During the time of slavery and Civil War the enslaved people were denied education and literacy. Harriet Tubman and other African American slaves used, Negro spirituals, a form of christian song of African American origin, which contained hidden messages, map routes, and codes as a strategy to communicate with slaves. Harriet tubman's usage of music for communication was a major key in history and a turning point for the African Americans during slavery and a stepping stone for their freedom during and after the Civil War. These songs later evolved into protest songs and also formed the roots of various musical genre and played a vital part in the development of American music.
“Through songs was how they communicated and it also became a way for them to talk to one another and became very important in the communication between slaves, especially as they were trying to escape and get to freedom. It was a way for them to communicate in songs where they couldn’t meet and conjugate while they were in fields working, it was the way for them to communicate to another and pass messages”
Gayle Lowery, American Descendant of Slavery(ADOS)
Source: Personal interveiw with Gayle Lowery.
Music and Slavery, April 07, 2019, slideserve.com
Video explaining how slave songs were used as a mode of communication.
"Harriet Tubman: They called her moses, | Dr. Eric Lewis Williams
Smithsonian Institute, April 26, 2020,"
Vision Video, Youtube.com