11x06 - Follow the Drinking Gourd

[bunniefuu]

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

♪ Butterfly in the sky ♪

♪ I can go twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know ♪

♪ And ways to grow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can be anything ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Hi.

Have you ever seen
one of these?

Probably not.

They're shackles.


Of african men and women

Were kidnapped
and forced to wear these.

Then they were crammed
into cargo ships,

Like this one.

It was a cruel
and horrible journey.

People were packed
end to end, top to bottom.

This old drawing
of a sl*ve ship

Shows there was
no room to move.

Every space was packed
with human beings.

For months, there was
no fresh air, no sunshine.

Being in this place,

I can almost hear
the voices

Of my kidnapped ancestors.

[Coughing]

[Man]
it's so dark down here.

Hard to breathe.

Some of us are sick.

Some are dead.

I miss my family
and my village.

My home is gone
forever.

Once this boat stops,

I don't know
where I'll be

Or where I'll be going.

The sl*ve ships
landed in america.

African people
who were once free

Were sold as property
to the highest bidder.

Let the auction begin.

First, we sell one prime male.

What do I hear?

$500.





And 1,000.

Sold to the man
in the green waistcoat.

One of the worst things
about sl*very

Is that families
were separated.

Fathers, moths,
and children

Were oftentimes sold
to different people.

Here we have
a healthy baby.

What am I offered?

[Woman]
it's been years

Since they took
my boy.

Seems like yesterday.

These men come
to look on us,

Poking and prodding
like we was meat.

I pleaded, "please
don't take my child."

But they pay no mind
to my tears,

And my boy,
he look at me,

And I id,
"be good, child.

You be good
for your mama."

[Man singing]

Being a sl*ve meant
you had no freedom

To live as you wanted.

You were owned
by another person

And forced to do
the hardest, dirtiest work.

[Man]
we go to them fields

From sunup to sundown,

Tired and thirsty,

Sunday
your one day of rest.

Even then, you're at
the master's calling.

In spite of
the hardships,

Enslaved africans built
new families, new communities.

Traditions were kept alive.

Children learned the stories,
games, and dances

Of their people,

And always...

There was the music.

Music was the language
of their greatest joys

And deepest sorrows.

♪ Somebody's praying, lord ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ Somebody's praying, lord ♪

♪ Come by here ♪

♪ Oh, lord, come by here ♪

♪ Somebody needs you, lord ♪

♪ Come by here... ♪

Many bore the burden
of sl*very.

They survived
and built their lives

On the hope that their children
would be free.

♪ Come by here ♪♪

For others, the hope
of someday being free

Was not enough.

[Man]
I need to be free.

They say up north,

We can be free!

How can I escape?

[Crickets chirping]

The best way to escape

Was under cover
of darkness,

But how could they find
their way north at night?

They followed
the drinking gourd.

This is a drinking gourd.

Here's a bowl for water

And a handle
for dipping.

It looks just like...

That group of stars.

They were called
the drinking gourd

Because it looked like
water dippers.

You can see the bowl
and the handle.

There are
the two special stars

That help point
the way north.

Escaping slaves sang a song

About those stars
that led them to freedom,

A song called
follow the drinking gourd.

♪ When the sun
comes back ♪

♪ And the first
quail calls ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪

♪ For the old man
is a-waitin' ♪

♪ For to carry you
to freedom ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪

Story and pictures...

Long ago,
before the civil w*r,

There was an old sailor
called peg leg joe

Who did what he could

To help free
the slaves.

Joe had a plan.

He'd use hammer,
nail, and saw

And work for the master,

The man
who owned the slaves

On the cotton plantation.

At night,
when work was done,

He'd teach
the slaves a song

That secretly told
the way to freedom.

"Just follow
the drinking gourd," it said.

When the song
was learned,

Peg leg joe
would slip away

To work for another master

And teach the song again.

One day, a sl*ve called molly

Saw her man james

Sold to another master.

James would be
taken away,

Their family torn apart.

Just one more night together.

A quail called
in t trees that night.

Molly and james
remembered joe's song.

♪ When the sun
comes back ♪

♪ And the first quail calls ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪

♪ For the old man
is a-waitin' ♪

♪ For to carry you
to freedom ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪♪

They looked to the sky

And saw the stars.

Taking their little son
isaiah,

Old hattie,
and her grandson george,

Molly and james
set out for freedom

That very night.

They ran a night
through the fields

Till they crossed
the stream to the woods.

When daylight came,

They hid in the trees,
watching,

Listening for
the master's hounds

Set loose to find them.

But the dogs lost
the runaways' scent,

And they were not found.

They hid all day
in the woods.

At night,
they walked again,

Singing joe's song

And looking for the signs
that marked the trail.

