![]() ![]() The next time you gaze at the stars, think on the drinking gourd story and those early Americans who staked their freedom on a star. The Underground Railroad was not a physical railroad, but rather a secret system of paths, safe houses, and people that helped slaves escape from the South in the years before the Civil War. National parks are among the best places to see the stars and hear these stories. Born a slave, Harriett Tubman became a famous 'conductor' on the Underground Railroad, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom. The Underground Railroad used railway terms as code words. The people of the Underground Railroad helped escaped enslaved people from the South to reach places of safety in the North or in Canada. Instead, it was a secret organization that existed in the United States before the Civil War. The night sky is a canvas of stories that links us to this past. The Underground Railroad was not an actual railway. Follow the Drinking Gourd was a popular African American folksong composed decades after the War and based on these anecdotes that memorialized the significance of these stars. During the day, they would stay in safe houses. Between 18, enslaved Africans in the United States followed the Big Dipper at night to find freedom in Canada. The Big Dipper and North Star were referenced in many slave narratives and songs. The ‘Railroad or secret network, began to operate in the 1780s but became known as the Underground Railroad during the 1840s. Many former slaves, including historical figures like Tubman, used the celestial gourd, or dipper, to guide them on their journey north. This information helped slaves to find their way without getting lost. For slaves that did not know how to read or write, "reading" the night sky provided important clues for survival. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes in The United States that helped enslaved people go north and escape slavery. From the gourd’s outline, the North Star could be found by extending a straight line five times the distance from the outermost star of the bowl.įor millenia, celestial wayfinding knowledge-navigating by observing the stars and other night sky patterns-passed from generation to generation. As the name implies, its shape resembles a dipping ladle, or drinking gourd. Books for Kids About the Underground Railroad 8 Inspiring Stories of the Underground Railroad Share these tales of strength and courage in the pursuit of freedom. ![]() Escaping slaves could find it by locating the Big Dipper, a well-recognized asterism most visible in the night sky in late winter and spring. Night sky illustration of the Big Dipper, or Drinking Gourd, in relation to the North Star and Little Dipper.Īs slave lore tells it, the North Star played a key role in helping slaves to find their way-a beacon to true north and freedom. ![]()
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