What Was The Name Of The Quilted Pattern Used In The Underground Railroad?

Sharon Tindall uses a historical pattern made up of triangles and rectangles called Flying Geese. I asked Tindall what the Flying Geese quilt pattern meant and how it assisted runaways on the Underground Railroad. “Flying geese are blue; the sky is blue, red and black,” she responded. “Follow the geese flying north.

How quilts were used in the Underground Railroad?

• Quilts of the Underground Railroad. Quilts of the Underground Railroad describes a controversial belief that quilts were used to communicate information to African slaves about how to escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

Did Underground Railroad use quilts?

Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad. Quilts with patterns named “wagon wheel,” “tumbling blocks,” and “bear’s paw” appear to have contained secret messages that helped direct slaves to freedom, the pair claim.

What is the Underground Railroad quilt code?

A quilting pattern often overlooked in today’s society is the Underground Railroad quilt code. Used during the time of abolition and the Civil War, this visual code sewn into the pattern of quilts readied slaves for their upcoming escape and provided them directions when they were on their way to freedom.

What does the Monkey Wrench quilt pattern mean?

Monkey Wrench: A signal to gather all the tools required for the fleeing slave’s journey, meaning the physical tools, as well as the mental and spiritual ones. Drunkard’s Path: A warning signal to take a zigzag route to elude pursuing slave hunters and their hounds that are in the area.

Who made underground railroad quilts?

But historians note that the sole source for that story was one woman— Ozella McDaniel Williams, a retired educator and quilt maker in Charleston, S.C., who recounted for Tobin a family tradition that had been passed down to her through the generations.

Where did patchwork quilting originate?

Evidence of many more quilt works were found in Europe throughout time and many, though described as obviously beautiful works, were usually made to be used. One of the earliest decorative quilts made in the 14th century is the Tristan Quilt. Made in Sicily, it is one of the oldest surviving quilts in the world.

What is the oldest quilt pattern?

The Crazy Quilt is probably the oldest of quilt patterns. Early quilters used any scrap or remnant available, regardless of its color, design, or fabric type.

What’s Harriet Tubman’s real name?

The person we know as “Harriet Tubman” endured decades in bondage before becoming Harriet Tubman. Tubman was born under the name Araminta Ross sometime around 1820 (the exact date is unknown); her mother nicknamed her Minty.

What was the quilt theory?

Quilts of the Underground Railroad describes a controversial belief that quilts were used to communicate information to African slaves about how to escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. It has been disputed by a number of historians.

How many quilt codes are there?

“They could feel or sense light through their struggle of trying to get to freedom.” Prior to 1999, the codes were unheard of even to the African American quilting community. That’s according to Marsha MacDowell, a quilt scholar and director of the Quilt Index, a massive online catalog of more than 90,000 quilts.

What does the Bear Paw Quilt symbolize?

The Bear’s Paw quilt was hung to encourage Underground Railroad passengers to follow bear excrement on the path. That way they would be able to find water and food.

What is Shoo Fly Quilt?

Made of half-square triangles at the four corners of the block instead of squares, the Shoo-Fly block is a simple quilt block that was often used to teach young girls the basics of quilt design and construction.

What does the Log Cabin mean in the Underground Railroad?

A Log Cabin quilt hanging in a window with a black center for the chimney hole was said to indicate a safe house. Underground Railroad quilts, a variation of Jacob’s Ladder, were said to give cues as to the safe path to freedom.

How old is quilting?

The history of quilting, the stitching together of layers of padding and fabric, may date back as far as 3400 BCE. For much of its history, quilting was primarily a practical technique to provide physical protection and insulation.

What is the Freedom Quilt?

It is believed that quilts were designed and used to communicate information to African slaves about how to escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad. Slaves named these quilts… Freedom Quilts.

Did slaves make quilts?

Slaves made quilts for the plantation family, sometimes under the supervision of the plantation mistress, but WPA interviews attest to the prevalence of quiltmaking in the slave quarters for their own use as well. Some slave seamstresses became highly regarded for their skill.

