Abolition & the Underground Railroad in Vermont

by Michelle Arnosky Sherburne

Overview

Many believe that support for the abolition of slavery was universally accepted in Vermont, but it was actually a fiercely divisive issue that rocked the Green Mountain State. In the midst of turbulence and violence, though, some brave Vermonters helped fight for the freedom of their enslaved Southern brethren. Thaddeus Stevens--one of abolition's most outspoken advocates--was a Vermont native. Delia Webster, the first woman arrested for aiding a fugitive slave, was also a Vermonter. The Rokeby house in Ferrisburgh was a busy Underground Railroad station for decades. Peacham's Oliver Johnson worked closely with William Lloyd Garrison during the abolition movement. Discover the stories of these and others in Vermont who risked their own lives to help more than four thousand slaves to freedom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625844941
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Series:	Civil War Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	279
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Michelle Sherburne has been researching the Underground Railroad and Civil War for 20 years, lecturing at schools, organizations and conferences. She wrote A Vermont Hill Town in the Civil War, Peacham's Story and has transcribed many Civil War documents. She is a member of the Peacham Historical Association and the Green Mountain Civil War Round Table.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction: Approach to Underground Railroad Research 9

Part I Vermont, Abolition and Antislavery

1 Nineteenth-Century America 17

2 Abolitionists Unwelcome in Vermont 23

3 Fear and Risk for Fugitive Slaves and Free Blacks 31

4 Blacks in Vermont 49

Part II The Underground Railroad Network

5 Networking: Vermonters' Roles 57

6 Notable Vermonters in the Abolitionist Movement 113

7 Underground Railroad Local Tradition and Physical Evidence 129

Afterword 149

Bibliography 151

Index 157

About the Author 160