♪ The riverbank makes
a very good road ♪

♪ The dead trees
will show you the way ♪

♪ Left foot, peg foot,
traveling on ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪♪

Walking by night,
sleeping by day,

For weeks
they traveled on.

They never knew
what lay ahead.

Sometimes, empty bellies
to sleep on.

Sometimes,
no stars to guide the way.

There was danger from men
who would send them back

And danger
from hungry beasts.

But sometimes,
a kind deed was done.

One day, a boy brought
bacon and corn bread to share.

Singing low,
they traveled on.

♪ The river ends
between two hills ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪

♪ There's another river
on the other side ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪

♪ When the great big river
meets the little river ♪

♪ Follow
the drinking gourd ♪

♪ For the old man
is a-waitin' ♪

♪ For to carry you
to freedom ♪

♪ If you follow
the drinking gourd ♪♪

They climbed
the last hill.

Down below
was peg leg joe,

Waiting at
the wide ohio river

To carry them across.

Under a starry sky,

Joe rowed them
across the river.

He told them
of hiding places

Where they would be safe--

A path of houses

Stretched like a train
on a secret track

Leading north
to canada.

He called it
the underground railroad.

It carried riders
to freedom.

The first safe house
stood on a hill.

The lamp was lit,

Which meant
it was safe to come.

The door opened to welcome
the freedom travelers.

They were rushed
to the barn,

For the farmers knew

There would be
sl*ve catchers near.

Peg leg joe
went back to the river

To meet others
following the drinking gourd.

The farmer
sent the travelers

To the next safe house.

[Horse neighs]

Here, they were led
to a secret room

Hidden behind shelves.

They rested

And healed their wounds.

Soft beds, full meals,
and hot baths

Washed away
some fear and pain.

When they were strong,

They traveled again
from house to house to house

On the underground trail,

Still following
the drinking gourd north.

At last, they came
to the shores of lake erie.

Molly, james, isaiah,
old hattie, and young george

Climbed aboard
the steamship

That would carry them
across to canada,

To freedom.

"Five moreouls are safe,"
old hattie cried.

They had followed

The drinking gourd.

Songs like
follow $he drinking gourd

Led the way north
for many slaves,

But music did more
than lead us to freedom.

It expressed joys
and sorrows,

Lifted our spirits,
and gave us hope.

♪ Freedom comin',
and it won't be long ♪

♪ Freedom ♪

♪ I said
I want freedom ♪

[Levar]
this is sweet honey in the rock.

♪ Freedom, freedom ♪

♪ Freedom comin',
and it won't be long ♪

♪ And I know
freedom comin' soon ♪

♪ Come a-freedom,
a-comin' ♪

♪ Freedom... ♪

Today, this group
of african-american women

Sings to keep alive
the songs of sl*very

And the spirit of freedom.

♪ Freedom comin',
and it won't be long ♪

♪ Come-a soon,
come-a soon,
come-a freedom ♪

♪ And it won't be long ♪

♪ Freedom comin',
and it won't be long ♪

♪ Freedom comin',
and it won't be long ♪

♪ Freedom comin',
and it won't be long ♪

♪ Come-a,
come-a, come-a ♪

♪ Come-a, come-a,
come-a, come-a ♪

♪ Freedom comin',
and it won't be long ♪

♪ Ho! ♪♪

When africans were
brought here as slaves,

We brought the tradition
of singing

As a part of everyday life
with us.

Music is something
they can't take away.

You have your voice
and feelings.

I don't think we'd
be here without music

To be able to express
how we were feeling.

If you think about songs
that make you feel good,

When you think,
"I can't feel worse today,"

Then a song comes to you
that makes you feel better--

That's exactly
what slaves did.

When you're sad,

Sometimes you sing--
even a sad song--

Then you feel better.

It gives you
strength to handle

Whatever you're
going through.

Music is
very important.

♪ There is a balm ♪

♪ In gilead ♪

♪ To make the wounded ♪

♪ Whole ♪

♪ There is a balm ♪

♪ In gilead ♪

♪ To heal ♪

♪ The sin-sick soul... ♪

[Singer]
balm in gilead

Is a spiritual.

Balm--b-a-l-m--
is a soothing ointment,

And it's a song that
talks about a place

Where there is hope,
there's soothing,

And there's healing.

♪ And then ♪

♪ The holy spirit ♪

♪ Revives my soul ♪

♪ Again... ♪♪

One of the things

That you hear
over and over

In songs created
during sl*very

Is that you must go on.

No matter what you face,
you go on.

If you find
that you are being controlled

Or enslaved
by someone else,

You're not free
to speak openly.

You can't say
what you want to say.