Underground Railroad Quilt Codes: What We Know, What We Believe, and What Inspires Us

“How can I construct a psychologically plausible plantation?” Whitehead is said to have pondered himself while writing the novel. As he explained to theGuardian, rather of portraying “a pop culture plantation where there’s one Uncle Tom and everyone is just incredibly nice to each other,” the author preferred to think “about individuals who’ve been traumatized, brutalized, and dehumanized their whole lives.” For the remainder of Whitehead’s statement, “Everyone will be battling for the one additional mouthful of food in the morning, fighting for the tiniest piece of property.” If you bring a group of individuals together who have been raped and tortured, that’s what you’re going to get, in my opinion.

Cora was abandoned as a child by her mother, who appears to be the only enslaved person to have managed to escape Ridgeway’s clutches.

who had been broken by the labor in ways you could see and in ways you could not see, who had lost their wits,” as Whitehead describes them—and Cora is played by Mbedu (center).

Amazon Studios / Atsushi Nishijima / While attending a rare birthday party for an older enslaved man, Cora comes to the aid of an orphaned youngster who mistakenly spills some wine down the sleeve of their captor, prompting him to flee.

Cora agrees to accompany Caesar on his journey to freedom a few weeks later, having been driven beyond the threshold of endurance by her punishment and the bleakness of her ongoing life as a slave.

“It’s a really hazardous, risky option that people have to choose carefully,” he continues, noting that those who managed to flee were subjected to terrible punishment.

According to the book, Cora’s sexual assault was “sewed up” by the Hob ladies, which is heartbreakingly concise in its portrayal.

Although not every enslaved women was sexually mistreated or harassed, they were always under fear of being raped, abused, or harassed, according to the report.” As a result, they had to deal with that reality.” A free Black man named Royal, played by William Jackson Harper of “The Good Place,” saves Cora from the clutches of the slave catcher Randall.

1. She believes that conductors and runaways “may be betrayed at any time, in circumstances that are out of their control.”.
2. “What a world it is.
3. She was not free on the property, but she did walk about its acres, smelling the air and following the paths of the summer stars as she went.
4. She was free of her master here, but she slunk around in a warren that was so small she couldn’t stand up straight.

In his words, “if you have to talk about the penalty, I’d prefer to see it off-screen.” This book may have stayed with me for too long because I’ve read it so many times that it has left a lasting impression on me.” And while it may be vital for folks who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand this, my.

“There are better ways to depict the horrors and agony of captivity than via the medium of film.” Jenkins, the director of the streaming series, discussed his approach to the project with the New York Times earlier this month, and how it addressed Crew’s reservations.

I’m curious as to how they’re reclaiming their lives.” Activism Historiography of African Americans Black History Museum in Washington, D.C.

History of the United States of America True Story was used to inspire this film. Books Fiction about the Civil War Racism SlaveryTelevision Videos that should be watched

Quilts of the Underground Railroad – Wikipedia

Describes a contentious concept that quilts were used to relay information to African slaves about how they may escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad, as described in Quilts of the Underground Railroad. A lot of historians have expressed their disagreement with this claim.

Books that emphasize quilt use

In her book, Stitched from the Soul (1990), Gladys-Marie Fry asserted that quilts were used to communicate safe houses and other information about the Underground Railroad, which was a network of “conductors,” meeting places, and safe houses that ran through the United States and into Canada, facilitating the emancipation of African Americans from slavery and into freedom. Historiologists, on the other hand, are divided on whether quilts and songs were used to spread information about the Underground Railroad.

Ozella McDaniel Williams provided the inspiration for the book, telling Tobin that her family had handed down a narrative for centuries about how quilt designs such as wagon wheels, log homes, and wrenches were used to help slaves travel the Underground Railroad.

It began with a monkey wrench, which signified the need to gather all of the essential goods and equipment, and concluded with a star, which signified the need to travel north.

Tobin noted in a 2007 Time magazine article: “It’s distressing to be attacked while also being denied the opportunity to commemorate this remarkable oral history of one family’s experience.” I have no clue whether or not it is totally valid, but it seems sense given the quantity of research we conducted.” “I believe there has been a tremendous lot of misunderstanding concerning the code,” Dobard stated.

