A View from the Drinking Gourd

Kim and Reggie Harris

Reprinted from the OAH Magazine of History
16 (Winter 2002). ISSN 0882-228X
Copyright (c) 2002, Organization of American Historians

By the time a student reaches middle or high school, they are usually beyond thinking that the Underground Railroad was really a train or a very long tunnel through which enslaved African Americans ran to freedom. In many cases, however, their first studies of the subject have left them with several other misconceptions, i.e., there was little or no slavery in the northern states; almost all white northerners were abolitionists; and African Americans in slavery were passive receivers of the magnanimous gestures of white "stationmasters" and "conductors," with the only exceptions being Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.

In our travels as musicians/educators we generally encounter surprise among students and in some cases educators, as they learn of the multicultural, interfaith, multinational movement against slavery, of which the acts of courage among fugitives from slavery and workers of the Underground Railroad (both free and enslaved) were a part. Additionally, we find that the leadership of the free African American community in the Underground Railroad is only in recent years coming into greater general acknowledgment, as is the presence of racism and segregation in the free states and certain territories that became the new reality of the runaways.

The recent publication of books such as Hidden in Plain View: The Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad (1), has led to a resurgence of interest in, and for many an initial knowledge of, the cultural traditions present in the African American community, both free and enslaved, which were the basis for the ways and means of many successful escapes. It's not just "Follow the Drinking Gourd" anymore. In general, communal arts (such as music) and visual arts (including quilts) are becoming more known as conveyors of secret codes for freedom.

Yet, with all of the surging interest in the Underground Railroad, we see from our perspective of contact with both students, educators, and parents that the emotions surrounding the teaching and learning about this subject are quite mixed. Certain populations view the subject with pride, some of which is misplaced. Others express feelings of shame and distrust about the continued teaching of the history of slavery in the United States. Many students and some educators from "the North" at times display what appears to be regional arrogance. "'We' did the right thing, as opposed to the actions of most in the slaveholding states."

It has also been rare for us to encounter white students or educators who do not identify strongly with the Underground Railroad workers or the runaways themselves. As they look back at the political, intellectual, social, and cultural landscape of the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most want to think of themselves as capable of standing against inherited and learned ideas and feelings, those of their community, and the very laws of the nation to right an injustice.

The situation among many African American students and educators concerning the Underground Railroad appears to be more complicated. Some, like their white counterparts, also see themselves as potential participants in the movement, as either fugitives or "conductors" willing to stand against a nationwide system that conspired, at every turn, to keep them from freedom and equality. Others in the African American community are simply tired of hearing about slavery. For them, the study of the topic involves complex feelings, such as the isolation of being a descendant of enslaved persons among those whose ancestors were presumably free. Others voice embarrassment that those who were enslaved did not accomplish more to effect their own freedom. Still others, including many parents, cite with impatience the fact that so much time and effort is spent on the study of painful history while the pain and injustice in the present lives of many African Americans receive relatively little attention in the classroom (2).

A reflection of these mixed emotions comes to us in the form of a question, often asked of us by white educators, "How can I teach this subject matter to African American students? What if their parents object to what I, a white teacher, offer as a lesson in history?"

Of course, the landscape of education in the United States is not simply black and white. More and more, we encounter students whose heritage does not include slavery and its aftermath in nineteenth- and twentieth-century North America or whose heritage includes the legacy of slavery in Central and South America. Still other students are descended from those who were "left behind" in Africa.

Our challenge has been to teach the fact and legend of the Underground Railroad in the midst of what, at times, seems to be a minefield of personal and communal feelings and needs, while keeping our eyes firmly fixed on our personal goal: to teach history as a means for challenging and empowering students, educators, parents, and ourselves to live more fully in the present.

We approach teaching the Underground Railroad from the perspective of the public history that is present in the extant historical sites and locations: the "brick and mortar" homes and churches, as well as the stars, the trees, the rivers, and the land. Additionally, we begin and end our performances and classes with a participatory presentation of the public/cultural history that was carried from place to place—the secret code songs of the Underground Railroad.

In 1984, just before National Geographic published his article on the Underground Railroad (3), we had the pleasure of meeting Charles Blockson at Temple University, the present site of his collection of African American artifacts. With his guidance and encouragement, which we rely upon to this day, we began our study of the music and the sites of the Freedom Train.

We were amazed as we began to realize that some of the songs of our own worship communities were not only songs of faith, but also songs of freedom--used to pass secret messages and to encourage those who lived in slavery, fugitives on their way to freedom, and the free African American community to which they escaped. We saw these songs not only as African American cultural history, but American public history because of their continued use not only within, but also beyond, the boundaries of the community in which they were created. Songs, such as "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" (4) are sung for church services and as "campfire" songs by various communities. "Wade in the Water" (5) was used during the time of both the Underground Railroad and the modern civil rights movement and can still be heard at protest rallies, worship celebrations, or folk music festivals.

