Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America's First Civil Rights Movement

Good histories provide new perspectives on old events. Superior histories provide a sense of the sweep of those events over time, how they evolved and changed and impacted different people, and ultimately how they changed the way we think about ourselves. The best histories do it with a storyteller's flair. Fergus Bordewich's Bound for Canaan is just such an excellent history. His fascinating exploration of the abolitionist movement from its humble beginnings as a religiously prescribed act of charity to the fanatical activism of John Brown lets you peer into the evolving morality of the nineteenth century American mind and gives you an understanding of how modern notions of rights and liberty were born. The lofty ideals of freedom espoused by the founding fathers in the 1700's were not intended to extend beyond the rubric of patrician white males and gentlemen farmers, and few people in the year 1800 would have treated seriously the idea that Blacks ought to be given equal status in the franchise. Calvinism, whose ideas of providence and pre-destination held sway, insisted that each individual's place in society was pre-ordained by God and that nothing short of God's unlikely intervention could change it. But as the nineteenth century unfolded, the iron grip of Calvinism loosened and new ideas emerged, not the least of which was the Quaker insistence on good works. Good works led naturally to a sense of obligation, particularly to those suffering and those in need. Quakers began to help runaway slaves out of a Christ-like impulse to do good and before long had cobbled together a loose network of like-minded people throughout the northern states. This was the beginning of the Underground Railroad and the first stirrings of a provocation to the South which would be answered with draconian legislation which would eventually threaten the North's sense of their own autonomy and raise the issue of state's rights for the entire nation, an issue, which like slavery itself, would require a bloody war to resolve. Bordewhich's book provides the full sweep of this cataclysmic change in the mind-set of the nation, a sea-change in America's ideals unequaled until the advent of World War II. His focus is the Underground Railroad but the book is about much more. It's about how America evolved a sense of responsibility for the promises laid out in the Declaration of Independence and whether or not those promises would be carried forward to the rapidly developing nation or remain trite phrases imbedded in a document whose true purpose (at least in the beginning) was to protect the privileges of a few Virginia planters. Bordewhich's research is top notch. The anecdotes he's dug up about the experiences of slaves on the run are engrossing and his examination into the often casual or lackadaisical attitude of Northerner's to the plight of the oppressed is striking. Interestingly, only when a few white people are killed in the effort to assist blac

For many, hear the phrase "Underground Railroad" and immediately the names of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and - well maybe that's about it - come to mind. Textbooks give, at best, a few pages of only the most superficial examination of a pivotal movement in American history. Most of what we have learned about it from either these sources, or brief mentions in periodicals and such. BOUND FOR CANAAN offers a fresh insightful and illuminating exploration of this ultimate road to hope, which helped to dismantle the great American hypocrisy of slavery amidst the rhetoric of liberty. Fergus M. Bordewich is an exemplary writer and historian - a master craftsman of the written word. His writings have appeared in American Heritage, Smithsonian, Atlantic Monthly and others. Journalist and author, he has authored well-received books including KILLING THE WHITE MAN'S INDIAN, which dispels Native American misconceptions and fallacies, and MY MOTHER'S GHOST, an exploration of the author's dealing with the tragic death of his mother. His current book stands as an in-depth study of the Underground Railroad, synthesizing original materials, academic research and anecdotal recollections into a seamless and thoughtful narrative of epic proportions. The true value of BOUND FOR CANAAN (in my opinion) is Mr. Bordewich's presentation of the humanity of the movement. Historical figures - black and white, slave and free, noted and obscure - all are shown as complex richly textured characters in the ultimate American drama. Men and women are shown in all of their strengths and weaknesses, rather than one-dimensional stereotypes. Within a chronological framework, the author interweaves the compelling personal stories of flesh-and-blood with the broader themes of slavery as a political, social, moral and ultimately theological issue. Beyond the historical scholarship, BOUND FOR CANAAN reminds us that all men and women, by bonding together, forward the American ideals of liberty and equality. The Underground Railroad, part of the larger abolitionist movement, shows how persons of all races, philosophies and creeds can cast off the shackles of evil by working together. While the struggle for equality is a continual struggle, the power of men and women, motivated by simple human decency, can overcome institutions which exploit human capital in its most fundamental nature. An important lesson of this engaging book is its telling of this great story in human terms. It emphasizes the commonalities that define us as human beings and how that commonality slowly (too slowly) can change the course of human events - a liberation at great price. This book is well worth the time for anyone who wishes to understand the Underground Railroad's role in American history - a road to a more just nation.

In the preface to "Bound For Canaan: The Underground Railroad And The War For The Soul Of America", author Fergus Bordewich admits that his earlier knowledge of the Underground Railroad was limited to Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and vague images of wagons and trains surreptitiously transporting runaway slaves to the North. Before I read his monmental book, I have to confess that that was the my limited knowledge as well. People like me, who have had a lifelong interest in American history, but had too many gaps in it, owe Mr. Bordewich a huge debt for bringing this unnecessarily overlooked movement into history's spotlight. Before reading this book, I had never heard of Henry Bibb, Gerrit Smith, Josiah Henson, Mary Ann Shad, James and Lucretia Mott or Levi Coffin (ironic how many lives got their beginnings from a man named "Coffin"). Now, thanks to this book, I doubt I will ever forget these noble people. As other reviewers have pointed out, the Underground Railroad was as complex and chimeric as were the stationmasters and conductors who expedited the fugitives. So many of the participants--white and black--had so many different opinions as to the moral and practical implications of the Railroad's use, that it's amazing that the infighting didn't shatter the movement to pieces. Fortunately, as Mr. Bordewich points, they all had a unified goal: to free as many slaves as possible and crush the South's resistance to abolition. What makes the book so very readable is Mr. Bordewich's blend of political/moral wrangling, biographies, tales of thrilling escapes (and sometimes captures), and the sweeping events--sometimes local, sometimes global--that had an impact on the Railroad's progress. The generous peppering of photos, illustrations and maps make the reading process all the more enjoyable and understandable. Mr. Bordewich is to be thanked for bringing this epic back to life, and it is good to know that publishers are still willing to take the chance on publishing books that are certainly not guaranteed to be best sellers. I sure hope this book becomes one; it deserves it.

