Araminta Ross was born into the world on 1819 in Dorchester Maryland. Oblivious to the world around her, she was going to be born into a life of slavery. Her name was the first names of her parents, and she was descended from pure African ancestry. Her years as an infant passed very quickly, and those days of playing were now far behind. As soon as Araminta turned 6, her life changed very quickly. The days were now only for brutally hard work, and she was whipped and forced to sleep and work in the bitter cold of winter, or the harsh heat of summer. Araminta would try and crawl in front of the fire to keep herself warm, and sometimes in dire weather, she would wait for the fire to reduce to cinders, and put her toes in the ashes as an attempt to stop frostbite. T the current time, Araminta resided with her grandmother who was too old for the harsh slave labour.
Instead of being sent to the fields to do work, Araminta was lent to a man named Edward Brodas, he was a cruel master, who often beat for screwing up the sewing, or slacking off. At one point, Edward forced Araminta to check all the Musk-Rat traps, and because of this extremely unhygienic work, she caught the measles. Because of this Edward sent Araminta back, because he said she was an uncompetent worker. Almost immediately after she recovered, she was sent to another owner, for the chores of Babysitting, and housekeeping. During this time, she was beat a lot, and it wasn't much better then her last master Edward. In the end though, Araminta was given back, because she ate a sugar cube that belonged to her mistress.
At this time Araminta had turned 11, and she would be given her proper name, which was Harriet (her mother's name) Ross. But as life on the cotton fields were harsh, they were not unbearable. Another disaster struck though, as Harriet was 12, she was seriously injured by a blow to the head by a heavy object, that a white overseer threw at her because she refused to help tie up a man trying to escape. Because of this Harriet had many lapses and moments where she seemed to drift away, it was said that she suffered from "Temporal Lobe epilepsy". And she claimed that while she was having her seizures, god was sending her messages. For, Harriet was a very religious woman, as she learned from her grandmother.
In 1844, she married a free black man by the name of John Tubman. But unfortunately he did not share her dream of getting all slaves free. Because Harriet was told that in the north, there was no more slavery, a dream which she had since she was a child. He told her, that she was going for something too big. So after much debate, Harriet realized that she had to leave her husband, and left for Philadelphia in 1849.
To help Harriet a kind white abolitionist assisted her in her trip, by giving her instructions on how to get each safe house. Ideas such as hiding underneath a sack in a wagon was one of them.
After Harriet finally reached her destination, she was paid and given shelter by members of the Underground Railroad. Where she would help slaves escape into safety. Here she even met William Still, who was a renowned Underground Railroad master. With the help of her new allies, Harriet quickly learned all about the Underground Railroad, and the in the following year of 1850, she helped her first lot of slaves escape, and they were her sister's oldest son and his family. To accomplish this task successfully, they would have to remain unseen and unnoticed. To do this Harriet told her friends to board a fishing boat that would lead to Chesapeake Bay, where Harriet would meet them at Boskin's Point and guide them to a safe-house in Pennsylvania, and finally getting them to their free ground of Philadelphia.
After this rescue, and many others, all the members of the Underground Railroad realized how quick and efficient Harriet was and made her an official conductor of the Underground Railroad. As she gained this title, she was granted the knowledge of all the routes and pathways that the Underground Railroad possessed leading to slave free territory. But with great power comes great responsibility, and she made to swear an oath to never reveal anything about the Underground Railroad.
However. The 1850 Slave Fugitive act was passed, and this made it illegal for any person, not mattering if they were a free citizen, would make things a lot harder for the members of the Underground Railroad, so they had to make sure that everything doubly as safe as per usual, and had to move the slaves to Canada instead of Philadelphia.
So at this point, Harriet decided to go get her husband John Tubman to move back with her to Canada, but same as always John had said, there was nothing wrong about the South and remarried in Harriet's absence. So Harriet left, rejected back to her only home, the society of the Underground Railway up North. As Harriet returned home, a new job with Garrett had to be done.
As they reached Garrett's house there were many more run-aways then expected, but Harriet did not back down. In the process of getting the passengers to safety she gave a baby sedative to make sure it's cries did not attract any unwanted attention on the way to Pennsylvania. Here they gathered money and sent the escaped slaves to Canada.
In the Winter of 1852 Harriet returned to the US to help some more slaves to escape. She returned to Maryland, where it was soon renamed the "Land Of Egypt to freedom" and Harriet from here on gained the nickname of "Moses".
Harriet had a legacy to never leave anyone behind, and in one severe case where a man wanted to give up and turn back, Harriet actually pointed a gun at the man's head, and said:
"You're going to die a free man, or I'll kill you right now"
the man quickly shut up after this. Around this time Harriet had a huge bounty of $40,000 on her head, and another $12,000 in Maryland alone.
Sometime in the spring of 1857, Harriet decided to go on a daring rescue to rescue her father Ben Ross, and set off in the broad daylight even with the huge price on her head.
In 1860, Harriet helped 7 more slaves escape to Canada. This was her last rescue as conductor of the Underground Railroad, and in her career, she rescued of 300 slaves, she made 19 trips from South to North, to Canada.
and she never lost a passenger.
