In the book, Harriet Tubman the Road to Freedom, Catherine Clinton writes about the struggles and hardships Harriet Tubman faced in her early life as a slave. Clinton writes about Tubman’s journey to freedom and how she became the Moses of her people, as well as how Tubman played a major role in the United States Civil War. Catherine Clinton majored in African American studies, at Harvard University. Clinton decided to write about Harriet Tubman because she felt that Harriet Tubman was an important figure that needed to be recognized. Clinton felt as if she needed to give Harriet Tubman her overdue credit. The book explains that Harriet Tubman is estimated to be born around the years 1815 and 1825 in the state of Maryland. Since there is no official record of her birth, there is no exact date and place of birth, so it is estimated. Harriet Tubman was born to Harriet Green and Bejemin Ross, a slave couple. Although many people know her as Harriet Tubman, her birth name is Araminta Ross. Tubman was also one of eleven children, however there is not much information on all of her siblings. It is believed that two of her older sisters were taken away by slave coffle, when Tubman …show more content…
Brodess often lent her to other families, in compensation for her labor. The first time Tubman was lent to another family, she was only five and was lent to Mrs. Susan. Tubman’s task was to care for Mrs. Susan baby as well as do domestic shores. Since Tubman was a child herself it was extremely difficult for to take such responsibilities and complete the tasks. Thus she was beaten consecutively and severely, for not being able to do her job well. Eventually, Tubman was sent back to her family in very poor conditions. Another time, Tubman was sent to work with a man named James Cook. Cook would send her to fetch muskrats from traps. While in his care, Tubman became sick from measles and was sent back to her
The death of her master in 1847, followed by the death of his young son and heir in 1849, made Tubman's status uncertain. Amid rumors that the family's slaves would be sold to settle the estate, Tubman fled to the North and found freedom. But when there, in Philadelphia, she grew terribly lonely. She worked for the year and saved her money, determined to bring "her people" to freedom, as well. In 1850 Harriet helped her first slaves escape: her sister and her sisters two children. That
Harriet Tubman was among the greatest fighters for justice in her time and was an inspiration to others to fight for what they believe in, but she along with many others who fight experienced it themselves. When she was younger, “She knew that her brothers and sisters, her father and mother, and all the other people who lived in the quarter, men, women and children, were slaves. At the same time, someone had taught her where to look for the North Star, the star that stayed constant, not rising in the east and setting in the west as the other stars appeared to do; and told her that anyone walking toward the North could use that star as a guide. She knew about fear, too. Sometimes at night, or during the day, she heard the furious galloping of horses, not just one horse, several horses, thud of the hoofbeats along the road, jingle of harness. She saw the grown folks freeze into stillness, not moving, scarcely breathing, while they listened. She could not remember who first told her that those furious hoofbeats meant the patrollers were going past, in pursuit of a runaway. Only the slaves said patterollers, whispering the word” (Petry). Living with her family as a slave, she learned all the things she needed to know to do her job in the future as the conductor of the Underground Railroad, she learned about the North star, and she learned about how you should not get caught by the patrollers. Perturbed by the thought of the fate of her family and her future, she escaped to Philadelphia but “Rather than remaining in the safety of the North, Tubman made it her mission to rescue her family and others living in slavery via the Underground Railroad” (Biography.com editors). She made it her mission to save others and take
Most would have stayed up north once they escaped to freedom, not Tubman. Tubman continue to serve others who are still living as a slave. As a fugitive slave her self, she put herself in great danger by breaking the law by assisting other slaves escape. Over 10 years, she managed to travel to Slave States over 19 times and managed to lead over 300 slaves to freedom. Some of which included her entire family. (PBS, n.d) On her third return, Tubman
For about ten years, she made an estimated 19 trips into the slave states and helped about 300 slaves to the north. Tubman was in great danged while she was a conductor of the railroad, because southerners offered a huge reward for her capture. Tubman used great disguises, posing as old men and old women, to avoid suspicion when traveling in slave states. She carried sleeping powder to stop babies from crying and always had a gun just for protection.
Harriet Tubman was a second generation slave born in the 1820s in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was born a slave. Her birth name was Aramita Ross, her nicknames were Minty, Moses, and Moses Of Her People. She was one of eleven children in her family. Her parents were Harriet Green, nicknamed “Old Rit” and Benjamin Ross. They were believed to be full blooded African Americans, Ashanti West African war people. Harriet’s owner, Edward Brodas, was a plantation owner and often rented Harriet out to neighboring families. At age 7 she was sent to take care of a baby, she tried to eat a sugar cube, but got caught, she ran and hid. After a few days hunger got the best of
Harriet Tubman is a woman of faith and dignity who saved many African American men and women through courage and love for God. One would ponder what would drive someone to bring upon pain and suffering to one’s self just to help others. Harriet Tubman was an African American women that took upon many roles during her time just as abolitionist, humanitarian, and a Union Spy during the American civil war. Her deeds not only saved lives during these terrible time’s but also gave other African Americans the courage to stand up for what they believe in and achieve equal rights for men in women in the world no
Tubman was weak and frail in her however she became a strong woman, at five foot tall. She was even stronger than some men. Hard labor at a young age made her mind res resilient and her body was stronger. She was hired by a man named John Steward.
