Next, an antebellum history north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Find out about the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, and the new emphasis on Cape May as a driving factor behind Tubman's daring rescues in the South.

- This is really wonderful because I think it's one of the least studied aspects of her life.

Discover this almost unknown aspect of the American Civil War Also, the melodies of freedom and the hidden messages in music sung by Harriet Tubman.

Drive By History starts now.

[Music] Made possible by the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the New Jersey Historic Trust, State of New Jersey.

And the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

We explore, cultivate, and champion the public humanities in order to strengthen New Jersey's diverse community.

Every day, thousands of motorists pass by countless history markers and say to themselves, One of these days I'm going to stop and read that.

One of these days I'm going to find out what happened and why it mattered.

Well, this is that day.

- I'm heading to a history marker that commemorates events associated with the ante- bellum South and the Civil War.

- So what's that marker doing here in New Jersey?

I'm Ken Magos, and this is Drive By History.

Today's investigation begins in Newark, New Jersey, located just a few miles west of downtown New York City.

In the 19th century, Newark was highly visible as a center of industry and opportunity.

However, at that same time, there was something stealth underway in Newark, something that was hidden from view, something that was kept underground.

- So here's the history marker, an homage to abolitionist Harriet Tubman and Newark's connection to the Underground Railroad.

- In this case, it's a sculpture titled Shadow of a Face .

- It's not your typical marker.

- Rather, it uses art to convey history.

- Not only does it commemorate the contributions of Harriet Tubman, but it also reminds us that important stories have been overshadowed by the giants of history.

- These stories are critical to the American experience.

These stories deserve time in the spotlight, too.

I'm off to find out more.

[Music] Harriet Tubman is a critical figure in the American narrative.

Yet until recently, she hadn't received the same emphasis as many other men and women in our history books.

To find out more, Im off to the Guggenheim Library, located in the former summer estate of Murry and Leonie Guggenheim on the campus of Monmouth University, where Drive By Historys Anthony Bernard is researching this history, not only what happened in the past, but in this case, how it impacts the present.

- Hey, Anthony howre you doing?

- Ken, how are you?

- Good to see you.

- Listen, I just came from a history marker in Newark.

- It's a sculpture called Shadow of a Face in Harriet Tubman Square.

- Now it's an homage to Harriet Tubman, but more broadly to all people who are less visible in the pages of history.

- Yes, underrepresented, that's how I'd say it.

- Now, I know the location.

- It used to be called Washington Park, and a statue of Christopher Columbus was removed as part of the big redesign.

- This picture shows the base after the statue was removed.

- You know, Ken, this kind of thing is happening all over the nation.

- Public spaces are being rededicated or renamed in an attempt to call attention to a wider range of histories.

- In this case, the park was rededicated in 2022.

- Now, we'd be remiss not to mention that there were residents who were opposed to the change, not opposed to a tribute to Harriet Tubman, but opposed to the location.

- Right.

- Ken, this park was dedicated in 1783.

- In 1783, the people of Newark were very aware of the sacrifices made to win independence.

- The park, of course, honored those events, current events at the time, but history now.

- And I have no doubt that was taken into account.

- Yet Newark opted to go forward with the change.

- Do we know why?

- Newark felt the change better served the people who live in this city today.

- And that takes us to more history.

- In the 20th century, Newark became a destination for African Americans who left the South during the Great Migration.

- Newark was something of a beacon, a place where African-Americans could not only survive, Ken, but thrive.

- We've talked about that history before.

- I'm thinking of Louise Scott, an African-American woman who left the South, arrived in Newark and became a millionaire.

- Exactly.

- As a show, Drive By History always strives to document and preserve histories of all kinds, even the difficult ones, preferring to address them honestly and open a dialog.

- Now, in this case, I can make an argument for wanting to make the change.

- The Shadow of a Face monument literally takes history off its pedestal and makes it more accessible.

- Yep.

I thought this was an interesting quote from Nina Cooke John, the monuments designer and architect.

She said, What I'm hoping for is for people to really connect with Harriet Tubman on a personal level and see her more as an everyday person who did heroic things.

- She added, They can walk around the monument, they can touch her face-- it can be something that they can be more connected to.

- The history becomes visceral.

- Both art and history are part of the humanities.

- Shadow of a Face uses art to make the history more human.

- Yeah, and I would also say that history can be elite and even antiseptic.

- And when it is, people lose interest.

- It seems that Shadow of a Face seeks to address that.

- Thats a great point.

In this case it helps make connections.

