Civil War historian David W. Blight, said "At some point the real stories of fugitive slave escape, as well as the much larger story of those slaves who never could escape, must take over as a teaching priority. It ought to be rooted in real and important aspects of his life and thought, not a piece of folklore largely invented in the 1990s which only reinforces a soft, happier version of the history of slavery that distracts us from facing harsher truths and a more compelling past."
David W. Blight, a historian, advocates for a more accurate and nuanced understanding of the history of slavery by emphasizing real stories of escape and the struggles of those unable to escape.