The Liberty Line: The Legend of the Underground Railroad / Edition 1

by Larry Gara

Overview

" The underground railroad—with its mysterious signals, secret depots, abolitionist heroes, and slave-hunting villains—has become part of American mythology. But legend has distorted much of this history. Larry Gara shows how pre-Civil War partisan propanda, postwar remininscences by fame-hungry abolitionists, and oral tradition helped foster the popular belief that a powerful secret organization spirited floods of slaves away from the South. In contrast to much popular belief, however, the slaves themselves had active roles in their own escape. They carried out their runs, receiving aid only after they had reached territory where they still faced return. The Liberty Line puts slaves in their rightful position: the center of their struggle for freedom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813108643
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	03/01/1996
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	343,754
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Editorial Reviews

Larry Gara's Liberty Line, published in 1961, is unquestionably the most influential book on the Underground Railroad of the last 50 years.

World History

"History has been utterly wrong in ascribing to the abolitionist movement a thoroughgoing and smoothly run underground transportation system for runaway slaves. In The Liberty Line, the legend's ghost is fortunately and finally exorcised, and about time." Saturaday Review

From the Publisher

A classic.

New York Times

A critical examination of America's community colleges based on five case studies and the democratic educational strategies developed by John Dewey. The authors suggest that community colleges must find balance between three traditional roles: transfer, vocational, and community education. Additionally, they consider institutional restructuring that accommodates the needs of culturally diverse students while still retaining the community college mission of providing a source of opportunity and social mobility for the general population. Paper edition (unseen), $18.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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