In the opening of his new book, Gateway To Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad, Eric Foner lays out the inspirational story of Frederick Bailey a young slave in Maryland who teaches himself to read and write; plans to escape slavery by canoe, but gets caught; boards a train wearing seaman's clothes and carrying false papers; and after several unsettling detours and despite the fact that slave catchers are everywhere arrives in the free state of New York. <\/p>\n
Detail of an illustration of Henry \"Box\" Brown at Philadelphia who escaped from Richmond, Va., in a box 3 feet long, 2 1\/2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. Library of Congress hide caption <\/p>\n
Detail of an illustration of Henry \"Box\" Brown at Philadelphia who escaped from Richmond, Va., in a box 3 feet long, 2 1\/2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. <\/p>\n
Frederick Bailey eventually changes his last name to Douglass, and the rest is anti-slavery history. <\/p>\n
'Daunting Odds' <\/p>\n
Throughout the book, Foner refers to men and women who defied dangers, and even death, to gain freedom. <\/p>\n
\"All fugitive slaves faced daunting odds and demonstrated remarkable courage,\" he writes. <\/p>\n
He recounts the stories of Henry \"Box\" Brown, a slave who shipped himself in a crate from Richmond to Philadelphia; Peter Matthews, a fugitive who traversed 200 miles from Accomac, Va., to Philadelphia and was chased along the way by two men with guns; and Ellen Craft, who disguised herself as a man to escape servitude in Georgia. <\/p>\n
Sure, ever-more enlightened lawmakers, anti-slavery forces led by black and white abolitionists and fear stirred by slave-instigated rebellions, as noted by Henry Louis Gates and others, pushed a nation toward emancipation. <\/p>\n
But did riveting stories of brave freedom-seekers singly and collectively also eventually move the national political needle toward abolition? <\/p>\n
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Read more: <\/p>\n
The Courage And Ingenuity Of Freedom-Seeking Slaves In America<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the opening of his new book, Gateway To Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad, Eric Foner lays out the inspirational story of Frederick Bailey a young slave in Maryland who teaches himself to read and write; plans to escape slavery by canoe, but gets caught; boards a train wearing seaman's clothes and carrying false papers; and after several unsettling detours and despite the fact that slave catchers are everywhere arrives in the free state of New York. Detail of an illustration of Henry \"Box\" Brown at Philadelphia who escaped from Richmond, Va., in a box 3 feet long, 2 1\/2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. Library of Congress hide caption Detail of an illustration of Henry \"Box\" Brown at Philadelphia who escaped from Richmond, Va., in a box 3 feet long, 2 1\/2 feet deep and 2 feet wide Continue reading