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Follow the Drinking Gourd

 

            "Follow the Drinking Gourd" was the refrain to a very important song. Not everyone recognized the true meaning of the refrain but those who did knew that they were going to get help and were one step closer to freedom. The Underground Railroad was abolitionists" secret aid to help escaping slaves. This system would give slaves a chance to a start a new life. Volunteers who helped them gave them somewhere to stay and something to eat. .
             The plantation which the Prentiss family worked on was located in Mobile, Alabama. Mary was just eleven years old when she was already picking cotton six days a week. Her brother, Samuel, and her Mother were doing the same. Before this all happened, Mary's father had already escaped from the plantation which his family was working on a couple years back. One night, Mary heard singing coming from outside; she became suspicious and went to check it out for herself. As she got closer, the singing became clearer and finally she saw a man with a long beard. He was an agent for the Underground Railroad and his name was Peg-leg Joe. But all Mary knew was that he kept on singing "Follow the Drinking Gourd". When she got back to the place where her Mother was staying at, Mary told her about Peg-leg Joe and Mary told her what the old man was singing. Her Mother told her to be quiet and said "think not sing". .
             Mary went back to Peg-leg Joe and he told her to follow the North Star and follow the Ohio River and there will be someone with a boat waiting for their arrival. When she turned around and looked back at Peg-leg Joe, he was gone. A night after this all happened, Samuel, Mother, and Mary were ready for their journey. Before the three of them followed the North Star, they stopped by another plantation. Mary got the slaves attention by playing the song of the quail. For a few moments, no one showed up, later, an old African American man brought a sack of food to Samuel and Mary.


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