Did runaway slaves Follow the North Star?
In the years before and during the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s, escaped slaves fled northward, hiding by day and moving furtively at night. Often their only guide was Polaris, the North Star, which they found by tracing the handle of the Big Dipper constellation, or Drinking Gourd.
What did slaves call the North Star?
drinking gourd
By finding the “drinking gourd” in the sky, people traveling at night could always find the North Star. Many escaping slaves — including Harriet Tubman, James Pennington, and Josiah Henson — may have “followed the Drinking Gourd” to freedom.
What star did Harriet follow?
She set out one night on foot. With some assistance from a friendly white woman, Tubman was on her way. She followed the North Star by night, making her way to Pennsylvania and soon after to Philadelphia, where she found work and saved her money.
Why did slaves sing the song Follow the Drinking Gourd?
Folklore has it that enslaved people in the United States used it as a point of reference so they would not get lost. According to legend, the song was used by a conductor of the Underground Railroad, called Peg Leg Joe, to guide some fugitive slaves.
Which days were special to the slaves?
Enslaved people were granted time off to celebrate religious holidays as well, the longest being the three to four days off given for Christmas. Other religious holidays that provided days off were Easter and Whitsunday, also known as Pentecost.
How did the slaves use trees to find their way?
Slaves could also tell they were traveling north by looking at clues in the world around them. For example: Moss usually grows on the north side of trees. They could use this to figure out which way is north at the beginning and end of the day.
Did Harriet Tubman follow stars?
Harriet Tubman, who grew up near the refuge in Dorchester County, Maryland, used Polaris as her guiding light as she and other escaped slaves fled north on the Underground Railroad, a path forged by freedom-seeking slaves and abolitionists in the 19th century.
What the six year old Harriet knew about the North Star?
So many of them tried to escape to northern states in order to gained their freedom. Harriet Taubman knew this ever since she was little. She knew that if she just follow the north star, eventually it would guide her to the states that would treat her more humanly compared to the southern states.
What is the message in Follow the Drinking Gourd?
Follow the Drinking Gourd supposedly encodes escape instructions and a map. The “drinking gourd” refers to the hollowed out gourd used by slaves (and other rural Americans) as a water dipper. In this song, it serves as a code name for the Big Dipper.
What methods of communication was used on the Underground Railroad?
Code words would be used in letters to “agents” so that if they were intercepted they could not be caught. Underground Railroad code was also used in songs sung by slaves to communicate among each other without their masters being aware. Coordinator, who plotted courses of escape and made contacts.
How many hours did slaves work?
During harvest time, slaves worked in shifts of up to 18 hours a day.