Includes index. Includes bibliographical references: p. 147-149.
Contents:
Introduction -- Human cargo, human wares -- Oppression and injustice -- Cruelty and kindness -- Turbulent times -- Emancipation throughout the empire -- Setting out for the unknown -- Kindness of strangers -- Some names not forgotten -- Desperate measures -- Hard times in a hard land -- Learning to live in liberty -- Tracing their steps today -- Timeline -- Acknowledgments -- Suggested reading -- Source notes -- Picture sources -- Index.
Summary:
Chronicles the history of the Underground Railroad from the Canadian perspective, with emphasis on Ontario and including a time line and a listing of historic sites. Prior to abolition in 1865, as many as 40,000 men, women, and children made the perilous trip north to freedom in Canada with the help of the Underground Railroad. It was neither underground nor was it a railroad, and was most remarkable for its lack of formal organization, so cloaked in secrecy that few facts were recorded while it "ran." The story of the Underground Railroad is one of suffering and of bravery, and is not only one of escape from slavery but of beginnings: of people who carved out a new life for themselves in perilous, difficult circumstances. In I Came as a Stranger, Bryan Prince, a descendent of slaves, describes the people who made their way to Canada and the life that awaited them. From Uncle Tom's Cabin in Dresden, Ontario to Harriet Tubman's Canadian base of operations in St. Catharines, the communities founded by former slaves soon produced businessmen, educators, and writers. Yet danger was present in the form of bounty hunters and prejudice.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.