The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3

SUBJECTS

Language Arts, Fine Arts, Social Studies

GRADE LEVEL

6–9

LESSON SUMMARY

The horrors of slavery and the hope of delivery into freedom that the Underground Railroad offered have long provided fertile ground for the artistic expressions of painters, sculptors, writers, poets and the enslaved themselves. This lesson presents an array of paintings, sculptures, monuments, poems and music inspired by the sagas of slavery and the Underground Railroad. Students examine, compare and critique them with the goal of helping them to understand at a deeper level the impact this critical period in American history had on the lives of people. A series of activities encourages students to respond to the artistic works of others and to express their own feelings about slavery and the Underground Railroad through works of their own.

OBJECTIVES

Students will: 1. Identify Uncle Tom’s Cabin as an influential mid-19th century book. 2. Compare and contrast works of art by different artists. 3. Develop skills to help them critically analyze paintings and sculptures. 4. Gain an appreciation of the ability of artists and writers to interpret the Underground Railroad. 5. Come to understand the importance of spirituals in the antebellum period.

OHIO ACADEMIC CONTENT STANDARDS

See Lesson Correlations on page 17. 81 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

TIME NEEDED

8 class periods

MATERIALS

Handouts 1–8 Images at end of lesson: Harriet and the Promised Land No. 13 by Jacob Lawrence The Life of Harriet Tubman No. 22 by Jacob Lawrence A Ride for Liberty—The Fugitive Slaves by Eastman Johnson The Underground Railroad by Charles Webber Rendezvous with Harriet Tubman by Janice Northcutt Huse Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad by Paul Collins Eliza Crossing the Ice (five illustrations, various artists)

TECHNOLOGY

Safe Passage CD-ROM (spirituals and art images) Computer with Internet access Video projector or document camera (optional)

VO CA BU LARY

Realistic — Works of art, including monuments and sculptures, that show the subject accurately and true to life.You can tell who or what the subject is when you look at it.

Expressionistic — Art where the appearance of things is distorted or exaggerated to make stronger the emotional qualities it is trying to communicate.

Abstract — Art, including monuments or sculpture, where there is no accurate representation of forms or objects. The artist is less interested in form than in lines, shapes, colors and textures. The artist takes the object and either simplifies it or exaggerates it. Each viewer may see something different when he looks at it. Abstract works often bring up powerful feelings in people, as they react to what they see.

Figurative — Art focusing on human or animal forms. A figurative work may be realistic or abstract.

Allegorical — Works of art that include figures representing ideas or themes, such as virtue, peace, freedom, justice, peace, evil or death. These works reflect what the artist thinks about the chosen idea or theme, and they often tell a story.

82 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3

NOTES FOR THE TEACHER

There are eight major activities in this lesson. Choose those that will work best in your classroom. Some activities, such as Handout 6, utilizing period reviews of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, may be more appropriate for older students. Other activities, such as “patting juba”in Handout 8, might work best with younger students. It is suggested that you use only one handout a day.

Handout 8 introduces students to African American spirituals. Note that one key aspect of this topic—how spirituals offered coded messages for runaways in their search for freedom in the North—is dealt with in the additional lesson, Myths and Codes of the Underground Railroad, found on the Safe Passage website (http://www.safepassageohio.org/).

The visual art images and artist information are provided in print form in the Teacher Guide and electronically on the CD-ROM.

PREPARATION

Make copies of the handouts and images as needed.

PROCEDURES

1. Handout 1 has students examine two paintings by Jacob Lawrence of essentially the same scene. Explain that both paintings are single images from larger bodies of work. Make sure students know who Harriet Tubman was. Project or reproduce the two images for students and distribute copies of Handout 1. Assist students as they work through the analytical steps, which begin with simple observation skills and progress through the more sophisticated processes such as hypothesizing and imagining. Discuss the students’ observations and reactions.

83 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

Jacob Lawrence wrote text to accompany both of these paintings.

Harriet and the Promised Land No. 13 Good people gave Them food to eat And a chance to rest Their weary feet.

The Life of Harriet Tubman No. 22 Harriet Tubman, after a very trying trip North in which she had hidden her cargo by day and had traveled by boat, wagon, and foot at night, reached Wilmington, where she met Thomas Garrett, a Quaker who operated an Underground Railroad station. Here, she and the fugitives were fed and clothed and sent on their way.

2. Handout 2 asks students to compare four additional paintings by four artists. Share the biographical information about each painter. Also note the dates of the paintings, which range from 1863, when the Underground Railroad was still active, to contemporary images. Project or reproduce the images for students and distribute copies of Handout 2. Assist students as they complete the comparison chart. Discuss students’ observations and reactions.

3. For Handout 3, students review and compare several 19th century statues inspired by the freedom that came with the end of slavery. Project or reproduce the images for students and distribute copies of Handout 3. Assist students as they analyze the sculptures. Discuss their reactions and responses.

4. In Handout 4, students consider contemporary monuments to the Underground Railroad located in four communities in the North. Help students understand the geographical connections to the Underground Railroad that explain why these monuments are located in Ohio, Michigan and Canadian towns. Distribute copies of Handout 4 and have students type in the website URLs provided for images and information about each monument. Discuss the different artistic styles of the monuments (see vocabulary) and determine the styles of each one. Discuss student reactions and responses to the monuments.

5. For Handout 5, students review materials related to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Using interpretive material from three media—text, poetry and illustrations—they consider how the same scene, the famous passage about Eliza crossing the ice, is depicted. Students discuss which medium communicates most effectively to them. Distribute copies of Handout 5, including the excerpt from Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Stowe’s poem. Project or reproduce the five illustrations of Eliza Crossing the Ice as appropriate. 84 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3

6. Handout 6 considers two 1852 reviews of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Students analyze the viewpoints and arguments of each reviewer. Distribute copies of Handout 6 and the reviews. Discuss the questions.

7. Handout 7 introduces students to five poems related to the Underground Railroad. One was written by a fugitive slave, one is based on the Webber painting used in Handout 2, one is by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and two are tributes to Stowe by two African American poets. Distribute copies of Handout 7. Discuss the poems and questions with students.

