPED IN STRAW AND BOXED UP, APRIL, 1859
30DEATH OF ROMULUS HALL — NEW NAME GEORGE WEEMS
31JAMES MERCER, WM. H. GILLIAM, AND JOHN CLAYTON STOWED AWAY IN A HOT BERTH
32LETTER FROM MRS. L.E. WHITE
33LETTER FROM WILLIAM HENRY GILLIAM
34JAMES MERCER'S LETTER
35JOHN H. HILL'S LETTER
36CLARISSA DAVIS ARRIVED DRESSED IN MALE ATTIRE
37ANTHONY BLOW, ALIAS HENRY LEVISON SECRETED TEN MONTHS BEFORE STARTING — EIGHT DAYS STOWED AWAY ON A STEAMER BOUND FOR PHILADELPHIA
38PERRY JOHNSON, OF ELKTON, MARYLAND EYE KNOCKED OUT, ETC
39ISAAC FORMAN, WILLIAM DAVIS, AND WILLIS REDICK HEARTS FULL OF JOY FOR FREEDOM — VERY ANXIOUS FOR WIVES IN SLAVERY
40EXTRACT OF LETTER FROM ISAAC FORMAN
41WILLIS REDICK
42WILLIAM DAVIS
43JOSEPH HENRY CAMP THE AUCTION BLOCK IS DEFEATED AND A SLAVE TRADER LOSES FOURTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS
44SHERIDAN FORD SECRETED IN THE WOODS — ESCAPES IN A STEAMER
45JOSEPH KNEELAND, ALIAS JOSEPH HULSON
46EX-PRESIDENT TYLER'S HOUSEHOLD LOSES AN ARISTOCRATIC "ARTICLE"
47EDWARD MORGAN, HENRY JOHNSON, JAMES AND STEPHEN BUTLER
48HENRY PREDO BROKE JAIL, JUMPED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND MADE HIS ESCAPE
49DANIEL HUGHES
50THOMAS ELLIOTT
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