is follow the drinking gourd a true story?

Perhaps. However, even though there may have been a Drinking Gourd song out in the field it doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a Peg Leg Joe. Many songs are based upon real people. There are also songs that are based on characters made up of multiple characters. To make it clear, I reviewed twenty-years worth of minutes taken from the New England Anti-Slavery Society as well as various Society ledger books. H.B. I discovered. Parks’s great uncle Dr. Harris Cowdry was Vice President 1840-1848. However, it’s not clear if there is any trace of a peg leg sailor. I would love to discover the old salt hidden in some slave narrative or primary source document. Please send any Peg Leg Joe sightings my way – they would be very welcome indeed! Jeani Crowe edited this article on July 25, 2021. [2]

Ashlee Cobb from followthedrinkinggourd.orgThis article explains the role of the Drinking Gourd in civil rights and folk revival movements in the 50s and 60s, as well in current elementary school education. Much of the Drinking Gourd’s enduring appeal derives from its perceived status as a unique, historical remnant harkening back to the pre-Civil War South – no other such map songs survive. Many questions can be raised when we reexamine the Drinking Guourd song in terms of history and folklore. The Drinking Gourd, as it’s is finding in approximately 200 recordings and dozens of songbooks along with many other sources, certainly not “traditional.” Lee Hays wrote the signature chorus line, “for old man is waitingin’ for you to liberate,” eighty years after slavery ended. Civil War. (1) (last modification 32 days ago, Termaine Herbert of Kiev, Ukraine). [3]

The pros at followthedrinkinggourd.orgThere has been speculation (1) that this song is a clever invention for many decades. None of the other map songs survived to this day. Parks’s description is all that remains. There was no evidence at all of another song that could have been written. North Carolina To Kentucky from Texas. The song was not found on its native territory in Alabama. Local song collectors as well as outsiders extensively searched Alabama for the information. It is possible that one folklorist hears the song three times in an area of almost 100 thousand acres, but no other person has it. It is the first example I’ve seen of drinking gourd being used as a coded synonym to the Big Dipper. This is not what I had found in the slave testimony or period newspapers. Last revised by Valentine Ritchie, Bujumbura Burundi on 89 Days ago [4]

It is clear that large numbers of slaves from South Carolina could not cross into Ohio via Paducah. According to Professor Hudson, 600-800 slaves escape annually through Kentucky. Most of these slaves were born in Kentucky, while 10%-20% were from Tennessee or other parts. Let’s suppose that 50% of the 20 percent came from Tennessee. 25% were from Alabama and 25% from somewhere else. This would mean that 40 slaves came from Alabama each year to cross Kentucky. Let’s assume that only 5% of those individuals reached Paducah. This table shows the average annual escapee from Alabama, not just from Mobile. It is approximately two. We are grateful to Peter Grubb (India), for sharing this information. [5]

Patric Guthrie reports at publishersweekly.comPeg Leg Joe, a former slave, travelled to plantations across the country, in an effort to assist the owners. Then he hired himself as a farmhand and taught the slaves songs to help find the Underground Railroad going north. He followed the Big Dipper’s “drinking gourd” instructions. His signa foot was marked on rocks and trees. The story of five slaves that made it to Canada thanks to the stars and Peg Leg’s sign as well the support of Quakers, farmers and others is told. It is written in simple, poetic language (and the words of the song), with dramatic illustrations that have the primitive perspective and high-quality text. The figures’ expressiveness perfectly captures the terror, fear and hope that drove people to run for their freedom. This book can be enjoyed by older children as well, thanks to its clear language that is appropriate for preschoolers. Ages 5-9 (Nov . ) Modified by Alice Reed, Makhachkala (Russia) on January 20, 2021 [6]