8. Handout 8 focuses on the development of slave music and spirituals. For background, distribute copies of the reading on music. After reading it, distribute Handout 8 and try one or more of the musical activities.

9. Conclude this lesson by discussing the power of the Underground Railroad to inspire artists and writers. Discuss which artworks and writings affected students the most.

ASSESSMENT

Have each student choose one work—of art, literature, music or one of each—that was examined in this lesson that they feel should be selected for a time capsule, and develop an argument for its importance.Why should this work, and not others, be included in a time capsule representing the era of active Underground Railroad traffic?

WRITING CRITERIA

PURPOSE: Persuasion

AUDIENCE: Both posterity (future generations) and a selection committee

FORM: Essay/Argument

VOICE/TONE/PERSPECTIVE: Experiment with language choices that will lead to a first-person, authoritative, objective-expert point-of-view.

LESSON EXTENSIONS

See the extension activities at the end of each handout.

85 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

William Wells Brown’s Songbook http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/abolitn/absowwbahp.html

Thomas Wentworth Higginson’s “Negro Spirituals” http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/TWH/twh_front.html

The Plantation Singers http://www.plantationsingers.com/

John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip (American Memory) Click on field hollers, clapping songs, spirituals and work songs. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lomaxbibAudios1.html

Steal Away, Songs of the Underground Railroad http://www.appleseedrec.com/underground/sounds.html

Kim and Reggie Harris http://www.kimandreggie.com/steal_cd.htm

On an Underground Railroad, music and video by Kinny Landrum http://www.ushistory.com/railr.htm

Maryland and the Underground Railroad http://pathways.thinkport.org/secrets/music2.cfm

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture, a Multi-Media Archive http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/

Early Music, Footsteps Magazine of African American History, March/April 2002, Vol. 4, No. 2, ISBN 0812675886

Harriet and the Promised Land, Jacob Lawrence,Aladdin Library, 1997. ISBN 0689809654

86 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT RUBRIC – ART TIME CAPSULE

Name ______Date______

4 – Outstanding 3 – Strong 2 – Adequate 1 – Minimal

_____ Essay provides a persuasive argument for the artwork included in the time capsule.

_____ Correct grammar is used.

_____ Accurate spelling.

_____ Essay provides appropriate supporting arguments.

_____ Arguments are well chosen for the audience.

_____ Language choices present a consistent point-of-view.

_____ Arguments represent an understanding of the artwork and artist’s motivation in creating the artwork.

_____ TOTAL POINTS

87 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

HARRIET TUBMAN IMAGES BY JACOB LAWRENCE

The Life of Harriet Tubman No. 22 Jacob Lawrence, 1940 7 Casein tempura on hardboard, 12" x 17 8⁄ "

Harriet and the Promised Land No. 13 Jacob Lawrence, 1967 1 Gouache on paper, 14 4⁄ " x 13"

These two paintings (found on pages 115–116) by African American artist Jacob Lawrence HANDOUT 1 HANDOUT show basically the same scene, though they were painted almost 30 years apart. The 1940 image is part of Lawrence’s series of 31 paintings illustrating Harriet Tubman’s life; the 1967 scene was painted for a children’s book about Harriet Tubman. Examine the two images closely as you respond to the questions below.

OBSERVING What is the first thing you notice in each painting? Look closely and list all the details you see in each picture, including objects and clothing. Put circles around details that appear in both pictures. List the colors Lawrence uses in each painting.What are the main colors? How many people are shown in each painting? Is it the same number? How many figures are of whites? Blacks? Would you describe these paintings as realistic, expressionistic or abstract?

COMPARING How are the two paintings alike? How do the paintings differ? Which colors are common to both paintings? Which colors are unique to one or the other? How do the textures and shapes differ between the two? Compare where the figures are placed in each painting. Look at the foreground and background.What is different? Compare the facial expressions, postures and gestures of the figures in each painting.

SUMMARIZING Choose one of the two pictures and write a paragraph describing it in your own words. Find a student who wrote about the other painting. Read your paragraphs to 88 each other. Discuss how alike or different your perceptions of the paintings are. The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 1 Make up your own title for the painting you wrote about. Explain why you chose it. Write down three adjectives that best capture the essence of the painting you selected.

INTERPRETING What actions are depicted in the paintings? What are the figures doing? Which figure represents Tubman in each painting? Why do you think so? How is Tubman depicted differently in the two paintings? What seems to be happening between Tubman and the white man in each painting? What does the painting “say” about Tubman’s relationship with the white man? What mood or feelings does Lawrence establish in each painting? How? What do the facial expressions and body poses of the figures suggest?

HYPOTHESIZING What do you think Lawrence is trying to communicate in these paintings? Almost 30 years passed between the creation of the two paintings.Why do you think Lawrence made changes in the scene over time? Who does the white man represent? Why do you think the positions of Tubman and the white man change over time?

IMAGINING What might Tubman say to the white man? To the people at the table? If you could hear sounds from these paintings, what would you hear? If you were the painter, what colors would you have used to paint this scene? If this scene were part of a story, what would happen next?

DECIDING Which painting do you like better? Why? Lawrence wrote the following texts to accompany the paintings.Which text matches which painting?

Painting Name ______Good people gave Them food to eat And a chance to rest Their weary feet.

Painting Name ______Harriet Tubman, after a very trying trip North in which she had hidden her cargo by day and had traveled by boat, wagon, and foot at night, reached Wilmington, where she met Thomas Garrett, a Quaker who operated an Underground Railroad station. Here, she and the fugitives were fed and clothed and sent on their way.

EXTENSIONS Create dialogue for the figures in Lawrence’s scene. Select a juvenile literature book about Harriet Tubman and her Underground Railroad work. Choose a key passage or scene to illustrate on your own.

