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Underground Railroad

This guide features information and resources for research on the "Underground Railroad" used to convey escaped Southern slaves to safety in the North prior to and during the time of the Civil War.

Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Need to select a research topic or find background information?  

The Reference Collection includes a variety of different sources, such as: subject-focused encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, maps/atlases, statistical compendiums, dictionaries, and more. Look here to find introductory articles on subject-related topics. The broad perspective offered by such articles often proves helpful for narrowing research topics before pursuing more in-depth information. 

This guide provides some recommendations for encyclopedias and other reference resources that might provide helpful information relating to your topic.

Recommended Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

African Americans: Voices of Triumph, Creative Fire

Main Collection (Second Floor)

African Americans: Voices of Triumph, Leadership

Main Collection (Second Floor)

Afro-Americans in New Jersey: A Short History

Reference Collection (Second Floor)

Atlas of Slavery

Reference Collection (Second Floor)

Encyclopedia of African American Society

Electronic Resource
Volumes 1-2

Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad

Reference Collection (Second Floor)

Historical and Cultural Atlas of African Americans

Main Collection (Second Floor)

Human and Civil Rights

Reference Collection (Second Floor)

New Jersey’s Underground Railroad Heritage....

Reference Collection (Second Floor)

Recommended Online Encyclopedia Databases for the Underground Railroad

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Recommended Multimedia Databases

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.