I read a lot of history books and am always glad to find a book that deals with a topic I know little or nothing about. It's an added bonus if the book is well-written and a pleasure to read, as this one is. "Bound For Canaan" is both thought-provoking and entertaining, which is another big plus. Mr. Bordewich presents many harrowing tales of escape, attempted escape, and recapture. Famous people, such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown, are brought to life. Even better, brave people who have been lost in the mist of history, such as Jermain Loguen, Gerrit Smith, and Levi Coffin, are given their day in the sun. The Underground Railroad was peopled by slaves, free blacks, and women, as well as white male abolitionists. People with strong religious beliefs, notably Quakers, but also Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists were in the forefront of the movement to abolish slavery. What I especially liked about this book was that Mr. Bordewich didn't try to simplify things. People and movements are complex, and all the nuances are present here: religious abolitionists who wanted an end to slavery, but who thought blacks were inferior and shouldn't be allowed to vote or "mingle" with whites; male abolitionists who thought women had no business being active in the movement; slaves who betrayed (for reward money) other slaves who were attempting to escape; American Indians being slaveholders; "free" blacks not being allowed to vote or to use "white" accomodations, etc. It was especially interesting (and ironic) to learn of the numerous "passengers" who chose to go to Canada (still under British rule at the time)so that they could get a fair shake....British law treated them as equal to white people, and they didn't have to worry about being hunted down and being returned to slavery. (In the United States even blacks who were born free, or who had purchased their freedom, could be kidnapped and sold into slavery.) Presidents and other politicians (Martin Van Buren, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster) who were either sincerely pro-slavery or willing to compromise to appease the southern states at any cost, come off especially badly. This was a time when government was wrong and conscience was right, and it took both physical and moral courage to buck the system. You might be wondering about the title of this review.........West Virginia was formed when Virginians opposed to slavery decided to create a new state where slavery would not be permitted. And Kentucky? When the southern states seceded from the Union, Kentucky (and Maryland) did not join them. When Lincoln "freed the slaves" he only freed those in the states which had seceded. As the Civil War roared on to its conclusion, slaveholders in Kentucky and Maryland continued to enjoy their rights. This is an excellent book which illuminates a movement which most Americans know little about....and which is both scholarly and entertaining. It is

This book is a huge contribution to the literature of the decades leading up to the Civil War. Until Eric Foner's monumental work, there was no good, comprehensive history of Reconstruction in the years following the War. So too, until now, there has not been a good, comprehensive history of the Underground Railroad. Author Fergus M. Bordewich has remedied this with "Bound for Canaan." There have certainly been histories of the years leading up to the Civil War, indeed one of the best is the beginning couple of hundred pages of James McPherson's "Battlecry of Freedom." But these histories were intended to cover the broader spectrum of events leading to the Civil War. This concentration on the Underground Railroad is long overdue. We have all heard of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, both monumental figures. However, there were numerous heroes of the Underground Railroad who have been lost to history. Fortunately, Bordewich brings to life figures such as Isaac Hopper, Levi Coffin, David Ruggles, Josiah Henson and many others. Sadly, because there was scant record keeping of many of the Underground Railroad's activities, some others may be permanently lost to history. Early efforts at rescuing slaves commenced with the efforts of Quakers such as Isaac Hopper in Philadelphia. Also, on or about 1805, a young Quaker boy, Levi Coffin, saw the horrible sight of slaves, chained together, being marched along the road. He saw the hopelessness in them and also, the fate of another slave who was probably a runaway. He had a metal collar placed around his neck and it was afixed to the master's buggy. The poor fellow was forced to run behind the buggy at a rapid clip to avoid being dragged by the neck. These memories led Coffin to become a leader in the Underground Railroad in Indiana (where he had moved). Of course, early on the term "Underground Railroad" was not used because there were no actual railroads to be named after. Later on, however, in the 1840s, when railroads started to grow, a proslavery opponent of Coffin labled him the "president" of the Undergrond Railroad. Coffin took this an honor, not an insult, and indeed, it was just that, a testiment to a heroic individual who devoted his life to freeing slaves. Many evangelical Christians were fervent abolitionists and instrumental in the network constituting the Underground Railroad. Such an individual was Reverend John Rankin of Ohio, whose entire family was involved in this network. These people were often austere, stolid individuals who were religious fundamentalists, moved by religious fervor. In just about every way, they were conservative. They were religious moralists. Today, many people have a need to use lables, sometimes perjoratively, such as "religious right." It is well to remember that many true heroes of the abolitionist movement, people who put their own safety on the line, were what could be labled "religious right." The network involved Quakers, evangelicals, secular aboli