89 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

FOUR UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SCENES

A Ride for Liberty—The Fugitive Slaves, Eastman Johnson, 1863 1 Oil on wood, 21 ⁄2" x 26"

The Underground Railroad, Charles Webber, 1893 3 1 Oil on canvas, 52 ⁄16" x 76 ⁄8"

Rendezvous with Harriet Tubman, Janice Northcutt Huse, contemporary 1 Oil painting, 25" x 29 ⁄2"

Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad, Paul Collins, contemporary Oil painting, 20" x 16"

The Underground Railroad has been a source of inspiration for artists since the mid-19th century. These artists have all painted compelling personal visions of the Underground Railroad and the men and women who participated in it. These are examples of the genre called historical narrative paintings (found on pages 117–120).

Read the brief biographical information about the artists. Note the dates or time periods of the paintings as you compare them. Does time seem to make any difference in how

HANDOUT 2 HANDOUT artists depict the Underground Railroad? Use the following chart to compare the artworks.

EXTENSIONS Imagine a dialogue between the figures in the Huse painting. Write a short story about the Underground Railroad based on one of these four paintings. Discuss which painting you think best depicts the Underground Railroad. Research each of the artists to find other examples of their work.

90 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 2 Name ______Date______Feature to consider JOHNSON WEBBER HUSE COLLINS What is the setting? What is the season? What is the time of day? the main colorsWhat are used? does the What mood or feelings scene suggest? Number of human figures? (child, of figures Ages adult, elderly)?

91 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

Name ______Date______HANDOUT 2 HANDOUT Feature to consider JOHNSON WEBBER HUSE COLLINS Who is the main figure? Who is the main figure? tell? can you How doing? the figures What are shown? What actions are depicted? features Natural Objects or tools shown? Who seems to be in charge? Describe the fugitives—appearance, expressions, mood, etc. does the message What overall painting convey?

92 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 2 VISUAL ARTISTS AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

EASTMAN JOHNSON (1824–1906) Born and reared in Maine, Johnson was one of the most important American painters of the 19th century. He began his training as an artist in Boston, followed by travels to Europe to study art in Germany and the Netherlands. He returned to the United States in 1855 to focus on painting American subjects, including Native Americans and African Americans. His work with African American subjects, including A Ride for Liberty—The Fugitive Slaves, was considered ground- breaking. In later years, he concentrated on painting portraits; his subjects included three presidents, authors, poets and captains of industry. http://www.tfaoi.com/newsm1/n1m212.htm

CHARLES WEBBER (1825–1911) Born in New York, he came to Ohio before the age of 20 and settled in Cincinnati by 1858, where he became an active member of the local arts community until his death in 1911. He was a successful portrait artist with a studio on Fourth Street in downtown Cincinnati. Some of his clients were well- known abolitionists in Cincinnati. He also traveled to southern states to portray the faces of southern blacks. Influenced perhaps by the publication of Levi Coffin’s autobiography in 1876, he later began to paint narrative historical paintings. The Underground Railroad, one of his most famous paintings, was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago to great acclaim. This painting is currently on display in the Cincinnati Wing at the Cincinnati Art Museum. http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.com/greatart/tour_amerpaint.shtml

93 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

PAUL COLLINS (contemporary) Paul Collins was born in and still lives in Michigan. A self-taught artist, his travels through West Africa in 1969 were a turning point in his career and resulted in a series of paintings, Black Portrait of an African Journey. He has painted numerous famous figures, including Gerald Ford. A contemporary African American painter, he has won numerous awards and has been named one of the top 20 painters in America. http://www.collinsart.com/

JANICE NORTHCUTT HUSE (contemporary) Janice Northcutt Huse lives in Florida. She is a contemporary award-winning artist with a career spanning 25 years. Her work has been featured in magazines,

HANDOUT 2 HANDOUT books, calendars and album covers. She is well known for two series of paintings, The Underground Railroad and Gullah, which are touring to more than 100 cities in 57 countries as part of a traveling exhibit. A print of one of her Underground Railroad paintings hangs in the Harriet Tubman home in Auburn, New York. http://janicehuse.com/

94 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 3 STATUES CELEBRATING FREEDOM

The Freedman, John Quincy Adams Ward, 1863 Bronze

Forever Free, Mary Edmonia Lewis, 1867 Marble

Freedmen’s Memorial Monument to Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Ball, 1876 Bronze

The Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement inspired many types of artistic expression. These statues from the 19th century, created during and after the Civil War years, all portray the theme of freedom from slavery.

OBSERVING Describe details such as clothing, objects, posture or pose and facial expression. If there is more than one human figure, describe the relative position of each person.

COMPARING Compare the three statues. How are they alike? Different?

SUMMARIZING Make up your own title for each statue. Choose one statue. How would you describe it to someone who could not see it? Choose another statue.What three adjectives best capture the essence of it to you?

INTERPRETING What message about slavery and freedom does each statue convey? How does each sculptor communicate this message?

IMAGINING If each statue could talk, what would it say to people today?

DECIDING Which statue do you like best? Why? Which statue best illustrates the theme of freedom? Why do you think so?

EXTENSIONS Frederick Douglass delivered a speech at the dedication of the Freedmen’s Memorial Monument to Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1876. Read and discuss his speech. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/murray:@field(DOCID+@lit(T0C12)) Research the sculptors John Quincy Adams Ward, Mary Edmonia Lewis and Thomas Ball. Write a haiku based on one of the statues.

95 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

John Quincy Adams Ward,American, 1830–1910, Mary Edmonia Lewis, Forever Free, 1867, Bronze, 5 3 3 The Freedman, modeled 1863,bronze, 19 8⁄ x 15 4⁄ x 9 8⁄ ", Howard University Gallery of Art,Washington, D.C. Roger McCormick Endowment, 1998.1 front view.

HANDOUT 3 HANDOUT Reproduction,The Art Institute of Chicago.