Theres a mosaic of tiles created by Newark residents and an audio installation narrated by Queen Latifah, who was born in Newark.

[recorded voice] As the Moses of her people...

It also features a circular learning wall where you learn about Harriet Tubman's life.

- Sounds like quite the experience.

- It is.

- Now, digging into the Harriet Tubman specifics, I feel obligated to add that it's not clear to me that there's a literal connection to Newark, although the scholarship suggests Harriet Tubman probably visited Newark.

- I can't find research that confirms that with certainty.

- And I'm glad you said that, because as a show Drive By History always tries to apply the rigors of academia to every topic that we cover.

- Now, do we know whether there's a direct connection with Harriet Tubman in New Jersey?

- Absolutely, and that's where the next leg of this investigation begins.

To find out more, Anthony sends me to the Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey in Cape May.

Located about 85 miles from Philadelphia, this seaside resort sits at the southern- most tip of New Jersey.

I'm greeted by Professor Deirdre Cooper Owens, Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut.

She tells me that Cape May has been a haven from the hot summer sun for well over a century and a half, making it a sought after stop on the Western and Redding Railroads.

She also tells me Cape May sits pretty far south, parallel to states below the Mason-Dixon line, making it a sought after stop on the Underground Railroad, too.

- So, Deirdre, let's start with the Underground Railroad itself.

- Now, I know that Colson Whitehead wrote a Pullitzer Prize- winning book that talks about the railroad as being an actual railroad.

- I know that's not really the case.

What is the Underground Railroad?

- What a great question.

So the Underground Railroad is not underground, a train, any of those things.

- Often people will be confused by, by the name.

- Yeah.

- It was a loose network of safe houses.

- That's how we would describe it today.

The concept is as old as the practice of slavery itself.

However, it wasn't until the first half of the 19th century that an organized network of hiding places was actually called the Underground Railroad.

- So why do we call it a railroad then.

- Well, it's called a railroad because the railroad was the most apt metaphor to use.

- If we think about the leader, that person acts as a conductor and you have stops just like a train.

- Like Stations.

- Right, like stations, right.

- And in fact, many of those, those stops would be called stations on the Underground Railroad.

Railroads were a relatively new form of transportation at the time, forward in both motion and concept.

And as we make our way to the front porch, I think maybe the metaphor is no accident.

- So I'm curious with the folks who were pursuing the escaped slaves have known that it wasn't actually a railroad?

- They would have known it wasn't a railroad.

- I mean, these people were smart.

- And so they were savvy enough to be able to understand that it might have been coded language.

Coded language will become a defining attribute of this history.

Take, for example, the use of standard railroad terminology by the Underground Railroad.

A slave was a passenger.

A safe house was a station.

The homeowner, a station master.

And the organizer who collected and then led slaves from place to place, was called a conductor.

Harriet Tubman was among the best known conductors on the Underground Railroad.

She rescued about 70 people total across 13 missions.

- So let's get into some specifics.

- What's Harriet Tubman's connection to Cape May?

- This is really wonderful because I think it's one of the least studied aspects of her life.

Harriet Tubman escaped slavery herself in 1849, fleeing from Dorchester County, Maryland, to Philadelphia.

Shortly after her arrival, however, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

It compelled the North to return escaped slaves to the South or face significant consequences.

Though a somewhat similar law had been passed more than a half century earlier, it had less bite and wasn't always enforced.

The new law emboldened slave catchers and incentivized those in power to rule against suspected runaways.

As a result, big cities were not safe for Harriet Tubman.

The odds of being spotted were just too great.

- Harriet Tubman comes to Cape May in 1852, and she comes to Cape May from Philadelphia.

From Philadelphia, Harriet Tubman could have gone anywhere By this point in American history, pockets of New England provided sanctuary for escaped slaves, regardless of the law.

It would have made sense for Harriet Tubman to go north, but she didn't.

She went a little south, and that was no accident.

- Harriet Tubman is strategic, as she is really smart.

- She has her ear, kind of, you know, tapped to the street, so to speak.

- And so she understands that there is a network of abolitionists who live in the area, who vacation in the area.

Living among abolitionists would certainly have its appeal.

But there was more to it.

[Music] In Cape May, Harriet Tubman did not stand out.

- Most of the working staff at these very fancy hotels, and the rich families, they employed African-Americans.

- And so she would have blended in as just another black service worker or domestic worker.

- Can you imagine having Harriet Tubman serving you - No.

[laughter] - your meal?

- And people don't even know who she is.

The social climate combined with the ability to blend in would seem like more than enough.

