Agriculture in Art
Aaron Douglas
Harriet Tubman, 1931 by Aaron Douglas
Harriet Tubman was famous before the Civil War for leading African Americans out of slavery and into freedom in Canada, where the Fugitive Slave Law held no power. Douglas's painting is dedicated to Tubman and her accomplishments. A series of circles expands from the figure of Tubman outward—stretching Tubman herself forward and backward through history. On one side, bowed by the weights they carry, enslaved black Americans trudge up a hill toward Tubman. Tubman herself has her arms raised, breaking the chains that bound her. Though her eyes face back, her stride is forward, leading people onward. Ahead of her is the joy of freedom. There one man holds a hoe, symbolizing the freedom to farm independently.