Thomas Ball, Freedmen’s Memorial Monument to Abraham 96 Lincoln, 1876, Bronze, Library of Congress. The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 4 HANDOUT UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MONUMENTS

Battle Creek Underground Railroad Memorial, Battle Creek, Michigan, 1993, sculpted by Ed Dwight, 28' x 14' http://www.battlecreek.org/tour/htm/downtown/under_r_r.htm http://www.wkkf.org/Knowledgebase/Pubs/RenderRes.aspx?CID=0&ID=3704 http://travel.michigan.org/detail.asp?m=2&p=G5401

Underground Railroad Monument, Oberlin, Ohio, 1997, sculpted by Cameron Armstrong 17' x 18' http://www.sculpturecenter.org/oosi/sculpture.asp?SID=44 http://www.rims.k12.ca.us/ugr/urg_1998/day-to-day/thursday1.html

The Gateway to Freedom, Detroit, Michigan, 2001, sculpted by Ed Dwight 11' x 14' x 7' http://www.newdetroit.org/events/detroit300/underground_railroad.asp http://www.clickondetroit.com/det/news/stories/news-101766320011016-111048.html http://www.tellusnews.com/ahr/art/IUnder11.jpg

Tower of Freedom, Windsor, Ontario, 2001, sculpted by Ed Dwight http://www.city.windsor.on.ca/cao/ccr/UGRR.asp http://www.detnews.com/2001/metro/0110/22/c01-323608.htm

In the last 10 years, several monuments and memorials to the Underground Railroad have been unveiled in northern communities. They reflect the growing interest Americans have with this dramatic and important story.View the monuments listed above on the Internet.

Locate Oberlin, Ohio; Battle Creek, Michigan; Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario on a map. Discuss why Underground Railroad monuments are located in these cities. How is each connected to the Underground Railroad? Discuss other cities that might be appropriate locations for Underground Railroad monuments. Would you expect to see monuments to the Underground Railroad in southern cities? Why or why not? African American sculptor Ed Dwight designed three of the four monuments. Compare his three designs. How would you describe his style? Cameron Armstrong designed the Oberlin monument.What is his style? Compare his monument to those designed by Dwight. What messages do these Underground Railroad monuments communicate? Which monument do you like best? Why?

EXTENSIONS Write a haiku or poem based on one of the Underground Railroad monuments. Design your own monument to the Underground Railroad. For tips on how to do this, review the Monument to the Underground Railroad webquest at http://www.freedomcenter.org/freedomquests/monuments/. Look at monuments to the Underground Railroad designed by students from across the country. 97 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

A SCENE FROM UNCLE TOM’S CABIN

First read the famous passage from Uncle Tom’s Cabin describing Eliza crossing the ice on the Ohio River. It is one of the most vivid accounts about the Underground Railroad in fiction. Then examine the five illustrations of this same scene (found on pages 121–122) and read Stowe’s poem about Eliza’s brave escape. After reviewing the text, poem and illustrations, answer these questions.

Compare details in the images to details in the text. Do you see any differences between the text and what is shown in the images? Do the images accurately depict the scene described in the book? Compare the five images. How are they similar? Are there differences? How is Eliza depicted? Examine her features and clothing closely. Does her image fit your notion of a runaway slave? Compare the placement of Eliza and her son, the pursuers and the rescuer in the various images.Which figure is most prominent in each? How does Stowe’s poem compare to the text in Uncle Tom’s Cabin? Which media—text, images or poem—provided the best depiction of this scene for you? Why?

EXTENSIONS

HANDOUT 5 Read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Illustrate another scene from Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

EXCERPT FROM UNCLE TOM’S CABIN, BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, 1852 Eliza Crossing the Ice Chapter VII,The Mother’s Struggle

An hour before sunset, she entered the Eliza stood for a moment, contemplating village of T______, by the Ohio river, this unfavorable aspect of things, which weary and foot-sore, but still strong in she saw at once must prevent the usual heart. Her first glance was at the river, ferry-boat from running, and then which lay, like Jordan, between her and turned into a small public house on the the Canaan of liberty on the other side. bank, to make a few inquiries.

It was now early spring, and the river …As a fire in her bones, the thought of was swollen and turbulent; great cakes the pursuer urged her on; and she gazed of floating ice were swinging heavily to with longing eyes on the sullen, surging and fro in the turbid waters. Owing to waters that lay between her and liberty. the peculiar form of the shore of the Kentucky side, the land bending far out …In consequence of all the various into the water, the ice had been lodged delays, it was about three-quarters of an and detained in great quantities, and the hour after Eliza had laid her child to narrow channel which swept round the sleep in the village tavern that the party bend was full of ice, which lodged, and came riding into the same place. Eliza formed a great, undulating raft, filling was standing by the window, looking out up the whole river, and extending almost in another direction, when Sam’s quick to the Kentucky shore. eye caught a glimpse of her.Haley and 98 Andy were two yards behind. At this The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 5 crisis, Sam contrived to have his hat The huge green fragment of ice on which blown off, and uttered a loud and she alighted pitched and creaked as her characteristic ejaculation, which startled weight came on it, but she staid there not her at once; she drew suddenly back; the a moment.With wild cries and desperate whole train swept by the window, round energy she leaped to another and still to the front door. another cake; stumbling—leaping— slipping—springing upward again! Her A thousand lives seemed to be shoes were gone—her stockings cut from concentrated in that one moment to her feet—while blood marked every step; Eliza. Her room opened by a side door but she saw nothing, felt nothing, till to the river.She caught her child, and dimly, as in a dream, she saw the Ohio sprang down the steps toward it. The side, and a man helping her up the bank. trader caught a full glimpse of her, just as she was disappearing down the bank; “Yer a brave gal, now, whoever ye ar!” and throwing himself from his horse, said the man, with an oath. and calling loudly to Sam and Andy, he was after her like a hound after a deer. Eliza recognized the voice and face of a In that dizzy moment her feet to her man who owned a farm not far from her scarce seemed to touch the ground and a old home. moment brought her to the water’s edge. Right on behind they came; and, nerved “O, Mr.Symmes—save me—do save me— with strength such as God only gives to do hide me,”said Eliza…. the desperate, with one wild cry and flying leap, she vaulted sheer over the “I’d be glad to do something for ye,”said turbid current by the shore on to the raft he;“but then there’s nowhar I could take of ice beyond. It was a desperate leap— ye.The best I can do is to tell ye to go impossible to anything but madness thar,”said he, pointing to a large white and despair; and Haley, Sam, and Andy, house which stood by itself, off the main instinctively cried out, and lifted up their street of the village.“Go that; they’re hands, as she did it. kind folks. Thar’s no kind o’ danger but they’ll help you, they’re up to all that sort o’ thing.”