When Jackie and I wrote the book, we set out to suggest that it was a collection of directions.

“In Africa, there is a long-standing history of secret organizations controlling the coding of information.

If you want to discover the deeper meaning of symbols, then you need to prove worthy of knowing these higher meanings by not informing anyone,” she stated. The foreword of Hidden in Plain View was written by Wahlman.

Response

Giles Wright, a specialist on the Underground Railroad, claims that the book is based on legend that has not been corroborated by any reliable sources. He also stated that there are no quilting codes mentioned in any memoirs, diaries, or Works Progress Administration interviews done in the 1930s with ex-slaves that have been discovered. Quilt historians Kris Driessen, Barbara Brackman, and Kimberly Wulfert do not subscribe to the premise that quilts were used to transmit messages about the Underground Railroad, as claimed by certain historians.

1. Well-known historians did not feel that the idea was correct and could not see any relationship between Douglass and this viewpoint.
2. Blight “At some time, the true stories of fugitive slave escape, as well as the far bigger story of those slaves who were never able to flee, must take precedence over fiction as a primary focus of educational endeavors.
3. Despite this, there are museums, schools, and other organizations who think the narrative is factual.
4. Using the quilts as an example, he compares the code to the phrase in ” Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” in which slaves intended fleeing but their owners believed they were going to die.

See also

• Cecelia Pedescleaux is a quilt scholar and quilter who specializes on the Underground Railroad.

References

1. Celeste-Marie Bernier and Hannah Durkin are two of the most talented people in the world (2016). Across the African Diaspora, artists have created artworks that depict slavery. pp. 76–77, published by Oxford University Press. Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard (ISBN 978-1-78138-267-7) are the authors (1999). Quilts and the Underground Railroad have a secret history that has been kept hidden in plain sight. Doubleday Publishing Company, New York, N.Y., ISBN 0-385-49137-9
2. Abc Stacie Stukin is a woman who lives in the United States (2007-04-03). “Unraveling the Myth of Quilts and the Underground Railroad” is a book on quilts and the Underground Railroad. TIME. The original version of this article was published on April 29, 2007. Obtainable on January 23, 2013
3. Abcdef Noam Cohen is a writer and musician from New York City (January 23, 2007). Douglass Tribute is a work in which Slave Folklore and Fact collide. The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City. ISSN0362-4331. Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman (Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman, eds) (September 5, 2016). Chester, New York, was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the Adirondacks. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-62585-701-9
4. Reynolds, Glenn (2007). “quilts.” Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-62585-701-9
5. Reynolds, Glenn (2007). “quilts.” According to Junius P. Rodriguez (ed.). The Slave Resistance and Rebellion Encyclopedia is a resource for those interested in the history of slave resistance and rebellion. Pages 407–409 in Greenwood Publishing Group’s book. 978-0-313-33273-9
6. Abcd
7. ISBN 978-0-313-33273-9 Andrew Bartholomew is a writer and poet (February 1, 2007). “Prof. Douglass debunks the Douglass myth.” The Yale Daily News is a daily newspaper published by Yale University. Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman (Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman, 2017)
8. Retrieved on March 19, 2017. (September 5, 2016). Chester, New York, was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the Adirondacks. Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated, p. 127, ISBN: 978-1-62585-701-9
9. ISBN: 978-1-62585-701-9 Barbara Brackman is a writer and editor who lives in New York City (November 5, 2010). FactsFabrications-Unraveling the History of QuiltsSlavery: 8 Projects – 20 Blocks – First-Person AccountsFactsFabrications-Unraveling the History of QuiltsSlavery: 8 Projects – 20 Blocks – First-Person Accounts C T Publishing Inc., p. 7, ISBN 978-1-60705-386-6
10. AbFergus M. Bordewich, p. 7, ISBN 978-1-60705-386-6
11. (February 2, 2007). “History’s Tangled Threads” (History’s Tangled Threads). The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City. ISSN0362-4331. 30 April 2012
12. Retrieved 30 April 2012
13. Diane Cole is a woman who works in the fashion industry (2012). “Were Quilts Used as Underground Railroad Maps? – US News and World Report” (Were Quilts Used as Underground Railroad Maps?) usnews.com. 30th of April, 2012
14. Retrieved