But Cape May held an even greater appeal.

In Cape May, Harriet Tubman could earn good money, - And she's helping to finance her own effort.

- She is helping to finance her own efforts.

- She was able to save in one summer enough money to free nine enslaved people.

- Wow.

We rarely think about the abolition movement through the lens of finance.

It's an overlooked aspect of the history.

- A lot of people don't link the financial need of abolitionists.

- You have to buy food.

- You have to think about clothing, medicine, making sure that your gun stays loaded, that you have enough gunpowder or bullets.

On top of all that, there was yet another reason why Cape May beckons to Harriet Tubman.

It was a city on the water.

Immediately to the west of Cape May, right across the bay, were slave states.

Harriet Tubman had to be seeking information, and with mariners and merchants coming through the port of Cape May all the time, information had to be coming in all the time, too.

- She understood waterways.

- She often was in communication with people who worked on the docks.

- She could gain a lot of information from black sailors who served as crew members on ships that were coming back and forth from the North and the South.

News from the South was particularly coveted, especially in the decade before the Civil War.

And it wasn't just Harriet Tubman who was looking for that information.

Many people in Cape May were keeping an ear to the ground.

At the time, New Jersey had a complicated relationship with the pro-slavery South.

[Music] - So let's talk about the sentiment here in New Jersey.

- I know that, you know, for instance, slavery is not just a Southern phenomenon.

- What was the sentiment in this area?

- So it is interesting because New Jersey shares this complicated relationship with the border state of Delaware.

- Many people are often shocked to learn that Delaware was a state that had slaves.

- And so, you know, Delaware, as we know, also borders another state that was a slave state, which is Maryland.

- And so its close proximity to both those places makes it unique.

In other words, although New Jersey was home to many abolitionists, it was also home to many people who were not.

We often talk about New Jersey as the crossroads of the American Revolution, but at least on this point it could also be called the crossroads of the American Civil War, too.

- Did Cape May remain a friendly place for those slave owners at this time?

- You know, it did.

All told, its proximity to slave states, its location on the water, its social climate and its economy make Cape May the perfect place for Harriet Tubman at this time in her life.

As we step inside the museum, Deirdre tells me about the legacy of Harriet Tubman, that she became known as the Moses of her people, and that her reputation became larger than life, which is almost ironic considering she was really quite small.

- And she's all of 5 feet tall.

- All of 5 feet tall.

- so she can blend in and actually listen in on conversations without being noticed.

- That's right.

- Harriet Tubman's connection to Cape May provides surprising insight into this remarkable woman's life.

In her lifetime, Harriet Tubman became one of the nation's most admired abolitionists, as well as one of its most persecuted.

- I mean, there are want ads for her.

- She is, outside of Frederick Douglass, one of the countrys most well-known fugitive slaves.

We have few written records from Harriet Tubman, in part because she didn't know how to write or read, for that matter.

However, after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman emerged as a public figure as well as a public speaker.

As a result, we do have records of what she said.

- So there's a remarkable quote by Harriet Tubman thats on the wall here in the museum.

I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say -- I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.

- It's so amazing.

Harriet Tubman's amazing legacy, in part, stems from clever strategies she employed while working the Underground Railroad.

And some of those strategies might have their origins in Cape May.

While attending to wealthy newspaper publishers who were on summer holiday in Cape May, Harriet Tubman might have learned that Sunday was a day of rest for printers.

As a result, she staged many of her rescues on Saturday evenings, knowing ads offering rewards for those escaped slaves wouldnt run until Monday.

It gave her a head start.

Also, in Cape May, there would have been an emphasis on the extended daylight of summer.

Wanting just the opposite for her missions, Harriet Tubman planned most of her rescues in winter when the nights were longer, providing a few additional hours of cover.

- Another reason that Harriet Tubman was able to say that she never ran her train off the track involves something that I personally find interesting: music.

[Music] And that aspect of my investigation takes me to Madison, New Jersey, to the campus of Drew University where I meet Music Department Chair Professor Trevor Weston.

He's made a study of the ways in which Harriet Tubman relied on music to help freedom seekers escape.

- So how did Harriet go about using music to further her mission with the Underground Railroad?

- Well, as you know, it was very dangerous work.

- Yes.

- And how do you communicate with people when you could potentially endanger their lives, or her own life?

- Yeah.

- So the one way that she could communicate with people was through song.

At the time, singing was somewhat commonplace.

Music is certainly popular today but in the 19th century almost everybody would sing in one way or another.

It was just a part of daily life.