Excerpt from Pictures and Stories from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Boston: John P.Jewett & Company, 1853.

99 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

ELIZA CROSSING THE RIVER by Harriet Beecher Stowe

From her resting-place by the Her arms about the boy grew tight, trader chased, With a loving clasp, and brave; Through the winter evening cold, “Hold fast! Hold fast, now, Harry dear, Eliza came with her boy at last, And it may be God will save.” Where a broad deep river rolled. From the river’s bank to the floating ice Great blocks of the floating ice She took a sudden bound, were there, And the great block swayed beneath And the water’s roar was wild, her feet But the cruel trader’s step was near, With a dull and heavy sound. Who would take her only child. So over the roaring rushing flood, Poor Harry clung around her neck, From block to block she sprang, But a word he could not say, And ever her cry for God’s good help For his very heart was faint with fear, Above the waters rang. And with flying all that day. And God did hear that mother’s cry, For never an ice-block sank;

HANDOUT 5 While the cruel trader and his men Stood wondering on the bank.

A good man saw on the further side, And gave her his helping hand; So poor Eliza, with her boy, Stood safe upon the land.

A blessing on that good man’s arm, On his house, and field, and store; May he never want a friendly hand To help him to the shore!

A blessing on all that make such haste, Whatever their hands can do! For they that succor the sore distressed, Our Lord will help them too.

100 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 6 HANDOUT REVIEWS OF UNCLE TOM’S CABIN

Read these two reviews of Uncle Tom’s Cabin written in 1852. Consider whether each review of the book is favorable or unfavorable and analyze the reviewer’s arguments by answering the questions that follow each review.

Source: Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture:A Multi-Media Archive http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/

REVIEW A The National Era Unsigned April 15, 1852 Washington, D.C.

UNCLE TOM’S CABIN. BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE In two volumes of 312 pages each. Harriet Beecher Stowe

For thrilling delineation of character, the last ten years have been the witness and power of description, this work is of. Let nobody be afraid of it because unrivalled. It has been denominated, and it does not claim to be a memoir, or a with truth, THE STORY OF THE AGE! The table of statistics. It is the interlacing fact that ten thousand copies have been of a thousand memoirs, and the very sold in two weeks is evidence sufficient quintessence of infinite statistics. It takes of its unbounded popularity. Three no extreme views. It does not seek to paper mills are constantly at work, seize upon the most horrible atrocities, manufacturing the paper, and three and brand the whole system as worse power presses are working twenty-four than it is. It is fair, and generous, and hours per day, in printing it, and more calm, and candid. A slaveholder might than one hundred bookbinders are read it without anger, but not easily incessantly plying their trade, to bind without a secret abhorrence of the system them, and still it has been impossible as which he himself upholds. It brings out, yet to supply the demand. Testimonials quietly and collaterally, those incidental of the strongest kind, numerous enough features of servitude which are usually to fill a volume, have already appeared little thought of, but which are the in the public journals.We have room overflow of its cup of abominations.We only for the following, from the look upon the writing of this book as Congregationalist of the 2d inst.: providential, and upon it as the best missionary God has yet sent into the “We conceive, then, that in writing ‘Uncle field to plead for his poor and oppressed Tom’s Cabin,’Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe children at the South. Such a book was has done more to diffuse real knowledge a necessity of the age, and had to be of the facts and workings of American written, and we are grateful to God that Slavery, and to arouse the sluggish he put the writing of it into the hands nation to shake off the curse, and abate of one who has interwoven Evangelical the wrong, than has been accomplished influences with every page of its by all the orations, and anniversaries, narrative, and compressed many a and arguments, and documents, which Gospel sermon into its field and fireside 101 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

converse. Its appeal to our sympathies is Copies of this work are for sale at genuine. It artlessly pictures facts, and the this office. Price--in paper covers $1; facts make us feel.We have never read a cloth, $1.50; cloth, full gilt, $2. story of more power.We doubt if anybody Persons at a distance of not over 500 has. The human being who can read it miles can have this work in paper covers through with dry eyes, is commended to mailed to them, free of postage, on Barnum.” addressing L. Clephane at this office, and enclosing $1 in money and 27 cents in post office stamps--over 500 miles the postage will be 54 cents.

Where did this book review appear? Was the review favorable or unfavorable? Pick out at least two statements that support your conclusion. What details about the publishing history of Uncle Tom’s Cabin are given in this article? Identify at least two claims the writer makes about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. What does the writer say will be the impact of the book on slavery? Was the writer a pro- or anti-slavery person? How can you tell? Why did this reviewer like Uncle Tom’s Cabin? How did people get copies of Uncle Tom’s Cabin? HANDOUT 6

REVIEW B Southern Press Review Unsigned 1852 Washington, D.C.

We have just finished the perusal of Tom’s Cabin” is an anti-slavery novel. It “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,”a work in two is a caricature of slavery. It selects for volumes, of more than three hundred description the most odious features of pages each, which appeared originally slavery--the escape and pursuit of fugitive in the National Era, in a succession slaves, the sale and separation of domestic of numbers, and has recently been slaves, the separation of husbands and re-published in its present form. The wives, parents and children, brothers and papers inform us that already, within sisters. It portrays the slaves of the story eleven weeks of its re-publication, eighty as more moral, intelligent, courageous, thousand copies of it have been sold at elegant and beautiful than their masters the rate of a dollar to a dollar and a and mistresses; and where it concedes quarter per copy. any of these qualities to the whites, it is to such only as are, even though slave- The authoress of this work is HARRIET holders, opposed to slavery. Those in BEECHER STOWE, wife of Professor favor of slavery are slave-traders, slave- Stowe, and daughter of Dr.Beecher. catchers, and the most weak, depraved, She resided for many years, before and cruel and malignant of beings and after marriage, in Cincinnati.“Uncle demons….

