The Underground Railroad in Michigan

Though living far north of the Mason-Dixon line, many mid-nineteenth-century citizens of Michigan rose up to protest the moral offense of slavery; they published an abolitionist newspaper and founded an anti-slavery society, as well as a campaign for emancipation. By the 1840s, a prominent abolitionist from Illinois had crossed the state line to Michigan, establishing new stations on the Underground Railroad.
This book is the first comprehensive exploration of abolitionism and the network of escape from slavery in the state. First-person accounts are interwoven with an expansive historical overview of national events to offer a fresh examination of Michigan’s critical role in the movement to end American slavery.

Carol E. Mull is a historic preservationist and Underground Railroad scholar. She was the recipient of the Eastern Michigan University 2012 Alumna Achievement Award and The Underground Railroad Free Press 2012 Prize for the Advancement of Knowledge. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Carol E. Mull
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 223
Bibliographic Info: 34 photos, maps, glossary, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015 [2010]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9957-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5563-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v

Preface      1

Glossary      5

PART I: SLAVERY, SETTLEMENT, AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

One. Underground Railroad Beginnings      7

Two. Michigan as a Destination and Gateway      16

Three. Obtaining Freedom in Michigan      27

Four. Disturbing Influences: Abolitionists      35

Five. Stations in the Wilderness: A Working System of Assistance      46

Six. An Interstate Network of Escape      55

Seven. Persuasion and Politics      69

Eight. The Port Huron–Pontiac–Detroit Network      76

Nine. Men of Oppression      83

Ten. Fractures in the Cause      92

PART II: NEW BEGINNINGS TO END SLAVERY

Eleven. Southern Men on Northern Soil      105

Twelve. Trials and Tribulations      116

Thirteen. 1850 Fugitive Slave Act      122

Fourteen. Two Days to Midnight      129

Fifteen. Colonization of Canada      139

Sixteen. The Year of John Brown      153

Conclusion      163

Appendix 1: Formerly Enslaved People, Post–Civil War      171

Appendix 2: Underground Railroad Participants      175

Appendix 3: Michigan Underground Railroad Historic Sites      179

Chapter Notes      181

Bibliography      197

Index      205

“a remarkably readable book…a useful resource for many years to come”—The Annals of Iowa.