Thank you Mr. Carper for coming in to share your knowledge about The Underground Railroad.
Click on the music for a printable/viewable version of Follow the Drinking Gourd.
Click here to listen to Richie Havens sing Follow the Drinking Gourd.
Slaves traveling the Underground Railroad, usually on foot, depended on celestial navigation to find their way northward. They continually looked to the Big Dipper and the North Star for direction. The purpose of this video is to increase student awareness of the Underground Railroad and the role celestial navigation played in the Railroad’s success. The video also highlights the importance of modern Global Information System technology in reconstructing historical topographies and finding the exact route of the Railroad. By combining amazing historical facts-such as the use of handmade quilts for communication with mathematics, remote-sensing technology, earth system science, and astronomy, the video presents an educational experience that is dynamic, moving and broadly cross curricular.
Check out these video clips from the NASA/NPS Underground Railroad: Connections to Freedom and Science DVD
- Follow the Drinking Gourd: Using the Science of Astronomy in History
- The Importance of Waterways in the Success of the Underground Railroad
- Slaves and the Use of Horticulture Along the Underground Railroad
- The Science Behind the Maps of the Underground Railroad
- Navigating to Freedom With the North Star
- Exploring and Preserving the Underground Railroad With Modern Technology
- Archeological Research and the Underground Railroad Today
Entries (RSS)
May 14th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I watched the video called Follow the drinking gourd using the science of astronomy in history. I found out that slaves that were escaping to Canada followed the big dipper ( the drinking gourd ) and the Norht star.
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May 14th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I just watched the video called The importance of water ways in the succes of the underground rail road. I learned that there was a river called the tombigee river. It was an escape route for slaves trying to escape. And if they sang the words of follow the drinking gourd they were given instructions of following the tombigee river between Mobile,Alabama and the foot hills of Northern Alabama and Tennesse. Then they would be led to Tennesse river which would lead them Noth to the Ohio river and North into free states.
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May 14th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I just watched the video called Horticulture along the underground railroad. I learned that the slaves couldn’t always rely on food at some safe house. They could only carry a little amount of food with them while on the run. Sometimes the slaves would have to forge food along the way they would also raid plantations and farms for food. They rely on plant life too not just for food but medicine also. They know how to make medicine from plants because before they came to America they brought with them old America knowledge of horticulture.
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May 14th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I just watch the video called the science behind the maps of the underground railroad. There 4 main routes for slaves to escape 1.North along the mississippi 2.The Ohio rivers 3.west along the gulf into Mexico 4.they would head south where fugitives sought refuge with the seminole indians. And when there on the eastern seaboard into Canada. And if slave catchers or bounty hunters are on there trail the would go zig-zag and double back.
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May 14th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I just watched a video called Navigating to freedom with the North star. While constellations constantly shift positions in the night time the North star though stays still and everything else revolves around it. When the slaves were stolen from thier homes and bought to North America they could still see the stars.
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May 14th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I just watched a video that is called Exploring and preserving the Underground Railroad. I found out that today advanced technologies are being used to preserve the Underground Railroad for generations to come. Geographic information and global positioning systems aerial photography and satellite images used to locate Underground Railroad sites and routes throught the United States.
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May 14th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I just watched the video called Archeology research and the Underground Railroad today. At Adrian a college women named Ann Sherman and some others dug up a site that dates back to times of the Underground Railroad Ann Sherman said” Were trying to find tunnels running from the building there looking at” The site that they found though was in a present day fraternity houses.
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May 17th, 2009 at 9:00 am
I watched follow the drinking gourd using the science of astronomy. Mr.carper came in and taught us about the drinking gourd already. I learned that the end of the dipper points to the north star witch shows them where to go
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May 17th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I just watched the importance of water ways is a sucssess in the underground railroad. I learned that the slaves went near the Tombigbee river, to then get to the Tennessee river, after that they were led north to the Ohio river, and finally got to Canada where they will be free.
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May 18th, 2009 at 7:01 am
I watched the video “Follow The Drinking Gourd” and it told me the basics of how the slaves followed the drinking gourd to acheive their freedom in Canada.
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May 18th, 2009 at 7:05 am
I just watched follow the drinkin gourd: using the science of astronomey in history. I never thought the slaves were ever using astronomy during there journey to freedom.
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May 18th, 2009 at 7:05 am
I watched the video about slaves traveling by water. I never knew that a blood hound had such keen senses that it could detect you were their by your skin cells laying on the surface of the water.
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May 18th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I just wated the importancce of water ways in the succsess of the Under ground railroad. I never thought that the waterways were faster than traveling on foot the only bad thing was the blood hounds could still track them down.
