Oh Freedom! Character Descriptions PLAYER 1: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN (25 - 50). (Alto). To play Harriet Tubman, Slave Woman, Railway Clerk, Narrator, and others. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was arguably the greatest conductor on the Underground Railroad, and later was a spy and guide for the Union Army during the Civil War. PLAYER 2: WHITE MALE (30 - 40). (Tenor) To play John Rankin, “Peg Leg Joe”, Narrator, and others. John Rankin (1795-1886) helped many runaways make their way to freedom by keeping a light on in his house high on a hill, for them to look for when they crossed the Ohio River, which separated slave-holding Kentucky from free Ohio. Peg Leg Joe (active in the 1850’s) was a one-legged sailor who may have been a legendary figure based on many people. It is said he went to Plantations and taught slaves the “Follow the Drinking Gourd” song, so they would know how to escape north. PLAYER 3: WHITE WOMAN. (25 - 35) (Soprano) To play Harriet Beecher Stow, Female Passenger, Narrator, and others. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) Her 1852 novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, turned many people against slavery. She was a friend of John Rankin’s, and many runaways who passed through his house inspired the characters in her book. PLAYER 4: AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN (20 - 30) (Baritone) To play William Still, Oludah Equiano, Harry “Box” Brown, Narrator, and others, William Still (1821-1902) ran an office for the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia, and kept records so that he could reunite runaways with their families. In 1872, he wrote one of the most important books about the Underground Railroad. Oludah Equiano was seized from his village in Africa, and survived passage on a slave ship to America. He wrote about his experience in 1789. Harry “Box” Brown (1816 – after 1899), was a Virginia slave who escaped by mailing himself in a crate to Philadelphia. 2 .