Sources

• Brackman, Barbara (1997)Quilts from the Civil War: Nine Projects, Historic Notes, and Diary Entries, ISBN1-57120-033-9
• Burns, Eleanor
• Sue Bouchard (1997)Quilts from the Civil War: Nine Projects, Historic Notes, and Diary Entries, ISBN1-57120-033-9 (2003). The Underground Railroad Sampler is a collection of short stories about the Underground Railroad. Isbn 978-1-891776-13-7
• Cord, Xenia (Quilt in a Day) (March 2006). “The Underground Railroad” is a term that refers to a network of tunnels and passageways that connect cities to the rest of the world. Patchwork is really popular right now.14 (3). Fellner, Leigh (2010) “Betsy Ross redux: The quilt code.”
• Frazier, Harriet C. (2012) “Betsy Ross redux: The quilt code” (1 July 2004). Runaway and freed Missouri slaves, as well as those who assisted them, were documented between 1763 and 1865. McFarland & Company, Inc., p. 168. ISBN 978-0-7864-1829-9. Rice, Kym S., et al., eds., retrieved on April 30, 2012. (2011). 978-0-313-34944-7 (World of a Slave: A-I). ABC-CLIO, p. 390. ISBN 978-0-313-34944-7 (World of a Slave: A-I). Turner, Patricia A., et al., eds., retrieved 30 April 2012. (2009). The book Crafted Lives: Stories and Studies of African American Quilters by Shelley Zegart is available on Amazon (2008) Shelley Zegart debunks the myth of the African American Quilt Scholarship and the technique behind it. Pages 48–56 in Selvedge, (ISSN 1742-254X) Issue 21 (Jan/Feb 2008), published by the University of California Press.

Fact or Fiction: Were Quilts Used As Secret Codes for Slaves on the Underground Railroad?

The symbols that are employed in quilting have a convoluted or unknown background, which makes them very interesting. They are now recognized as the designs that distinguish antique quilts as unusual and one-of-a-kind. However, there are many who have long assumed that the symbols employed in quilts of the South during slavery were really utilized as secret signals for slaves fleeing on the Underground Railroad, and they are correct in their assumption.

The majority of specialists now wonder whether this truly occurred. Former slave, whose identity is unknown, was photographed in the 1930s. courtesy of the Library of Congress

The Underground Railroad

An underground railroad network of abolitionists – both black and white – who assisted enslaved people in their attempts to escape through a network of safe homes and shelters was known as the Underground Railroad (UR). The Underground Railroad was backed by two major religious groups, the Quakers and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, from its inception in the late 1700s and continuing until the passage of the first of the Fugitive Slave Acts in 1793, when it was established. The Underground Railroad, as depicted in an 1893 picture, may have looked somewhat like this.

What if the most unobtrusive method to accomplish this goal was to hang a quilt out on the line?

The Quilt Code

Many people believe that specific quilts were employed as symbols during the Underground Railroad era, as evidenced by the publication of Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad in 2000 by authorsJacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard. In the film Hidden in Plain View, which is based on interviews with elderly African American quilter Ozella Williams, it appears that the narrative of how symbols were used to lead escape slaves is told. The monkey wrench design is one of the patterns that is thought to have had significance for enslaved people traveling on the Underground Railroad.

1. The wagon wheel, drunkard’s path, and tumbling blocks are some of the other designs that have been incorporated in the quilt code as well.
2. Via/Flickr One theory is that the seamstress of a plantation would instruct the other slaves on the meaning of the quilt symbols and then put up the quilt symbols that were pertinent to impending travels, such as when a conductor was about to arrive in the area.
3. It was believed that the presence of a black square in the middle of the log cabin quilt was an indicator of the presence of a safe home.
4. courtesy of Wikimedia Commons However, there is very little strong evidence that these patchwork symbols were employed in this manner during the time.
5. Some of the folklore includes some unexplainable anomalies, such as the bear’s paw design, which is difficult to explain.
6. In any case, using this path would have taken significantly longer and been significantly less direct, increasing the likelihood of getting apprehended.
7. The pattern of the bear’s paws.