102 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 6 HANDOUT Mrs. Stowe may have seen, during her herself virtually do these very things? residence in Cincinnati, in the arrival Suppose a poor man were to present and departure of emigrants, and in the himself to her and say, “Madam, I am a trade and navigation of the Ohio and poor man with a large family, and we Mississippi, more families separated are destitute.And unless you prevent it, forever; she must know that from that I shall be compelled to-morrow to hire single city more husbands, brothers, myself as a hand on a flatboat to New sons and fathers have gone voluntarily, Orleans, and besides exposing myself to as she calls it, from wives, mothers and the cholera and yellow fever, leave my children, and, in the pursuit of trade, wife in delicate health, my oldest met with untimely death by fevers and daughter to the dangers of a large city cholera on the river, or in the wilderness, without a protector, and my young ones leaving their families to suffer from to the diseases that depopulate the want, their children to perish from infancy of this place every summer.Now, neglect, than probably all who have been I have read your novel, and I understand separated by the slave trade.Why don’t that you have already received a large she write a romance against emigration, fortune by the copy-right of it. Now, we and navigation and commerce? They are are equals—except that I have none of all permitted by our laws. your education, and that is not my fault. Yet somehow or other the laws of this But Mrs. Stowe complains that slavery freesoil State allow you to keep gives to one man the power over another thousands of dollars in bank which to do these things.Well, does not freedom, you do not need, whilst I, for the want as she calls it? Cannot the landlord of of a small part of it, am doomed to Cincinnati turn out a family from his separation from all that I hold dear.” dwelling if unable to pay the rent? We doubt whether Mrs. Stowe would Cannot those who have food and recognize the cogency of this argument. raiment refuse them to such as are But if she would, the laws of this country unable to buy? And does not Mrs. Stowe do not.

Where was this review printed? Was the review favorable or unfavorable? Pick out two or more statements that support your conclusion. How did this reviewer regard the depiction of slavery in Uncle Tom’s Cabin? Did he think it was fair? Why or why not? According to the reviewer, how did Uncle Tom’s Cabin portray slaves and slave owners? How did the reviewer defend slavery? What things in society did the writer think had as many bad features as Stowe thought slavery did?

EXTENSIONS Write your own review of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Read another fiction book about slavery and/or the Underground Railroad and write a review of it. Hold a debate in class based on Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Have one team represent the pro-slavery view while a second team develops the anti-slavery/abolitionist viewpoint. Visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, Ohio.

103 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD POETRY

The horrors of slavery and the hope of freedom offered by the Underground Railroad have inspired many a poet. Some former slaves wrote poems about slavery, their escapes and the meaning of freedom, and these became important tools for the abolitionists, who printed them in their anti-slavery literature. Other poems were written as tributes to the heroic men and women involved in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. Read the poems and respond to the questions.

Source: Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture:A Multi-Media Archive http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/

POEM A Arrival in the Land of Freedom Harriet Beecher Stowe From Pictures and Stories from Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Boston: John P. Jewett & Company, 1853

Look on the travellers kneeling, In thankful gladness, here, As the boat that brought them o’er the lake,

HANDOUT 7 Goes steaming from the pier.

‘Tis Harry, like a girl disguised, His mother, like a boy, But the father kneels beside them, And their hearts are full of joy.

No man can buy or sell them, No trader chase them more, The land of freedom has been gained, The good Canadian shore.

And they are strangers on the soil, As poor as poor can be, But the English flag above them floats, They know that they are free.

What lake have the travelers crossed over? By what means did the fugitives travel? What strategies did they use to remain undetected? Now that they are free, what circumstances do they find themselves in? Where is the land of freedom? What words or phrases in the poem are about hope? What is the rhyming pattern of this poem?

104 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 7 HANDOUT POEM B The Fugitive Slave James Watkins From Poems: Original and Selected, by James Watkins, A Fugitive Slave, 1859

Now! Freemen listen to my hymn, I had my eye on the bright north star, A story I’ll relate and thought That happened in the valley of the old They worked me all the day, &c. Carolina state, I jumped out of my good old boat They marched me to the cotton field I shoved it from the shore, At early break of day, I travell’d faster in that night And worked me there till late sunset Then I’d ever done before, Without a cent of pay. I came up to a farmer’s house They worked me all the day, without Just at the break of day, a cent of pay. And saw a white man standing there, So I took my flight, in the middle of Says he you’ve run away. the night, They worked me all the day, &c. When the sun was gone away. I told him I had left the whip, Massa gave me holiday And baying of the hounds, And said he’d give me more, To find a place where man was man, I thanked him very kindly, If such there could be found; And shoved my boat from shore, I heard in Canada that all mankind I drifted down the river was free! My heart was light and free; of liberty That I was going there in search of liberty. They worked me all the day, &c.

Note:“&c” is an older English symbol and means “etcetera” or “inferred by analogy.”

How did the slave escape? From where? What details does he give about life in slavery? What does he seem to most object to about a slave’s life? What strategies does the slave use to escape? What is his destination? Why? Does he succeed in reaching it? How do we know? Does this poem have a rhyming pattern? What lines are repeated at the end of each verse?

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POEM C Underground Railroad Isabel E. Sullivan Suggested by the painting by C.T.Webber in the Cincinnati Art Museum May 14, 1913 Cincinnati Enquirer

Examine Webber’s painting of the Underground Railroad as you read this poem.

A Chilling wind blows o’er the snow-clad land, Touched here and there by morning’s rosy light, Poor fleeing negro slaves, a motley band, Have halted from a wild drive through the night; Their white friends offer them a safe retreat And helping hands to guide their eager feet.

The painted scene grows real, the past draws near; Imagination plies her magic art; The view before us fades, new forms appear, And men and women into being start And show again in all its darksome ways

HANDOUT 7 The mournful drama of the old slave days.

