I Came As A Stranger: The Underground Railroad

I Came As A Stranger: The Underground Railroad. By Bryan Prince. Tundra, 2004. 168 pages. Tr. $15.95 ISBN 978-0887766671

Summary: Prince evocatively bears witness to the stories of 40,000 enslaved African Americans, who journeyed via the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada. Made possible through the support of black abolitionists and their white allies, the Underground Railroad was comprised of a web of safe houses where fugitives were offered refuge from slave catchers’ grasp. Railway conductors played an instrumental role in fugitives’ ability to reach freedom, however, Prince is careful not to underestimate their own agency. We follow the freed men, women, and children as they build new lives for themselves throughout Ontario. Once in Canada, African Americans formed their own schools and churches. Enslaved family members were never forgotten, and many freed people returned to the South to aid their relatives.

Standard(s): California Standards: 8.7 Compare the lives of and opportunities for free blacks in the North with those of free blacks in the South; 2. Trace the origins and development of slavery; its effects on black Americans and on the region’s political, social, religious, economic, and cultural development; and identify the strategies that were tried to both overturn and preserve it (e.g., through the writings and historical documents on Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey). 8.9 Students analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence;  8.9 1.Describe the leaders of the movement (e.g., John Quincy Adams and his proposed constitutional amendment, John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Weld, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass); 6. Describe the lives of free blacks and the laws that limited their freedom and economic opportunities. Ontario, Canada Standards: identify key social, political, economic, and physical characteristics of the British North American colonies between 1850 and 1860 (e.g., British, French, First Nation, and Black communities) Michigan Standards 8 – U4.3.2 describe the formation and development of the abolitionist movement by considering the roles of key abolitionist leaders (e.g., John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass),and the response of southerners and northerners to the abolitionist movement. 8 – U5.1.1 Explain the differences in the lives of free blacks (including those who escaped from slavery) with the lives of free whites and enslaved peoples.

Suggested Age Range: 10-14 years

Annotation: Prince presents an engaging and nuanced view of the history of the Underground Railroad. He demonstrates that this historical era is more complicated than was once thought. Canada was a beacon to many enslaved people, who traveled at night by following the North Star. However, the experience of life in Canada was not entirely rosy. Since 1833 slavery was outlawed in Canada, however, freed people found that de facto discrimination was still widespread, much like life in the Northern United States. Canadian public schools were mostly white bastions, forbidding the inclusion of black students. The Detroit River worked both ways. Though many freed people found refuge in Canada, some avoided capture by journeying back into the U.S.

Subjects/Themes: Blacks – Ontario, Canada; Underground railroad – Canada; Fugitive slaves – Canada; Blacks – Canada - History

Reviews: Voice of Youth Advocates (August 1, 2004)

            School Library Journal (June 1, 2004)

            Booklist (May 1, 2004)

            Quill & Quire (April 1, 2004)

High Interest Annotation: The history of the Underground Railroad is explored from the Canadian perspective.