In 1861, the Civil war came upon and Harriet soon got caught amidst the action, here she played the roll of Nurse, Spy and Slave rescuer again. She would regularly treat wounded soldiers with herbs and roots that she knew were helpful, and some how Harriet never caught any disease from them. She also rescued over 500 slaves at once at the Combahee River Raid.
After all of this action, in 1869 Harriet was denied payment for her wartime service, and left back to Auburn and married a man named Nelson Davis. And after this they lived a quiet 19 years of good marriage, until Nelson died. After this Harriet was left alone in the world, and she took the view of two things that she had a right to : liberty or death. So she went a built a home for the elderly with friends such as William and Frances Seward. Here she worked, until her death in 1913. When she passed away she gave ownership of her home to a church, and she was buried with military rights in Fort Hill. And a year after her death a 1-day memorial was held in her honour in Auburn.
Harriet Tubman, was truly an inspirational hero.
Bibliography
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html
In 1844, she married a free black man by the name of John Tubman. But unfortunately he did not share her dream of getting all slaves free. Because Harriet was told that in the north, there was no more slavery, a dream which she had since she was a child. He told her, that she was going for something too big. So after much debate, Harriet realized that she had to leave her husband, and left for Philadelphia in 1849.
To help Harriet a kind white abolitionist assisted her in her trip, by giving her instructions on how to get each safe house. Ideas such as hiding underneath a sack in a wagon was one of them.
After Harriet finally reached her destination, she was paid and given shelter by members of the Underground Railroad. Where she would help slaves escape into safety. Here she even met William Still, who was a renowned Underground Railroad master. With the help of her new allies, Harriet quickly learned all about the Underground Railroad, and the in the following year of 1850, she helped her first lot of slaves escape, and they were her sister's oldest son and his family. To accomplish this task successfully, they would have to remain unseen and unnoticed. To do this Harriet told her friends to board a fishing boat that would lead to Chesapeake Bay, where Harriet would meet them at Boskin's Point and guide them to a safe-house in Pennsylvania, and finally getting them to their free ground of Philadelphia.
After this rescue, and many others, all the members of the Underground Railroad realized how quick and efficient Harriet was and made her an official conductor of the Underground Railroad. As she gained this title, she was granted the knowledge of all the routes and pathways that the Underground Railroad possessed leading to slave free territory. But with great power comes great responsibility, and she made to swear an oath to never reveal anything about the Underground Railroad.
However. The 1850 Slave Fugitive act was passed, and this made it illegal for any person, not mattering if they were a free citizen, would make things a lot harder for the members of the Underground Railroad, so they had to make sure that everything doubly as safe as per usual, and had to move the slaves to Canada instead of Philadelphia.
So at this point, Harriet decided to go get her husband John Tubman to move back with her to Canada, but same as always John had said, there was nothing wrong about the South and remarried in Harriet's absence. So Harriet left, rejected back to her only home, the society of the Underground Railway up North. As Harriet returned home, a new job with Garrett had to be done.
As they reached Garrett's house there were many more run-aways then expected, but Harriet did not back down. In the process of getting the passengers to safety she gave a baby sedative to make sure it's cries did not attract any unwanted attention on the way to Pennsylvania. Here they gathered money and sent the escaped slaves to Canada.
In the Winter of 1852 Harriet returned to the US to help some more slaves to escape. She returned to Maryland, where it was soon renamed the "Land Of Egypt to freedom" and Harriet from here on gained the nickname of "Moses".
Harriet had a legacy to never leave anyone behind, and in one severe case where a man wanted to give up and turn back, Harriet actually pointed a gun at the man's head, and said:
"You're going to die a free man, or I'll kill you right now"
the man quickly shut up after this. Around this time Harriet had a huge bounty of $40,000 on her head, and another $12,000 in Maryland alone.
Sometime in the spring of 1857, Harriet decided to go on a daring rescue to rescue her father Ben Ross, and set off in the broad daylight even with the huge price on her head.
In 1860, Harriet helped 7 more slaves escape to Canada. This was her last rescue as conductor of the Underground Railroad, and in her career, she rescued of 300 slaves, she made 19 trips from South to North, to Canada.
and she never lost a passenger.
In 1861, the Civil war came upon and Harriet soon got caught amidst the action, here she played the roll of Nurse, Spy and Slave rescuer again. She would regularly treat wounded soldiers with herbs and roots that she knew were helpful, and some how Harriet never caught any disease from them. She also rescued over 500 slaves at once at the Combahee River Raid.
After all of this action, in 1869 Harriet was denied payment for her wartime service, and left back to Auburn and married a man named Nelson Davis. And after this they lived a quiet 19 years of good marriage, until Nelson died. After this Harriet was left alone in the world, and she took the view of two things that she had a right to : liberty or death. So she went a built a home for the elderly with friends such as William and Frances Seward. Here she worked, until her death in 1913. When she passed away she gave ownership of her home to a church, and she was buried with military rights in Fort Hill. And a year after her death a 1-day memorial was held in her honour in Auburn.
Harriet Tubman, was truly an inspirational hero.
Bibliography
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html
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