Harriet Tubman was born as Araminta Ross in 1820 or 1821, on a plantation in Dorchester County, Buckton, Maryland, and the slave of Anthony Thompson. She was one of eleven children to
(Harriet Tubman was originally born Araminta Ross and then later changed her first name to Harriet, after her mother.) In 1849, Tubman ran away in fear that she, along with many other slaves on the plantation were going to be sold off. Harriet Tubman left on foot. Luckily, Tubman was given some assistance from a white woman, and was able to set off on her journey to freedom. Tubman used the North Star in order to find her direction during the night, slowly inching her way to Pennsylvania. Once Tubman had reached Pennsylvania, she found a job and began to save her money. The following year after arriving to Philadelphia, Tubman returned to Maryland and to lead her family to freedom. Among the people she took was her sister and her sister’s two children. Tubman was able to make the same dangerous trips months later back to the South to rescue her brother and two other men that her brother knew. On Tubman’s third return to the South to rescue her husband, she found that he had found another wife. Undeterred by her husband’s actions, she rescued other slaves wanting freedom and lead them Northward.
When Tubman’s master died in 1849 she escaped with her two brothers fearing that they would be sold and further separated from her
Even though, Tubman discontinued making trips to the south and also discontinued working in the union army she was still helping guarantee rights for blacks. After returning to Auburn, New York she married Nelson Davis and lived in a home on South Street. After settling down there, Tubman helped Auburn to remain a center of support of women rights. She also built as wooden structure that served as her home for the aged and indigent. There she worked and was
Araminta Ross( Harriet Tubman) was born in Maryland to Harriet Greene and Benjamin Ross. As a child she was a slave. She would help plant tobacco. She hated her life as a slave. As she got older, she was hired out (sold) by Master Brodas to Mrs. Susan. One day while Mrs. Susan and her husband were quarreling, Minta (Araminta) stole a lump of sugar and Mrs. Susan saw her. Mr and Mrs. Susan chased Harriet for a couple minutes until they gave up. Minta hid in a pig pen fighting other pigs for food for a couple days. She soon got very hungry and had to go back. She was whipped very hard by Mr. Susan and got sent back to Master Brodas's plantation. One day when Minta went into a store she saw and oversee trying to whip up a slave. He told Minta to help him tie the slave, but she said no. Then the slave escaped. The oversee tried to through a weight at the slave, but the weight missed the slave a hit Minta in the
As a nurse, she made a remedy she had learned while she lived in Maryland which helped save a numerous amount of people that suffered from dysentery. Tubman also offered her services to soldiers and newly freed slaves in South Carolina. As a spy, she would disguise herself as an old woman and wondered the streets of many towns under Confederate control. As Harriet Tubman wondered, she would encounter many people who were still enslaved. The slaves she encountered “willingly provided a wealth of information concerning troop placements and supply lines” (Harriet Tubman c. 1820 – 1913). Apart from her regular work as a spy, during one occasion, Tubman joined Colonel James Montgomery “in an assault on several plantations along the Combahee River” (Harriet Tubman: Underground Railroad “Conductor”, Nurse, Spy). During this mission, she helped over seven-hundred people gain their freedom. Harriet Tubman’s assistance during the Civil War contributed to the victory of the Union and resulted in the abolishment of slavery. Although the victory of the Union did not completely establish equality, it was a major step forward toward equality. Because of this, Americans in today’s society do not live segregated by law, are seen equal by the law, and the practice of slavery is no longer
James A. McGowan and William C. Kashatus the authors of Harriet Tubman :A biography focused on telling the remarkable story of Harriet Tubman the biography tells the story about her early years as young Arminta Ross, how she escape slavery, her duties as the Underground Railroad Conductor, and her roles in the Civil War. I feel like the authors purpose of writing this books was to educate and inform readers about the times of Harriet Tubman and what she had to endure and also to give a understanding on why Harriet Tubman is so legendary amongst the time she lived and why she still is today.
Secondly, Tubman was courageous. She escaped the harsh slave owners alone while only knowing very little about the underground railroad. It would take amazing bravery to leave knowing the consequences of being found. Yet, she did it alone while she was fairly young. Getting to the north didn’t stop her bravery, for she would put her life on the line many more times in her