The Underground Railroad

Author Bonnie Bader
Illustrator Kelley McMorris
Originally Published © 2018 American Girl
ISBN 9781338148923

Notes From Me

Addy’s chapters in this book are written in the first person, using a distinctive dialect. The book describes this dialect as follows:

Connie Porter, the author of the original American Girl Addy historical fiction series as well as the Addy entries in this book, consulted historical studies, slave narratives, and experts to learn how a young enslaved person from South Carolina may have spoken during the antebellum period or before the Civil War. The language Addy uses is similar to the way many slaves spoke in the 1860s, although it is not exactly the same.

In this summary, I have chosen not to replicate Addy’s dialect. This decision comes from a place of respect: I am not part of the culture the dialect represents, and I have not done the necessary research to portray it with accuracy or integrity. I also wanted to maintain consistency with the other summaries on this site. The original text’s use of dialect is an important part of Addy’s voice and the historical context, and I encourage readers to explore it in the book itself.

*The book mentions that after the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, many free Black people were captured and sold into slavery. To clarify, the Fugitive Slave Act did not make it legal to enslave free people. However, it created a legal environment in which it became dangerously easy for anybody to falsely claim that someone was an escaped slave. Under the law, a slave owner or slave catcher merely had to swear under oath that a Black person was a fugitive. The accused individual was not allowed to testify on their own behalf, and a commissioner—appointed to handle such cases—made the final decision. These commissioners were paid ten dollars if they ruled in favor of the slaveholder (i.e., that the person was a fugitive) and only five dollars if they ruled that the person was free. This financial incentive contributed to the wrongful enslavement of many free Black people.

Sources

Table of Contents

Not Really a Railroad

Thousands of slaves took the risk of escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad. Each one has their own story. A slave named Josiah Henson escaped from Maryland to Canada with his family in 1830. Although his wife was terrified of being caught and punished, he kept pushing her to risk escaping. At last, she agreed. On a moonless September night, Josiah, his wife, and their four children boarded a small boat to cross a river.

For weeks, Josiah and his family walked miles and miles at night. Whenever they heard any sounds, they’d hide. Even after their food was gone, they’d keep walking. Josiah would knock on doors asking for food, and the answer was always “No.” Josiah’s family kept on hiking through the forests, over fallen logs, down ravines, and across streams.

Once, a kind person gave them a ride in a wagon. Another gave them passage on a boat. Soon, they reached Canada. They were finally free. But Josiah continued to travel the Underground Railroad, helping approximately 200 other slaves get to freedom.

The Underground Railroad wasn’t really underground. And it wasn’t really a railroad. It was a series of routes and hiding places that slaves took to find freedom. No one knows exactly where the name started. Some say that when a slave named Tice Davids escaped from Kentucky, his owner said he “must’ve gone off on an underground railroad.” Another story says Pennsylvania slave hunters came up with the name.

Slaves desperately sought freedom and were willing to risk everything to get it. Some walked hundreds of miles, and others traveled by boat, train, or wagon. Most traveled at night so they wouldn’t be seen. The road to freedom was dangerous. If they were caught, they’d be sent back to their masters to be punished. And the punishments were horrible. But to many, it was worth the risk if there was even a chance of freedom.

Addy’s Story

The night is hot, and Addy Walker is sweating in bed. She doesn’t move, for fear she’ll wake up her brother, Sam, and sister, Esther, asleep next to her. She can hear Momma and Poppa whispering nearby. Addy pretends she’s asleep so she can eavesdrop.

Poppa is telling Momma that it’s time for them to run away from Master Stevens’ plantation. Momma doesn’t want to go. Poppa mentions Uncle Solomon told him about a railroad track ten miles up the road. And if they keep following that, they’ll find where it crosses more tracks. And there, there’s a house with red shutters that’s a safe house.

Addy listens, frightened. She has never seen a train, but she wants to. She’s scared, but she’s also ready for her family to be free.

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