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May 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am
I watched the video about slaves getting food and also about horticulture. It shows that white men were not only the smart ones, slaves knew what plants would cure what kind of injury or illness.
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May 18th, 2009 at 7:16 am
I just watched Slaves and the Use of Horticulture Along the Underground Railroad. I never knew the slaves had to somtimes hunt for there meals during there trips.
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May 19th, 2009 at 7:13 am
I just watched The Science Behind the Maps of the Underground Railroad and learned many things I learned that the women would make quilts to exprees themselves and they would use them as codes, they would also make many others as codes.
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May 19th, 2009 at 7:16 am
I just watched Navigating to Freedom With the North Star and learned some interesting things like, that astrounts use the North star in the shuttle and other things.
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May 21st, 2009 at 7:05 am
I just watched Exploring and Preserving the Underground Railroad With Modern Technology. I learned that scientists are learning how to protect the underground railroad.
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May 21st, 2009 at 7:11 am
I just watched Archeological Research and the Underground Railroad Today and learned… archeology are gathering information about the Undergroud railroad.
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May 22nd, 2009 at 5:57 am
Follow the Drinking Gourd: Using the Science of Astronomy in History
This video taught me that Underground Railroad slaves relied a lot on astronomy. They would follow “the Drinking Gourd” or as we like to call it, “the Big Dipper” to freedom in the north or to Canada. The Big Dipper’s bowl pointed to the North Star which was located on the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. The slaves would follow the North Star because it always pointed to the north. This constellation was very important and helped many slaves to be freed.
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May 22nd, 2009 at 5:58 am
The Importance of Waterways in the Success of the Underground Railroad
This video taught me a lot about how the slaves relied on the geography of the land they traveled on. Bayous, caves, forests, and swamps all helped the slaves to travel or hide. Rivers were a help because they were a natural trail to follow toward the north and freedom. But it was very dangerous to actually travel in these rivers because blood hounds could smell the slaves’ skin cells that were left on top of the water. In the video it also mentioned that the way to freedom was routed near the water for a very good reason, slaves could go faster when they traveled by boat or other water vessel.
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May 22nd, 2009 at 5:59 am
Blog Post #3- Slaves and the Use of Horticulture Along the Underground Railroad
I think it’s interesting that slaves knew so much about making medicines and food out of the plants that were available during their long journey north. This knowledge had been handed down to them from generation to generation. The slaves could only carry so much food with them while they were on the run so they often foraged, hunted, or stole from farms and gardens along their way north. They relied a lot on the plant life along the Underground Railroad for not on food but also medicine. They used many dried herbs and plants to make teas that used as remedies to many physical symptoms.
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May 22nd, 2009 at 6:04 am
Blog Post #4- The Science Behind the Maps of the Underground Railroad
This video taught me that there were 4 main slave routes of the Underground Railroad and that even though slaves didn’t know some very important things like how to read and write, they brought their culture and a lot of different knowledge with them. Some of their knowledge included how to grow different foods and herbs and how to identify certain constellations and stars. Abolitionists helped teach slaves a code that was stitched into quilts. A few examples of these patterns are the monkey wrench meant to gather any materials or tools they needed for their journey. The second pattern was called the wagon wheel and this alerted the slave community to put together all the tools and materials they would need in a wagon. And the third stitched message were the tumbling blocks that meant that the slaves had to box up, pack up, and leave.
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May 22nd, 2009 at 6:04 am
Navigating to Freedom With the North Star
In this video I learned that the North Star never changes position in the sky so it a very reliable source if you are lost at sea or even on land. All the other stars move and revolve around the North Star. The North Star is so reliable that NASA astronauts use the star to align the onboard navigational systems on the space shuttle. The slaves followed this star, which is located in the Big Dipper (The Drinking Gourd) because it always points to the north, which pointed to the direction of their freedom. This star was a very important navigational tool then and still is now.
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May 22nd, 2009 at 6:05 am
Exploring and Preserving the Underground Railroad With Modern Technology
This video taught me about how much effort is going into the exploration and preservation of the Underground Railroad. People are using geographical information, aerial photography, Global Positioning Systems, and Satellite imaging just to know more about the history of the Underground Railroad. People are using Landsat data to see the land’s topography and the land’s terrain to get a better understanding to the type of land that the slaves traveled on. Using all of the modern tools available including GIS and through archaeologists, historians, and other scientists, there is great progress being made in discovering the Underground Railroad’s location, roots, and conditions.
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May 22nd, 2009 at 6:06 am
Archeological Research and the Underground Railroad Today
This video taught me all about archaeology. It talked about one college archaeology class in particular that was looking to see if there was an actual tunnel leading from a building at Adrian College to one of it’s present day fraternity houses. The tunnel they found was made during the time period around the time that the Underground Railroad was could have been used as an escape/hiding tunnel. In the video about archaeology, Ann Sherman states, “Some of the time you brush and dig and nothing comes out. Other times you’ll find some things.” Ann Sherman also talks about how exciting it is when you actually find an artifact from long ago.