It doesn’t matter what you believe: quilts from the nineteenth century are some of the best ever produced, and the accomplishments of people who traveled via the Underground Railroad are some of the most brave this country has ever witnessed.

The Jacob’s Ladder Pattern Became the Underground Railroad Quilt

Rarely do we come upon a quilt pattern that has only one name. This pattern has been referred to by various names. Jacob’s Ladder, Underground Railroad, Road to California, Off to San Francisco, Gone to Chicago, Stepping Stones, and Trail of the Covered Wagon are just a few of the many titles available. 1 All of these names have one thing in common: they all refer to a journey to a certain location. It’s entertaining to speculate about what could have inspired these names. Whether it’s a leisurely stroll through the garden on stepping stones, or the long trek west in a covered wagon, there’s something for everyone.

Faith that is inspired by the Bible and that is uplifting When Marie Webster published the first known book on quilting in 1915, she described the Jacob’s Ladder pattern as follows: “The bold and rather hefty design known as ‘Jacobs Ladder’ is a good example of a patchwork quilt.” A black and white photograph of this design was displayed with the text “One of the most stunning quilts with Biblical names,” she explained.

2 Quilts were frequently given biblical names during a time when reading the Bible every day was an important part of family life.

In fact, she mentions in her commentary that the colors were blue and white, which is the same as this one.

In 1929, another author, Ruth Finley, published a book on quilting that was later reprinted.

3However, according to Barbara Brackman, a contemporary quilt historian, no example of a quilt in this design that was manufactured before the beginning of the twentieth century has been identified.3 We must remember that throughout the first half of the twentieth century, quilt history was often romanticized, and individuals did not yet have the rules for conducting effective quilt history research that we have now.

The Underground Railroad: A Tribute to the Underground Railroad It was Finley who was the first to explain that the same pattern was referred to as the Underground Railroad in some circles.

In any case, given that Finley grew up in Ohio, it is possible that she was exposed to accounts of this pattern in connection with the state’s role in aiding fugitive slaves.

Nonetheless, as a historian, I’ve discovered that there are no known quilts in this pattern that date back to the time of the Civil War or even earlier, to the decades before the War, when the Underground Railroad was in full bloom.” In the 1860s and 1870s, quilts like as the one on the right were prevalent.

1. 4 It’s possible that the Underground Railroad motif developed from this older pattern.
2. Its historical value is not diminished as a result of this.
3. 2004 is the year of the eagle.
4. Please accept our thanks for granting us permission to display the quilt at the top of this website on your behalf.
5. References: p.
6. “Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them” by Marie Webster, page 95, figure 14.

Ruth Finley’s “Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them” appears on page 71. p 4 p 17 p 20 p “Quilts from the Civil War: Nine Projects, Historic Notes, and Diary Entries” by Barbara Brackman is a book on quilts from the Civil War. Websites: Jacob’s Ladder Quilt Block Pattern – Free Download

Were Quilts Used as Underground Railroad Maps?

Fact, fiction, legend, or a mix of all three: that is the question. Possibly, fugitive slaves looked to handcrafted quilts deliberately placed by members of the Underground Railroad for hints about their whereabouts. This continuing issue made headlines earlier this year when it was announced that a memorial to Frederick Douglass in New York City’s Central Park will feature two inscriptions relating to the code. Historians were outraged, and they were outspoken. According to Giles Wright, head of the Afro-American History Program at the New Jersey Historical Commission, there is no evidence for such a code to be in existence.

