About Contact. Underground to Canada. Toronto: Penguin, Published How to Cite Quirk, L. Underground to Canada by B. Issue Vol. Jacobs was born a slave in North Carolina in and became a fugitive in the s. She recorded her triumphant struggle for freedom in an autobiography that was published pseudonymously in As Linda Brent, the book 's heroine and narrator, Jacobs recounts the history of her family: a remarkable grandmother who hid her from her master for seven years: a brother who escaped and spoke out for abolition; her two children, whom she rescued and sent north.
She recalls the degradation of slavery and the special sexual oppression she found as a slave woman: the master who was determined to make her his concubine. With Frederick Douglass 's account of his life, it is one of the two archetypes in the genre of the slave. Nate also warns the empresario Buckley of the attack.
Then the empresario enlists Hays and Bigfoot, who are being held as prisoners at the moment, to protect the town. Also Emily is trying to get out of a bad situation at that time because Santa Anna finds her pistol in their bed, and he thinks that she is trying to kill. Ruth and Isabel are both slaves who are attending the funeral of their previous owner Miss Finch.
Both of them are excited when they realize they will be free once their owner dies, as stated in her will. Anne makes the girls call her Madam and is very cruel to them. In stop 1 of the book, Underground to Canada, by Barbara Smucker, the main character, Julilly, and many other children are taken away by a ruthless slave trader to soon be sold. The story begins when the word spreads that a slave trader is coming to town to separate families and to be sold as slaves.
Everyone is terrified and scared. They are put in lines and are put in mystery. Like many others, Julilly and her mother are segregated. Show More. Read More. Frederick Douglass Research Paper Words 6 Pages The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is a autobiography of the life of Frederick douglass and how he was a slave at birth but at the end achieved legal freedom. Related Topics. Open Document.
I feel that should be stated outright. While Smucker, I'm sure, had good intentions, these intentions were Underground to Canada is a horrendously white-washed narrative of slavery about kind whites who help runaway slaves get to benevolent Canada, while presenting slavery to be some kind of marginally cruel bootcamp. I understand the rhetoric that the realities of slavery may be "too much" for young readers, but I have white cousins who, to this day, have a picture of black slavery in their heads almost entirely informed by this novel, a narrative that centers around a prevalence of benevolent slave-owners and mostly white heroes and a misplaced Canadian national pride.
Ask most white children who read this book what their takeaway was, and it tends to be an empowering tale that teaches them that "if they were there" they'd have been one of the "benevolent whites," rather than just another unthinking cog in an institutional hate machine.
Smucker's heart was in the right place, but her book amounts largely to apologist nationalist propaganda, and should be swiftly taken out of the curriculum. If you're going to teach children about slavery, I think it's important that their first experiences with the subject be more representative of what slavery actually was, focus more on slavery itself rather than the white-aided escape narrative, and, perhaps most importantly, be actually written by a black person.
Reminded of this book with all the promo around Black History month. Very glad I picked it up to read. Smucker does an incredible depiction of life as a twelve year old slave girl, June Lilly, separated from her Mama Sally when slave traders come to buy up slaves at the plantation where she'd been born.
Historically accurate and great introduction to key members of the Abolitionist movement active in Julilly's journey to freedom. The destination word on the lips of those hungering for more of life than whippings and beatings, broken spirits and battered bodies. Alexander Ross, the first contact Julilly meets. A Canadian physician and naturalist, who intentionally chose his path of justice for the slaves. During the gruelling journey, the escaped slaves also meet the 'President' of the Underground Railroad by which they're travelling.
Mr Levi Coffin, businessman, Quaker, and Abolitionist who opposed, " the whole system of slavery, and conscientiously believe it to Slave children being fed with slop poured into a trough where they had to slurp it by mouth rather than learning to feed as humans..
Tension ran high throughout the story. A momentary relaxing then the imminent danger of sheriffs and bounty hunters looking for runaway slaves had me clenching my jaw or holding my breath. Excellent descriptions of the slaves' life hiding in caves, locating 'depots', meeting unknown supporters, on the 'railroad' to their future. Right to the very moment of embarking on the ship that would carry them across Lake Erie to Canada's shore and their new life.
I emotionally celebrated every victory with our young heroines. The arrival couldn't have been sweeter and the ending for which every lover of justice would hope.
Including ever abolitionist of the Underground Railroad. Fast and fascinating read. Highly recommended. For learning and for incorporating in living even today. In the words of the Abolitionist that set Julilly on her run to freedom, Alexander Ross, "Injustice is the weapon of evil men.
Bur there are always brave and noble souls who proceed on the course of right and are impervious to the consequences.
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