They, too come back, who thrilled with pity deep, Long felt the bondsman’s woe as their own pain, And, breaking law the higher law to keep, Undaunted sought the slave and lossed his chain Accepting scorn and loss and felons’ lot As honors that their daring deeds had bought.

Then, turning from the pictured past, we feel The world-old struggles twixt the base and high; We sigh for all who know Oppression’s heel, We bless the brave who for the right would die. And faith in that long promised day revives, When sympathy, not greed, will rule men’s lives.

Match descriptive details of people and places from the poem with the painting. Pick out a phrase that you especially like. From looking at the painting, what happens to the viewer in the poem? Who is the poet describing in the third verse? What risks do they face? What words and phrases in the poem refer to slavery? What hope does the poet express at the end? What is the rhyming pattern of this poem?

106 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 7 HANDOUT POEM D The next two poems (Poem D and Poem E) are tributes to Harriet Beecher Stowe written by two African American poets.

To Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe Frances E.Watkins January 27, 1854

I thank thee for thy pleading And thrilled upon the living chords For the helpless of our race; Of many a heart’s deep lyre. Long as our hearts are beating In them thou hast a place. For the sisters of our race Thou’st nobly done thy part; I thank thee for thy pleading Thou hast won thyself a place For the fetter’d and the dumb; In every human heart. The blessing of the perishing Around thy path shall come. The halo that surrounds thy name Hath reached from shore to shore; I thank thee for the kindly words But thy best and brightest fame That grac’d thy pen of fire, Is the blessing of the poor.

107 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

POEM E Harriet Beecher Stowe Paul Laurence Dunbar November 1898

She told the story, and the whole world wept At wrongs and cruelties it had not known But for this fearless woman’s voice alone. She spoke to consciences that long had slept; Her message, Freedom’s clear reveille, swept From heedless hovel to complacent throne. Command and prophecy were in the tone, And from its sheath the sword of justice leapt. Around two people swelled a fiery wave, But both came forth transfigured from the flame. Blest be the hand that dared be strong to save, And blest be she who in our weakness came— Prophet and priestess! At one stroke she gave A race to freedom, and herself to fame.

How does each poet regard Stowe?

HANDOUT 7 What do they say her efforts and her book accomplished? How do they praise her? What words do they use to refer to the enslaved? How do they indicate blacks will regard Stowe? What is the rhyming pattern of each poem?

EXTENSIONS Write your own poem about the Underground Railroad. Write a poem in tribute to John P.Parker, John Rankin or Levi Coffin. Research Paul Laurence Dunbar and Frances E.Watkins.

108 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 8 MUSIC OF SLAVERY AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Kidnapped and sold into slavery, Africans brought with them to America a long and rich tradition of music and dance. Dancing, singing and drumming accompanied key moments in life such as birth and death, work and worship. African music was flexible, spontaneous and improvised. Singers often changed lyrics to suit the occasion.

It was against the law for enslaved people in America to learn to read or write, so music and song became the main way that slaves transmitted information. The enslaved were not allowed to use drums or most other instruments because slave owners feared they would be used to send messages over distances. So Africans substituted hand clapping and foot tapping as a way to mark the rhythm in songs and dances; the body became an important part of musical expression. They fashioned their own simple instruments from sticks, bones, spoons, gourds and quills. From this early African American tradition came the banjo, made of gourds and strips of dried animal gut.

African American spirituals are among the best-known forms of American music. Spirituals were acceptable to and encouraged by slave owners because they thought spirituals signaled that slaves were becoming Christian and singing about their newfound religion. Spirituals also seemed less African than other slave music.

In the spirituals, slaves blended stories of their sufferings under slavery with African musical styles and those learned in America. The melodies in spirituals reflected their African origin. They were one way slaves expressed their discontent and maintained hope in the face of hardship. Spirituals often used biblical themes and characters and spoke of redemption and hope of eventual triumph and freedom. The central theme of spirituals was the striving toward freedom and escape from slavery. The titles and lyrics of well- known spirituals made clear this intent. These newly created songs were musical expressions of faith, pain, anguish, hope and trust in God, who the slaves believed would deliver them to freedom and allow them to return to Africa. Through these songs, the slaves told the story of their lives here in America. The result was music that was both sacred and sorrowful.

One category of spiritual is the call and response chant. A leader sings a line or phrase. Those listening respond by repeating the phrase or adding a response that serves as an answer to the leader’s line.Work songs were another form of African American music. Also called field hollers, they were commonly heard wherever slaves worked—on plantations as they picked cotton and loaded wagons, in quarries or among prison chain gangs. Field hollers set the pace for work on the plantations, with overseers encouraging slaves to sing to keep the work moving along. High-spirited songs were especially encouraged because they were active. Mournful songs were discouraged.Work songs often spoke of the brutality the enslaved faced and expressed their pain and weariness. When work was finally done, slaves turned again to music for relaxation and renewal.

109 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

MUSICAL ACTIVITIES

PATTING JUBA One of the rhythmic styles of African music and dance was called “patting juba.”This involved foot stomping and slapping the hands, knees, thighs, feet, chest and body in a rhythmic display. African music had been drum-heavy, but slaveholders took away the drums in the mid-1700s. So the slaves transferred the things they had done on drums to parts of their bodies. The word “juba”is traced back to its origin in Africa, where it was seen in a dance called “Djouba.”The melodies and lyrics of the tunes blacks played often directly descended from African songs.

Try “patting juba” yourself first. 1. Start tapping your foot slowly to a steady rhythm of 1,2,3,4…1,2,3,4…. 2. Add hand-clapping with a different rhythm. Clap your hands on the 2 and 4 beats, for example. 3. When you’ve got this basic beat down, add finger snapping at beats 1 and 3. 4. Change the pattern occasionally by striking your legs or shoulders. 5. When you’ve mastered the rhythm, increase the tempo a bit.