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May 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I wachted the Navigating to Freedom With the North Star While constellations constantly shift positions in the night time the North star though stays still and everything else revolves around it. When the slaves were stolen from thier homes and bought to North America they could still see the stars.
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orjefferson Reply:
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
sorry mr.mundorf itis brought to north americn I forgot the R
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May 23rd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I just watched the importance of water ways is a sucssess in the underground railroad. I learned that the slaves went near the Tombigbee river, to then get to the Tennessee river, after that they were led north to the Ohio river, and finally got to Canada where they will be free.
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May 23rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
This video taught me that Underground Railroad slaves relied a lot on astronomy. They would follow “the Drinking Gourd” or as we like to call it, “the Big Dipper” to freedom in the north or to Canada. The Big Dipper’s bowl pointed to the North Star which was located on the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.
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May 23rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I watched The Science Behind the Maps of the Underground Railroad and learned many things I learned that the women would make quilts to exprees themselves and they would use them as codes, they would also make many others as codes.
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May 23rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I just saw the Horticulture along the underground railroad Sometimes the slaves would have to forge food along the way they would also raid plantations and farms for food. They rely on plant life too not just for food but medicine also. They know how to make medicine from plants because before they came to America they brought with them old America knowledge of horticulture
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May 23rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
The imformation on the Exploring and preserving the Underground Railroad. I found out that today advanced technologies are being used to preserve the Underground Railroad for generations to come. Geographic information and global positioning systems aerial photography and satellite images used to locate Underground Railroad sites and routes throught the United States.
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May 28th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Follow the Drinking Gourd: Using the Science of Astronomy in History.
It said that slaves that wanted to escape had to rely on astronomy to make their way to Canada were it is free. They had to follow the Drinking Gourd which is the Big Dipper and the North Star that led them to Canada.If they do the will soon be freed.
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May 28th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
The Importance of the Waterways in the Success of the Underground Railroad.
If the slaves sung “Follow the Drinking Gourd”, that would make them follow the Tombigbee River which is one of the escape routes in the Underground Railroad. It would lead to the Tennessee River which leads to the Ohio River which also leads to the Free states. Traveling on water is faster because boats and rafts take them across faster then going on foot. But blood hounds can smell the skin cells that is on the surface of the water.
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May 28th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Slaves and the Use of Horticulture Along the Underground Railroad.
It talked about how slaves had to carry an amount of food so it won’t slow them down while on the run. So they can’t just eat at safe houses. So instead they hunted and pilfered from farms and gardens. They used some plants for food and medicine incase some slaves get sick. Even though they traveled in the winter the plants were still in good use. But their remedies are still good for even good use today.
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May 28th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
The Science Behind the Maps of the Underground Railroad.
There were 4 main routes in the Underground Railroad. There was the north, east, south, and west. Some abolitionists helped slaves learn how to read the code of stitched quilts. There were different varieties and designs of patterns on the quilts. Some were the monkey wrench the wagon wheel and the tumbling blocks. The monkey wrench meant to get materials and tools and such for the journey. The wagon wheel meant to tell slaves to get materials and tools for a wagon. And the last were the tumbling blocks which meant to box up, pack up and get out of there.
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May 28th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Navigating to Freedom With the North Star.
This video told me that slaves also relied on the North Star to lead them to freedom. Everything shifts in the night sky except for the North Star. Everything revolves around it. It stays put and never shifts. To the slaves and others it is a navigation tool. Different parts around the world think of a story or picture or even legends that the stars of the Big Dipper and the North Star make.
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May 28th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I watched the one about the quilt making with the patterns. All of the different ideas were so creative. I really thought the wagon wheel was probably most creative of the ones that they had shown because who would ever guess that it meant to put the tools they had needed in a wagon? I wish i had a blanket with the box pattern. I though that was like an optical illusion kind of pattern. It looks cool.
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May 28th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
When i saw the one about the drinking gourd I was interested. I remeber when Mr.Carper talked to us a little bit a bout the north star. I was really interested at the part where the pictures where flashing in the background of all the different ways cultures and religions see the big dipper. I was very interested and can’t wait until I watch the next video.
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May 28th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
When i saw the video that talked about preserving the area and watching it, I never new technology could go that far. The technology amazed me in the video.
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May 28th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
It is neat that they are letting the children use archeology class hands on for underground railroad studies. I wish i can do that and I hope scientists can find out more about the underground railroad.
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October 6th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I remember doing that.
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