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The Underground Railroad was a complex system that helped bring slaves to freedom in the 1850s and 1860s. Wikipedia’s article on the Underground Railroad is a frequently updated, rich source of information on the topic. It is a neutral source and seems to be generally accurate, but leaves something to be desired in its verifiability.

The article’s main strength is its neutrality. There are multiple viewpoints presented on an issue that, in modern times, seems to be only supported. This is obviously not the case, as every issue has two sides, and Wikipedia demonstrates this for the Underground Railroad by noting that Frederick Douglass criticized the operation in his autobiography. This display of neutrality is especially interesting because Douglass’s opinions on the Railroad are not commonly taught in schools.

It’s also fair to say that this article is a generally accurate summary of the topic, although it’s difficult to cross-check all its information. For example, in the Folklore section, it’s noted that the use of quilt designs to point runaways in the right direction is used in children’s literature, but is actually disputed by historians. This same statement is made by Yolanda Hood in a formal article for the American Library Association leading me to believe that this assertion on the Wikipedia page is accurate.

Additionally, the citations listed come from reputable sources, like academic journals, history books, and trusted websites. However, the major concern regarding the article’s accuracy is that some of the links to online sources are “dead links,” and have taken down the page containing the information. This is the case with citation 3 from the National Parks Service website, which, when clicked on, comes up with only an error message. This calls into question the accuracy of the information in the article, and furthermore is an issue when it comes to verifiability.

Although this particular Wikipedia article can be counted on to be neutral and generally accurate, its verifiability could be improved. Wikipedia’s own definition of verifiability states that “verifiability means that anyone using the encyclopedia can check that the information comes from a reliable source.” An issue arises because several citations in this article are vague. Citation 9 reads, “Potter, David, 1976 pp. 132–139.” This information is only helpful if readers are told where those pages can be found. Further down the page, in the Resources section, David Potter’s The Impending Crisis is listed, but it would be helpful to link the resource and citation for the reader’s ease.

Furthermore, in the “Political background” section of the article, because the citation occurs halfway through the second paragraph, it’s unclear if the figures stated in the beginning of the section are from that same source. When readers see that “nearly 1,000 slaves per year escaped from slave holding states using the Underground Railroad – more than 5,000 court cases for escaped slaves were recorded…,” it’s not specified where these numbers actually come from.

Overall, Wikipedia’s article on the Underground Railroad provides a useful primer on the topic. It’s a neutral source, and is thought to be accurate. However, readers should proceed with caution when using this article, as it’s often hard to verify the source of the information on the page.