- So singing a hymn walking down the street was not strange behavior.

In this case, Harriet Tubman would sing specific songs to communicate that she was taking passengers , so to speak.

- She's walking through the woods at night singing a hymn.

- No one knows who she is.

That's just someone walking, singing a hymn.

- I think it was, Oh Hail, Ye Saints .

According to the scholarship, this song telegraphs that its safe to come out of hiding.

It's hardly obvious and illustrates the great lengths Harriet Tubman would go to to avoid detection.

- To people who work on the railroad, they knew that's the hymn that she sings, so she's signal, signaling to them.

The song choice was deliberate, and, like so much else Harriet Tubman did, strategic.

It's a hymn, essentially a prayer set to music.

It's not a spiritual which is associated with the African community.

- That's important.

- She wasn't bringing any attention to herself.

- She was singing a hymn that other people sang.

- And I think it's ingenious because anyone might be walking through the woods singing a hymn.

- But those hymns are popular music.

You're learning them every Sunday, you, yeah, just like we would listen to the radio now.

- Exactly.

Exactly.

Now, you might be thinking, eventually wouldn't someone figure out the code?

That had to be a concern for Harriet Tubman as well because, according to the scholarship, she sang different songs at different times.

- And when she got closer, she would sometimes sing, Go Down, Moses.

- And they knew that that was the code.

[♪ When Israel was in Egypt land ♪] This song is a spiritual and likely familiar to Tubman's passengers.

The scholarship suggests Harriet Tubman would change the lyrics, telegraphing if it was safe to come out...or not.

The thought here is that if it was not safe, the altered version would be very noticeable to someone from the African community.

Essentially, it was a song with a hidden message.

- So, she definitely used spirituals that had coded messages.

- Okay.

- In fact, most spirituals have coded messages.

- That's just how the black community communicated.

- Exactly how people found out that they should show up at a specific place, which was called a station, Im not sure.

- Could have been through song.

- It could have been word of mouth.

Certainly the information was passed along in secret.

It might have been whispered in a language other than English, or it might have been communicated non-verbally in ways that had been part of African culture for centuries.

- There are things called field hollers and cries.

- If you wanted to communicate to someone way over there in the field, you might just do a kind of vocal utterance.

- There are things called religious moans.

Perhaps all of these forms of communication were used in one way or another.

Scholars don't really know exactly, but the system of communication was certainly sophisticated.

That's an aspect of this history that resonates with Trevor Weston.

- How do you, if you're in a, oppressed in a society, how do you communicate without other people knowing?

- Well, then you come up with ways of speaking that people are unaware of.

On a side note, the idea of having coded language in music endures to this day.

- You can hear it in rap music.

- You can hear it in rock and roll.

- You can hear it in rhythm and blues.

- You can hear it in soul music.

- It's so much a part of the culture because it's how people communicate.

- Right, and you also mention that a lot of slang will come out of that.

- And as soon as it becomes popular with the general public, we change it.

- So something in the black community thats very common is that when a way of speaking which is connected to the community becomes national, people move away from it.

- I remember when I was a kid, only people who listened to hip hop knew what the bomb meant or dis meant.

- Now it's just common language.

- We should keep that in mind when we're listening to this music today.

- Yes, we should, definitely.

[Music] As the day draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the Shadow of a Face sculpture in Newark's Harriet Tubman Square.

As we said, it's intended to help people connect to Harriet Tubman, to draw her story out from the shadows and into the light.

However, that's not as easy as you might think, and something I discussed with Deirdre Cooper Owens in Cape May.

- When you're researching these people's lives and I'm talking about formerly enslaved folks, they're not writing down their stories.

- Some of them are not literate.

- How are you going about piecing their lives together?

- It is difficult to write about people who don't leave written histories.

- So what you do as a scholar when you're sitting in some dusty archives, kind of trying to piece together the fragments of their lives, you take what has been written about them, and you try to create a composite from that.

Those fragments include the music that signaled Harriet Tubman was coming through and that she was taking passengers, the newspaper ads taken out by slave owners offering rewards for runaways, the interviews conducted after the Civil War by authors who documented personal recollections, and, as I discovered today, you can also learn a lot from a location.

- And so that becomes, I think, another missing link that can bridge together the Cape May larger history to an abolitionists history that brings together both white and black historical subjects.

- Right.

See you next time.

[Music] Made possible by the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the New Jersey Historic Trust, State of New Jersey.

And the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

We explore, cultivate, and champion the public humanities in order to strengthen New Jersey's diverse community.