Magic and Mayhem

“…We have to conclude that there was no special role quilts played in the Underground Railroad.  While no one can prove a negative, it seems unlikely that quilts were used as a directional code. Worse, this type of popular myth belies the hard work and dangers faced  by the true heroes of the Underground Railroad. When myths are not dispelled and the general public is allowed to believe anything, it hurts the truth of the culture and propagates false truths…

To quote Fergus M. Bordewich (the author of Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America), “In an age when self-interest has been elevated in our culture to a public and political virtue, the Underground Railroad still has something to teach: that every individual, no matter how humble, can make a difference in the world, and that the importance of one’s life lies not in money or celebrity, but in doing the right thing, even in silence or secrecy, and without reward. This truth doesn’t need to be encoded in fiction in order to be heard.”

The above is from a very well written account of the Underground Railroad, slavery and the Civil War in general.

Want to read more about the debate?  Here’s a great group of links.

We’re doing a lapbook about the quilt designs and the debate this week.  I think we’ll move on to a more general lapbook or notebook about slavery and the underground railroad next.   There’s so much to learn about this important part of our nation’s history.