1. The tale of the quilt key, on the other hand, remains firmly above ground.
2. Tobin and Raymond G.
3. But historians highlight that the single source for that narrative was one woman—Ozella McDaniel Williams, a retired educator and quilt maker in Charleston, S.C., who recounted for Tobin a family history that had been passed down to her through the years.
4. Depending on the pattern, an apparently benign quilt placed on a porch or fence or hung in a window might indicate to slaves on the plantation to make ready to flee (Monkey Wrench pattern), head north (North Star pattern), or zigzag to throw off pursuers (the Drunkard’s Path pattern).
5. Because it was risky to discuss about fleeing, Wilson explains that the quilt code was kept secret.
6. However, according to Fergus M.
7. The usage of a quilt has never been mentioned by anyone, black or white, at any point in time.
8. Quilt historian Barbara Brackman points out that there is a great deal of evidence that slaves did make quilts, and that abolitionists sewed quilts to earn money for their antislavery efforts.
9. Tobin is of the opinion that her book has been misconstrued.
10. She adds that “we make it plain that this was solely Ozella’s account,” as well as the fact that such codes “couldhave” been used in this manner and on only one specific crop.

As Tobin points out, “we’re not talking about hundreds or thousands of people who are utilizing this code.” “The plot has developed in unexpected ways that we did not anticipate.”

History of underground railroad quilts, african quilts

The quilts of the underground railroad have an interesting history, which you can read about here. Although there is no written record of the codes that may have been present, historians have discovered some trustworthy evidence in documented verbal testimonies that demonstrate the significance of the quilts in aiding slaves on their journey to liberty.

Harriet Tubman and The Under ground Railroad

Harriet Tubman is widely recognized as the founder of the Underground Railroad, which assisted thousands of slaves in their escape from southern plantations during the mid-nineteenth century. However, what is less widely known is the fact that quilts were used to guide slaves to freedom in the northern states during the Civil War. Quilt designs included a complicated system of codes, and those attempting to flee learned how to read the codes as they made their way down the Underground Railway’s path.

Because the majority of black people who were confined in slavery were unable to write or read, it was vital to devise a straightforward method of delivering the information.

The quilts may include information about which road to go, where a safe place could be found, and/or where to contact individuals who would be willing to provide food and shelter for a night or more.

Among the countless songs, dances, and gestures that slaves had created were some that carried signals and information that were critical to their survival.

Forming landscape quilts to guide

Many thousands of slaves were aided to escape from southern plantations by Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad during the mid-nineteenth century. Quilts, on the other hand, were used to guide slaves to freedom in the northern states, a fact that is not often recognized. Quilt designs included a complicated system of codes, and those attempting to flee learned how to read the codes as they made their way down the course of the Underground Railway. Abolitionist sympathizers were frequently assassinated or their homes and estates were destroyed, as was the case in many parts of the country.

Quilts were used to transmit messages to fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad in an almost undetectable manner.

The codes included in handcrafted quilts, of course, were not the only ones that might lead a person to liberation from slavery.

Because of this, they were able to develop plans and communicate with one another without having to worry about the slave owners and overseers finding out what they were up to.

Log cabin quilt patterns

The Star, the Monkey Wrench, and the Crossroads were among the designs that were supposed to have direct significance for persons traveling on the Underground Railway system. There are three further patterns that are said to have included crucial directions and signals for fleeing slaves. These are the Tumbling Blocks, Bear’s Paws, and Wagon Wheel motifs. An indication of where to locate food was provided by the Nine Patch pattern, while the Log Cabin design in a quilt provided information about shelters that were available to those who needed it.

1. Having a blue center on the Log Cabin design might indicate that the pattern is associated with a safe haven.
2. A quilt’s role in our history has been rather intriguing, since it has had a purpose other than simply being decorative and keeping us warm.
3. We know what we know, we believe what we believe, and we are inspired by what we have learned about the Underground Railroad quilt codes.
4. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may get a commission on the sale.

Underground Railroad Quilts Contained Codes That Led To Freedom

Each patch has a set of instructions sewn on it. Others were there to restock supplies, some were there to track bear prints, and some were there to take diversions. A presentation of the Underground Quilts by the Riley Center Quilters was held on Tuesday evening at the Birmingham Public Library Central Branch. Others quilts were enormous, some were little; some were completed, some were not; but all included instructions on how to emancipate oneself from the bonds of servitude. Daphne Simmons, a member of the Riley Center Quilters, explained that quilts were utilized as codes since they were the only method of communication available.

