Yes. The slaves would sing a song from the underground railroad and the line they would repeat was; "Follow the Drinking Gourd" Which told the slaves to follow the Big Dipper, North to freedom.
Slaves in the southern United States used the Big Dipper as a guide to help them escape to the North and freedom. The Big Dipper always points north, so by following it, slaves could navigate their way to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
Slaves referred to the Big Dipper as the "Drinking Gourd" as it resembled a water dipper or ladle that was used for drinking water. This helped slaves navigate their way north to freedom by following its direction towards the North Star.
follow the drinking gourd
The Big Dipper, as part of the constellation Ursa Major, was used by Harriet Tubman and other conductors of the Underground Railroad as a guide to lead slaves to freedom. The North Star, which is located near the Big Dipper's handle, served as a constant point of reference to help navigate in the night. By following the direction of the Big Dipper and North Star, slaves could travel north toward freedom.
What year did the slaves follow the underground railroad to freedom
They sing it so the slaves would sing it while they were working to tell other slaves to follow the drinking gourd big dipper the tonight and it will lead them to freedom.
Slaves called the Big Dipper the "Drinking Gourd" because its shape resembled a gourd or ladle that could be used for drinking water. Slaves used the Drinking Gourd as a navigational tool to help them escape to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
Regardless of the season or the time of night, the "drinkin' gourd" always appears in the northern sky, which was the direction in which freedom lay for most of the fugitive slaves.
The North Star
it was sung by runaway slaves. the 'drinking gourd' is in reference to the big dipper (the stars)
Slaves called the Big Dipper the "Drinking Gourd" as a way to navigate their escape to freedom. They used its position in the night sky to find the North Star, which pointed them north towards freedom along the Underground Railroad.