You have to find
other ways to do it.

A code song
is one familiar

To slaves
on the plantation.

It's a song containing
a secret message

To let everybody know
tonight is the night.

Listen for the next message
so we can escape to freedom.

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run... ♪

[Singer]
the song says run, mourner, run.

In this song,

The mourner stands for
a person in sl*very.

To tell that person

To run

Is to say,
"try to get away."

So run, mourner, run
is a way

The community is saying
go ahead, get away and escape.

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ You got to escape
for your life ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ You got to escape
for your life ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Sometimes
escape for your life ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ You got to escape
for your life ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪

♪ Oh, run, run,
mourner, run ♪

♪ Bright angels above ♪♪

Freedom means being able to
go where you want to,

Dress like you want,

Be with whomever
you want to be with,

Live where you want
without anybody stopping you

Or telling you what
you are allowed to do.

Freedom is your birthright.

Nobody can take it away.

You're born with it.

People can put you in here

Or try to stop you
from going there,

But if you know who you are
inside yourself,

Then you are free.

You're free.

You should never let anybody
tell you you're not.

sl*very ended
over 100 years ago,

But people still sing songs
and tell stories

About being free.

Here are three books
that celebrate freedom.

Hello.
I'm tierra cunningham.

Here is a joyful book

Full of wonderful songs
from black history.

It's called shake it to the one
that you love the best.

You'll be so surprised

At how many songs
you recognize.

There are short explanations

For all of the songs

On the sides
of the pages.

Some of the songs
are from sl*very times.

Short'ning bread is one.

I'm suryou've heard it.

I'll sing you
one more song from the book.

♪ Miss mary mack,
mack, mack ♪

♪ All dressed
in black, black, black ♪

♪ With sier buttons,
buttons,uttons ♪

♪ All down her back,
back, back ♪♪

You should sing along

With shake it to the one
that you love the best.

Hi. I'm elena.

Many years ago,

African americans
were forced to be slaves.

Some wanted freedom
so badly,

They risked their lives
to escape.

This is the true story
of a girl who did that--

Sweet clara
and the freedom quilt.

Sweet clara was a sl*ve
since birth.

She was taken from her mother
when very young.

Clara worked
in the fields.

It was really,
really hard.

Clara's aunt
taught her how to sew.

In the big house,
clara heard stories

About daring escapes
to freedom.

Clara made
her secret quilt.

It helped her remember
the stories she'd heard.

She used bits of cloth

To show lakes, rivers,
and houses.

The quilt was her map
to freedom.

I felt very touched
by this book

Because sweet clara was
so determined to be free.

I'm glad freedom belongs
to everyone now.

Hi. I'm matthew.

This true story
is called

A picture book
of harriet tubman.

She led her people
to freedom.

Harriet tubman was born
a sl*ve on a plantation.

Her life was very hard.

Harriet decided
to run away.

It was a dangerous trip,
but she was brave.

People who didn't believe
in sl*very helped her.

She made it
to the north

And freedom.

And she didn't
stop there.

She helped 300 people
escape from sl*very.

Harriet tubman
had many accomplishments

In her life.

She was one great lady.

If you want to read more,
check out this book.

sl*very is painful
to remember,

But in one of
the most difficult times

In our nation's history,

Brave people,
both black and white,

Risked their lives
to end something

Because it was wrong.

And from that
terrible time

Came an important part
of the legacy

Of african-american culture--

Courageous heroes,
inspiring songs,

And unforgettable stories
that all americans can share.

I'll see you next time.

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Yes, everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Well, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ What freedom is ♪

♪ What freedom is ♪

♪ And everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Yes, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ What justice is ♪

♪ What justice is ♪

♪ Well, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Well, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Well, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ What freedom is ♪

♪ What freedom is ♪

♪ Well, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Well, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Yes, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ What friendship is ♪

♪ What friendship is ♪

♪ And everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Every, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ Everybody ought to know ♪

♪ Yes, everybody
ought to know ♪

♪ What freedom is ♪

♪ What freedom is ♪♪

Today's reading rainbow
books are...

Follow the drinking gourd,

Stories and pictures
by jeanette winter,

Published by alfred a. Knopf.

Shake it to the one
that you love the best:

Play songs and lullabies
from black musical traditions,

Collected and adapted
by cheryl warren mattox,

With illustrations
from the works

Of varnette p. Honeywood
and brenda joysmith,

Published by warren-mattox
productions,

Distributed
by jtg of nashville.

Sweet clara
and the freedom quilt,

By deborah hopkinson,
paintings by james ransome,

Published
by alfred a. Knopf.

A picture book
of harriet tubman,

By david a. Adler,
illustrated by samuel byrd,

Published by holiday house.