• “There was a code, an unwritten code.
• Simmons went into detail about the significance of each patch on her quilt.
• It was written on the quilt, “This block contains an alternating route of dark and light that denotes direction,” and that specific quilt instructed slaves in which direction they should move: north, south, east, or west.
• “It’s a tool in the same way that a genuine monkey wrench is,” Simmons explained.
• This patch represented the period of time during which they would need to gather the tools they would use on their trip north to freedom.
• The capacity to determine the intents of strangers, according to Simmons, comes from “knowledge and experience.” She spoke into detail about the block with the wagon wheel.
• As a result of the restricted weight and space available, they had to carry things that were vital for survival.
• It was pointed out by Simmons that the spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” made reference to a wagon wheel.

According to her, it is a “secondary coding pattern.” “The song was generally chanted in conjunction with that block because plantation owners believed that slaves were singing about joining Jesus in Heaven.” They were in fact transmitting a secret message.” She explained that they were supposed to follow the carpenter’s wheel to the northwest.

1. In order to avoid being eaten by a bear, “you would follow their paws and their trail.
2. According to her, “following those bear paws, they’ll also be guided to food and water.” “Animals will lead you in the right direction.” Basket A basket indicated that the runaways would resupply their provisions at a secure location.
3. A major crossroads occurred in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, as Simmons explained.
4. I’m traveling to see someone in another city and rely on Google Maps to get there.
5. Running away to a shoofly for clothes is something that may happen.
6. “There would be sailors on hand to assist you in across the river and entering Canada, where the North Star (the next block away) would shine brightly with your independence,” says the author.
7. “There were some northern states that empathized with slaves, and there were some northern states who were opposed to it,” she explained.
8. Lesson in Learning Many people, including Miriam Omura, who was in attendance, found this seminar to be a valuable learning experience.
9. She gained a better understanding of the symbols that were utilized on the Underground Railroad.
10. “It was nice to learn about even more of the ones I was unaware of,” says the author.
11. “It makes me want to create one,” Gross expressed interest in doing so.

“I’m still new at quilting; I’ve only been doing it for about nine months. I’ve only made one so far, and I’m now working on my second. In this experience, I learnt something that I don’t believe I would have learned otherwise,” Gross added.

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The following is an excerpt from the book “Hidden in Plain View” by Raymond Dobard:” Some consider this quilt, which has a “Evening Star” design on it, to be a secret code that slaves used to navigate their way to freedom through the Underground Railroad. While researching a family legend that messages encoded in quilts assisted slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad for their book Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad (Random House), Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard had no idea that their hypothesis would spark controversy from scholars who declared it false.

For Tobin, a writer and educator, “Hidden in Plain Viewis the tale of one woman’s family,” says the book’s title character, Ozella McDaniel Williams, who she met in a Charleston, South Carolina market in 1994 and who told her about the codes that she had never heard of before.

With no historical evidence to support Williams’ claim, Tobin enlisted her friend Raymond Dobard, a quilter and art history professor affiliated with Howard University, to assist her with the research and writing of the book, which is now in its sixth printing and has sold more than 200,000 copies to date.

Although I am unsure as to whether or not it is fully valid, the quantity of research we conducted leads me to believe it is.

As he points out, “the Underground Railroad is filled with inaccuracies and disinformation, and this is just one more case where someone stumbles across folklore and believes it to be genuine.” Historians like Wright are working hard to correct the record whenever the opportunity presents itself.