We find that students who are ashamed of their own painful history of ancestors in slavery or who are convinced that the impetus for freedom came only from outside of the African American community are amazed to realize that "their songs," either by culture or by adoption, were skillfully coded and employed by an oppressed community. They also begin to feel the power of personal and communal choice when they sing for themselves songs such as "O Freedom Over Me," "No More Auction Block for Me," or "Free at Last" (6). The singing of the songs is accompanied by lessons and stories that emphasize the perils and costs of making a decision for freedom and the effects on both the person deciding to run and their helpers, whether enslaved or free.

When asked what the Underground Railroad was, most students we encounter begin with "place" in their descriptions: the houses, barns, and places of worship that are known to have included secret passageways or hiding places. Their descriptions usually continue with the natural locations—rivers especially and, of course, the North Star. It seems that their imaginations are quite engaged by both "brick and mortar" and natural public history.

Far from needing to be convinced that history happened at actual places, the students have to be constantly reminded that it was the people, their situations, and their use of specific places and resources that created the history--not simply the locations in and of themselves. We repeatedly say, "The Underground Railroad was people!" The places are what they employed in the attempt to accomplish what they knew to be just and right.

Runaways hid in the attic of the Johnson House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (7). From there, they could survey Germantown Avenue for the presence of slave catchers. We have stood in front of that house, looking up and down the street, almost able to feel the nervous tension of anticipation at who might be approaching. Second Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, is proud of its history as a "station" on the Underground Railroad (8). Students are excited to recall John Brown and a group of eleven runaways, also aided by Underground Railroad "agent" Alan Pinkerton (9), waiting anxiously at the church before their eventual ferryboat crossing into Canada. At the Milton House Museum in Milton, Wisconsin, the main attraction for many who visit is the cramped tunnel that connects the former stagecoach inn with the nearby cabin (10). It is indeed this type of public history that seems to fuel students' interest in the Underground Railroad. Additionally, institutions such as planetariums and nature centers make use of natural history and locations to simulate conditions present during Underground Railroad escapes.

What we see as the link between the use of public/cultural history, public/natural history, and public/"brick and mortar" history of the Underground Railroad is the visceral experience of singing and saying what "they" said, walking how "they" walked, or being where "they" were. Not many can deny the power of the music once they sing it for themselves and feel it in their bones. Some are still baffled as they sing "Steal Away to Jesus" that what seems like an obvious message in our day was a secret code 150 years ago (11). It is also common for students, educators, and parents to be unable to decipher certain codes without a bit of prompting.

Many are led to awe as they squint into a dark sky, straining to find a star that could save their lives while struggling not to trip over roots and rocks in a dense forest. Others actually experience fear as they crouch in a damp tunnel or peer from the windows of an attic hiding place.

The key is to "make it real"--to bring our bodies as well as our intellects into the study of history. It is always our hope that such activities help to create respect for our ancestors and their allies. We have seen this growing respect reflected in the feelings of descendants of slaves as they realize the bravery of their community and the sacrifice of both those who ran and those who lived out their lives in slavery.

Another "pay-off," in our view, is the new alliances that are formed across lines of race, culture, and religion, based on respect and admiration for the study of the past and the experience of the present in classrooms, historic sites, and concert halls across the country. To us, this is the present legacy of the study of the Underground Railroad.

1. Jacquelin L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, Hidden in Plain View: The Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad (New York: Doubleday, 1999).

2. "Some Old Songs Should Not Be Sung Anymore," letter to the editor, Observer Dispatch (Utica, NY), 6 June 2001.

3. Charles L. Blockson, "The Underground Railroad," National Geographic 166 (July 1984): 2-40.

4. Kim and Reggie Harris, Steal Away: Songs of the Underground Railroad (Appleseed Recordings 1022, 1997), compact disc and cassette.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. Henry Chase, In Their Footsteps: The American Visions Guide to African-American Heritage Sites (New York: Holt, 1994), 316.

8. Ibid., 403.

9. Blockson, "The Underground Railroad," 14.

10. Chase, In Their Footsteps, 462.

11. Harris, Steal Away.

Blockson, Charles L. Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1994: 2-40.

---. "The Underground Railroad." National Geographic 186 (July 1984).

Chase, Henry. In Their Footsteps: The American Visions Guide to African-American Heritage Sites. New York: Holt, 1994.

Harris, Kim and Reggie. Steal Away: Songs of the Underground Railroad. Appleseed Recordings 1022, 1997. Compact disc and cassette.

Horton, James Oliver, and Lois E. Horton. In Hope of Liberty: Culture and Protest Among Northern Free Blacks, 1700-1860. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Tobin, Jaquelin L., and Raymond G. Dobard. Hidden in Plain View: The Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. New York: Doubleday, 1999.

Zilversmit, Arthur. The First Emancipation: The Abolition of Slavery in the North. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967.

Kim and Reggie Harris are artists/educators living near Albany, New York. Their interest in the music and history of the Underground Railroad has led them to produce recordings and teaching materials on the subject, in addition to performing many concerts annually across the country. In association with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, they present professional opportunities for teachers. They can be contacted through VNI: (303) 814-1500; <http://www.kimandreggie.com/>.