The Road to Freedom is Lined with Quilts

It’s 1850 in the Deep South.

The intense sun beats over endless fields of crops, dotted with human bodies drenched in sweat, finding strength enough to make it through another day in a seemingly eternal routine of suffering. 

Those humans dotting the plantation fields were slaves, and this was the life of oppression and hardship that they were desperate to escape.

But what’s a person with little resources, education or spare time to do to change their situation?

For many during the 1850’s, it was to plot and carry out an intricate, life threatening escape via the Underground Railroad. 

The trip was arduous, taking at least 9 months to complete, all done on foot through rugged wilderness. Escaping slaves had to deal with the constant fear of losing their way, not having enough water, or worse - getting caught.

The escape required a complex level of resources and people working together to ensure the freedom of hundreds of slaves.  

The Underground Railroad relied on simple, yet clever ways of communication between a largely illiterate slave population and numerous people who put their own safety at risk in order to serve the greater good.

One of the most crucial methods of communication and learning for the slaves was what are referred to as the “Freedom Quilts.”

In a presentation on Sunday at the Eastern Branch Library, author and Civil War re-enactor Trish Chambers led the audience on a journey through one of the most important periods in American History.

The “freedom quilts” were quilts made with special patterns that contained secret messages to aid the slaves in escaping from their masters.

The quilts were a typical style of blanket during that time period, so it was not outside the norm to see slaves using or making quilts. This allowed for a type of communication that didn’t arouse suspicion from the masters. 

The patterns that decorated the quilts were passed down through the generations and stemmed from the African tradition of recording their histories and family stories.

Each pattern was a type of code or symbolism that slaves could easily learn and memorize.  The order in which they appeared formed a type of sentence that provided directions to guide them on their escape and journey to freedom.

At Sunday’s presentation, Chambers shared a replica of a quilt made by a former slave named Ozzela Williams. 

Each pattern represented a different phrase or “clue” that a slave would follow to get to the Underground Railroad or to help them along the way once they had started their long trek through the wilderness.

The quilt directed slaves to take only the tools they needed; both physically and mentally. One of the most important “tools” they would need was mental resolve to make it through the daring escape.

Other symbols helped identify a “safe house,” a place where abolitionists hid and helped slaves along their journey. A safe house was usually found every 5 to 25 miles in a staggered path along the Underground Railroad. 

The quilt messages also urged them to “follow the bear paw path,” or rely on nature to take them to food, water and safety. 

It advised them of the importance of knowing where the “crossroads” were, in other words, to know when they had officially crossed the Mason Dixon Line into free territory.

The Underground Railroad was an essential part of American history which helped approximately 100,000 slaves find their way to freedom.

Those who helped along the way were both male and female, came from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, and crossed generations.  It was a testament to what the “true” American spirit was: a helping hand for those in desperate need of freedom.

To find out more about Trish Chambers Productions, please visit http://trishchambersproductions.com/