1. In their belief, this is a myth analogous to George Washington cutting down the cherry tree, and they spend pages and pages on websites denying it.
2. Even more recently, quilt historian Barbara Brackman wrote her own book, Facts and Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts and Slavery (C T Publishing), in which she attempted to provide what she believes to be an accurate appraisal of slavery, quilts, and the Underground Railroad.
3. Approximately 6,500 students from local schools have visited the exhibit, which demonstrates the thesis of the patchwork code.
4. In addition, the narrative has appeared in lesson plans and textbooks (TIME For Kidseven published an article aboutHidden in Plain Viewin a middle school art book published by McGraw Hill in 2005).
5. Although some people, such as Anna Lopez, an education coordinator at the Plymouth Historical Museum, believe that the concept of quilt codes is a fabrication, others, like as Lopez, believe that it is a true story.
6. Men are the ones who do it.
7. Then I inquire as to who produced the quilts.
8. Who knows what happened since no one wrote down their history.” Activist and photographer Roland Freeman, who has been photographing and documenting African American quilters for almost 30 years, offers a different view on why the subject has gained so widespread attention.
9. We’re sending messages and symbols right under the noses of white people, and they haven’t even realized it.
10. As a result, we are inclined to accept such stories because they are what we want to hear.” Laurel Horton, a folklorist and quilt historian who has taught and published papers on the quilt code, has stated that she has given up on attempting to dispel the idea about the code.
11. “This entire situation has made me realize that it is not a question of one group knowing the truth and another not.

In this case, it comes down to two separate sets of beliefs. It’s made me understand that believing doesn’t have much to do with accurate portrayal of the world around us. People have a gut feeling that something is real, and no one can persuade them differently in their heads.”

Underground Railroad Quilt

I recently discovered about the Underground Railroad Quilt, which is a fable or myth about how quilts were used to communicate with escaping slaves during the Underground Railroad era. Now, I’m not a quilter because I’m just too impatient. But I adore riddles and patterns, and I’m fascinated by how quilters transform bits of fabric into pieces of art using their imaginations, their hands, and their patience. In addition, quilts with hidden codes embroidered into them are quite interesting. Here’s a quick rundown of the past: Before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was a network of liberated slaves and abolitionists who worked together to provide slaves with hidden passageways, safe houses, and food as they made their way north to free states and Canadian territory.

• The act of teaching slaves how to read or write was also prohibited by law, making communication difficult and perhaps dangerous.
• Stories and songs told around a campfire at night were coded messages intended to educate them the symbols they would encounter on the path ahead of them.
• American-Historama.org (Click on the image to be taken to the source) Monkey Wrench – Collect the items you’ll need to travel, create a shelter, and protect yourself in the wilderness.
• Crossroads– This symbol represented Cleveland, Ohio, a place where various paths lead to liberty.
• Change out of your slave garments and into your freedmen’s attire.
• North Star – Pay attention to the North Star.
• Is it true or false?

The achievements of the Underground Railroad are nothing short of astounding.

Their efforts were impeded by rules that made it unlawful to aid fugitive slaves in their pursuit of freedom.

They put their livelihoods and, in some cases, their lives at stake.

Slave yet free at the same time.

There are two classes of people: the rich and the poor.

They provided slaves with the TOOLS they need in order to live.

They offered SAFE HOUSES as well as SUPPORT during the journey.

Today, we are confronted with a different, but no less destructive, form of slavery.

Slavery is against the law.

It is remarkable to reflect on the progress made in the movement to eradicate human trafficking, protect the vulnerable, and provide support to victims and survivors since the historic passage of Proposition 35/CASE Act, which was proposed by California Against Slavery and the Safer California Foundation in 2012.

And, most recently, the state budget included a recurring $10 million allocation for human trafficking services and support programs.

Dedicated public servants and committed service providers are working together in counties, cities, and communities across our state to provide public awareness campaigns, housing, transitional living support, health services, counseling, education, and legal assistance, as well as to expand services to underserved populations.

Let’s take a look back at the lessons learned in the past.

Work in a collaborative environment.

Follow in the footsteps of the survivors.

Provide life skills and education to those who need it.

Be fearless and forward-thinking.

and how to get in touch with them. This is a resource that is alive and breathing. We know that some of you may have been overlooked; thus, please submit your organizationshere. I’m honored to serve beside you. Ginger Shaw is a woman who works in the fashion industry.