Yale University Library Research Guides: African American Religious History: Abolitionist Movement

Underground Railroad

Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America by Fergus Bordewich Shows why it was the Underground Railroad and not the Civil Rights movement that gave birth to this country's first racially-integrated, religiously-inspired movement for social change.
Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of America's Fugitive Slaves (Online) by Eric Foner The dramatic story of fugitive slaves and the antislavery activists who defied the law to help them reach freedom.
Making Freedom: The Underground Railroad and the Politics of Slavery (Online) by R. J. M. Blackett Uses the experiences of escaped slaves and those who aided them to explore the inner workings of the Underground Railroad and the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law, while shedding light on the political effects of slave escape in southern states, border states, and the North.
Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad by Andrew K. Diemer The story of William Still, an unknown abolitionist who dedicated his life to managing a critical section of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia--the free state directly north of the Mason-Dixon Line--helping hundreds of people escape from slavery.

I Freed Myself: African American Self-Emancipation in the Civil War Era by David Williams Argues that freedom was not simply the absence of slavery but rather a dynamic process enacted by self-emancipated African American refugees, which compelled Lincoln to modify his war aims and place black freedom at the center of his wartime policies.
On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed Provides a historian's view of the country's long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African-Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond.
Paying Freedom's Price: A History of African Americans in the Civil War by Paul David Escott Provides a comprehensive yet brief and readable history of the role of African Americans--both slave and free--from the decade leading up to the Civil War until its immediate aftermath. Rather than focusing on black military service, the white-led abolitionist movement, or Lincoln's emergence as the great emancipator, Escott concentrates on the black military and civilian experience in the North as well as the South.
The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and their Battle to Save America's Soul by Brian Kilmeade Tells the little-known story of how Lincoln and Douglass moved from strong disagreement to friendship, and in the process changed the entire course of history.

Bonds of Salvation: How Christianity Inspired and Limited American Abolitionism (Online) by Ben Wright Demonstrates how religion structured the possibilities and limitations of American abolitionism during the early years of the republic.
The Captive's Quest for Freedom: Fugitive Slaves, the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, and the Politics of Slavery by R. J. M. Blackett Explores the impact fugitive slaves had on the politics of the critical decade leading up to the Civil War. Through the close reading of diverse sources ranging from government documents to personal accounts, Richard J. M. Blackett traces the decisions of slaves to escape, the actions of those who assisted them, the many ways black communities responded to the capture of fugitive slaves, and how local laws either buttressed or undermined enforcement of the federal law.
Let Justice Be Done: Writings from American Abolitionists, 1688-1865 by Kerry Walters (Editor) Includes representative voices of the abolitionist cause-women and men, black and white. Among them are towering figures such as William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Lucretia Mott.
The War Against Proslavery Religion: Abolitionism and the Northern Churches, 1830-1865 by John R. McKivigan Examines the efforts of American abolitionists to bring northern religious institutions to the forefront of the antislavery movement.

American to the Backbone: The Life of James W.C. Pennington by Christopher L. Webber The incredible story of a forgotten hero a former slave, Yale scholar, minister, and international leader of the abolitionist movement.
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (Online) by David W. Blight An award-winning biography of Douglass that draws on new archival sources.
Samuel Ringgold Ward: A Life of Struggle (Online) by R. J. M. Blackett Despite Ward's prominent role in the abolitionist movement, his story has been lost because of the decades he spent in exile. In this book, R. J. M. Blackett brings light to Ward's life and his important role in the struggle against slavery and discrimination, and to the personal price he paid for confronting oppression.
To Save My Race from Abuse: The Life of Samuel Robert Cassius by Edward J. Robinson Samuel Robert Cassius was born to a slave mother and a white father in Virginia in 1853 and became a member of the Restorationist Movement (Disciples of Christ) while a coal miner in Indiana. For the rest of his long life (he died in 1931 at age 78), Cassius was an active evangelist, prolific publicist, dedicated leader of black Disciples, and an outspoken and uncompromising opponent of racism in religion and society.
We Will Be Free: The Life and Faith of Sojourner Truth by Nancy Koester; Alicia K. Jackson (Foreword by) Chronicles Sojourner Truth's spiritual journey as an enslaved woman, a working mother, and an itinerant preacher and activist.