Free Downloads The Underground Railroad
In the long list of names who have suffered and died in the cause of freedom, not one, perhaps, could be found whose efforts to redeem a poor family of slaves were more Christlike than Seth Concklin's, whose noble and daring spirit has been so long completely shrouded in mystery. Except John Brown, it is a question, whether his rival could be found with respect to boldness, disinterestedness and willingness to be sacrificed for the deliverance of the oppressed. By chance one day he came across a copy of the Pennsylvania Freeman, containing the story of Peter Still, "the Kidnapped and the Ransomed,"—how he had been torn away from his mother, when a little boy six years old; how, for forty years and more, he had been compelled to serve under the yoke, totally destitute as to any knowledge of his parents' whereabouts; how the intense love of liberty and desire to get back to his mother had unceasingly absorbed his mind through all these years of bondage; how, amid the most appalling discouragements, prompted alone by his undying determination to be free and be reunited with those from whom he had been sold away, he contrived to buy himself; how, by extreme economy, from doing over-work, he saved up five hundred dollars, the amount of money required for his ransom, which, with his freedom, he, from necessity, placed unreservedly in the confidential keeping of a Jew, named Joseph Friedman, whom he had known for a long time and could venture to trust,—how he had further toiled to save up money to defray his expenses on an expedition in search of his mother and kindred; how, when this end was accomplished, with an earnest purpose he took his carpet-bag in his hand, and his heart throbbing for his old home and people, he turned his mind very privately towards Philadelphia, where he hoped, by having notices read in the colored churches to the effect that "forty-one or forty-two years before two little boysA were kidnapped and carried South"—that the memory of some of the older members might recall the circumstances, and in this way he would be aided in his ardent efforts to become restored to them. ________________________________________
Paperback: 350 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 12, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 149932927X
ISBN-13: 978-1499329278
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.8 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #389,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #265 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Civil War > Abolition #1537 in Books > History > Americas > United States > African Americans > Discrimination & Racism #1651 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Race Relations
It bemuses me that so few people know of this American hero; William Still was born of an escaped slave in Delaware and moved early in life to Philadelphia, where, by dint of perserverance and personal sweat, he managed to teach himself to read and write and become a major industrialist in 19th-Century Philadelphia. He became an officer of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, and was instrumental in turning it from cheerleading meetings to active MI-9-like evasion and escape assistance for slaves, forming the first of the so-called "vigilance committees". He was the first to have undercover agents on the docks and railroad stations of SE Pennsylvania, where Southern plantation owners transitted with their "properties" on their travels. The book is Brother Still's after-action report initially published by subscription. It is a collection of spectacular, tragic escape stories, some black genealogists today using it for family research. Of particular interest is the network of men Still was able to utilize, putting themselves at risk from federal marshals after 1851 and the Fugitive Slave Act, who volunteered immediate clandestine assistance to escapees of another race. Whence came such a moral, secret enterprise?That's easy,William Still was a Pennsylvania Freemason.His grave is in Eden Cemetery in Delaware County, and should be paid respect by all Pennsylvania Freemasons, as he did more for the City of Philadelphia than anyone except Benjamin Franklin (also a Pennsylvania Freemason).This edition is out of print, but copies may be had from used bookselllers, and I understand the Johnson House Underground Railroad Museum in Philadelphia has hosted the issue of a new edition in February 2005.
This was an excellent book that portrayed the stories of escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. The stories themselves are written by the escaping slaves, bounty hunters, etc in the form of letters and correspondence. It is heartbreaking to read and uplifting at the same time. It is a worthwhile read for anyone who is acquainted with the Underground Railroad or who wants to get the story from the point of view of those who are not necessarily in the history books.
It was a very special gift for my sister. So to find it in the special condition it was in made the purchase even greater.
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