1792 – 1888
The movement to end slavery gained momentum during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman fought tirelessly for freedom. The Underground Railroad helped many enslaved people escape to safety. This period saw the abolition of slavery in many countries, including the United States and Brazil, bringing an end to centuries of brutal enslavement.
Picture books
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Inspiring story of a young girl using her talents to contribute to the Underground Railroad
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
Story of the Underground Railroad based on the folk song
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Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
True story of an enslaved boy who mailed himself to freedom
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Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom
True story of an enslaved woman who used her talents to buy her freedom
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Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton
True story of an enslaved boy who became a poet
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William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
True story of a man who worked to reunite families separated by slavery
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
Introduction to Harriet Tubman as a girl
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From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
Concise introduction to American slave experiences, from the Middle Passage to post-Civil War emancipation
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Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom
Collection of stories about people experiencing and escaping from slavery
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Mumbet’s Declaration of Independence
True story of a woman who challenged the legality of slavery in Massachusetts
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Steamboat School
True story of a determined teacher who started a school on the Mississippi River to evade an unjust law
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The Escape of Robert Smalls: A Daring Voyage Out of Slavery
Exciting true story of an enslaved man who escaped on a steamship
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John Brown: His Fight for Freedom
True story of a daring abolitionist
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Chapter books
Elijah of Buxton
Award-winning novel about a boy in a community of former enslaved people
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Freewater
Inspiring novel about two siblings escaping enslavement
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Dear Austin: Letters from the Underground Railroad
Novel told through letters about two boys helping a girl escape slavery
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The Underground Abductor
Thrilling graphic novel about Harriet Tubman
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North by Night: A Story of the Underground Railroad
Novel about a girl whose house is a stop on the Underground Railroad
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Stealing South: A Story of the Underground Railroad
Novel about an abolitionist boy’s journey into slave country
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The Underground Railroad: An Interactive History Adventure
Choose-your-own-adventure style stories set on the Underground Railroad
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A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee
Fictional diary of an enslaved girl who learns to read
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Freedom’s Wings: Corey’s Underground Railroad Diary
Fictional diary of a boy escaping slavery
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Nightjohn
Novel about an escaped man who returns to the plantation to teach reading
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Non-fiction books
What Was the Underground Railroad?
Detailed, comprehensive intro to the Underground Railroad
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Slavery Throughout History Reference Library: Primary Sources
Cross-cutting world history of slavery, through primary sources
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The Underground Railroad: A Primary Source History of the Journey to Freedom
Collection of primary sources about the Underground Railroad, for older readers
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Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion
Graphic novel telling of the slave revolt lead by Nat Turner
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Biographies
Who Was Sojourner Truth?
Excellent introduction to Sojourner Truth, famous abolitionist
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Who Was Frederick Douglass?
Excellent introduction to Frederick Douglass, famous abolitionist
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Who Was Harriet Beecher Stowe?
Introduction to the author and abolitionist
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Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl
Award-winning story of a free-born 19th century girl
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