Now add other people to the juba beat. 1. One person foot taps a basic beat (1,2,3,4…1,2,3,4). A second person hand claps a

HANDOUT 8 HANDOUT different beat (1,2…1,2). A third repeats one of the beats by finger snapping or chest thumping. 2. One person can be the juba caller. He calls out directions to the juba dancers telling them to clap, tap, slap or snap the beat. 3. Increase or decrease the tempo and volume. 4. Set the basic beat by humming in a monotone. 5. Add other variations like stomping on your heels or striking opposite legs and shoulders.

CALL AND RESPONSE Here is a simple example:

Leader: Whose side are you leaning on? Group: Leaning on the Lord’s side Leader: Whose side are you leaning on? Group: Leaning on the Lord’s side Leader: I Lean, I Lean, I Lean, I Lean Group: Leaning on the Lord’s side

Divide into small groups. Make up a simple call and response song based on some subject you feel strongly about. Choose one person to be the call leader. Perform your call song for the class.

110 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 8 FIELD HOLLER Here is a simple example:

Call: I got a letter this morning. Response: Tell me! Call: I got a letter this morning. Response: Tell me!

Now the leader could sing any news. Fellow slaves would respond to show they had received the message and would pass it on.

Call: Massa told me to clear the field. Response: Tell me!

Divide into small groups. Make up a simple field holler based on your work in school. Express how you feel about school in the holler. Perform it for the rest of the class.

LISTEN TO MUSIC

You can listen at the following webites to field hollers, spirituals and other African American music that has been passed on from the days of slavery.You will need a media player on your computer and speakers to listen. The Safe Passage CD-ROM contains recordings of spirituals by a contemporary music group in South Carolina, The Plantation Singers.

John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip (American Memory) Click on field hollers, clapping songs, spirituals and work songs. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lomaxbibAudios1.html

The Plantation Singers http://www.plantationsingers.com/

Steal Away, Songs of the Underground Railroad http://www.appleseedrec.com/underground/sounds.html

Kim and Reggie Harris http://www.kimandreggie.com/steal_cd.htm

On an Underground Railroad, music and video by Kinny Landrum http://www.ushistory.com/railr.htm

Maryland and the Underground Railroad http://pathways.thinkport.org/secrets/music2.cfm

111 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

TITLES AND LYRICS

Examine the titles and lyrics of these songs for examples of the themes of escape and freedom. Also note any Christian or Biblical references. Recordings of these songs are found on the Safe Passage CD-ROM.

TITLES Oh Freedom Steal Away Bound to Go We’ll Soon Be Free Train is A Coming No More Auction Block Wade in the Water Go Down Moses Now Let Me Fly Better Days are Coming

LYRICS

WADE IN THE WATER

HANDOUT 8 HANDOUT Wade in the water, wade in the water, children, Wade in the water, God’s a gonna trouble the water.

See that band all dressed in white. God’s a gonna trouble the water. The leader looks like an Israelite. God’s a gonna trouble the water.

Wade in the water, wade in the water, children, Wade in the water, God’s a gonna trouble the water.

See that band all dressed in red. God’s a gonna trouble the water. It looks like the band that Moses led. God’s a gonna trouble the water.

Wade in the water, wade in the water, children, Wade in the water, God’s a gonna trouble the water.

112 The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music – LESSON 3 HANDOUT 8 SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home; Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see, Coming for to carry me home; A band of angels coming after me, Coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home; Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home.

If you get there before I do, Coming for to carry me home; Tell all my friends I’m coming there too. Coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home; Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home.

GO DOWN, MOSES Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt land, Tell ole Pharaoh, Let my people go.

When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let my people go; Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go.

Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt land, Tell ole Pharaoh, Let my people go.

“Thus saith the Lord,”bold Moses said, Let my people go; “If not, I’ll smite your first-born dead,”Let my people go.

Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt land, Tell ole Pharaoh, Let my people go.

No more shall they in bondage toil, Let my people go, Let them come out with Egypt’s spoil, Let my people go.

Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt land, Tell ole Pharaoh, Let my people go.

113 LESSON 3 – The Underground Railroad in Art, Literature and Music

STEAL AWAY Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus! Steal away, steal away home, I ain’t got long to stay here!

My Lord calls me, He calls me by the thunder; The trumpet sounds with-in-a my soul, I ain’t got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus! Steal away, steal away home, I ain’t got long to stay here!

My Lord calls me, He calls me by the lightning; The trumpet sounds with-in-a my soul, I ain’t got long to stay here.

Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus! Steal away, steal away home, I ain’t got long to stay here!

DE GOSPEL TRAIN Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Dere’s room for many a mo’.

De Gospel train’s a-comin’, I hear it jus’ at han’

HANDOUT 8 HANDOUT I hear de car wheels rumblin’, An’rollin’ thro’de lan’.

Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Dere’s room for many a mo’.

I hear de train a-comin’, She’s comin’ roun’ de curve, She’s loosended all her steam an’ brakes, An’ strainin’ eb’ry nerve.

Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Dere’s room for many a mo’.

De fare is cheap an’ all can go, De rich an’ poor are dere, No second class aboard dis train, No difference in de fare.

Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Git on board, little children, Dere’s room for many a mo’.

EXTENSIONS Learn and sing some of the African American spirituals from the days of slavery. Search for other recordings of Underground Railroad spirituals on the Internet.

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inches, ⁄ 4 1 ca. 1862, 22 x26 oil on paperboard A Ride For Liberty-The Slaves, Fugitive A Ride For Eastman Johnson, American 1824–1906, Period Brooklyn Museum of Art, Museum of Brooklyn 40.59.A, O.L.Art Gift of Gwendolyn Museum of Conkling © Brooklyn

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Charles T.Webber Cincinnati Art Museum,Cincinnati Subscription Fund Purchase The Railroad, Underground

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Janice Northcutt Huse,Janice www.JaniceHuse.com, Rendezvous with Harriet Tubman, with Harriet Rendezvous [email protected], Studio phone number 941-766-8238 courtesyImage of U.S.Art, Black www.USBlackArt.com

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Paul Collins.Paul Rapids, Grand Michigan. Harriet Tubman's Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad, 220 Lyon, Suite 101, Rapids, Grand MI 49503 www.collinsart.com

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Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, Connecticut

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The Library Company of Philadelphia

San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum

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