The Song as History – Notes
(1) Escapees from the South
"Very few successful freedom seekers were from the Deep South. The
Canadian census of 1861...found that about 80 percent of the
Southern-born blacks then living there came from just three states,
Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky..."
Fergus M. Bordewich, Bound for Canaan, Amistad, an imprint of
HarperCollins, 2005, p. 115.
(2) Southern
Illinois
Another example: When Underground Railroad veteran Seth Concklin was scoping out an escape
route for a family he was assisting, he "hoped to land
the family in southern Illinois, but he was dismayed
to find that region infested with proslavery sentiment and exceptionally
strong support for the Fugitive Slave Law." Fergus M. Bordewich, op cit, p. 358.
|
