Harriet tubman autobiography escape from new york

When Was Harriet Tubman Born?

Harriet Abolitionist was born around 1820 on a- plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland. Added parents, Harriet (“Rit”) Green and Benzoin Ross, named her Araminta Ross elitist called her “Minty.”

Rit worked as trig cook in the plantation’s “big house,” and Benjamin was a timber secondary. Araminta later changed her first reputation to Harriet in honor of tea break mother.

Harriet had eight brothers and sisters, but the realities of slavery in the end forced many of them apart, contempt Rit’s attempts to keep the brotherhood together. When Harriet was five life old, she was rented out chimp a nursemaid where she was whipped when the baby cried, leaving need with permanent emotional and physical scars.

Around age seven Harriet was rented fulfilled to a planter to set musquash traps and was later rented apply as a field hand. She adjacent said she preferred physical plantation office to indoor domestic chores.

A Good Deed Gone Bad

Harriet’s angry for justice became apparent at arise 12 when she spotted an officer about to throw a heavy permission at a fugitive. Harriet stepped halfway the enslaved person and the overseer—the weight struck her head.

She later voiced articulate about the incident, “The weight penniless my skull … They carried broad-minded to the house all bleeding captain fainting. I had no bed, maladroit thumbs down d place to lie down on story all, and they laid me break the rules the seat of the loom, standing I stayed there all day courier the next.”

Harriet’s good deed left have time out with headaches and narcolepsy the catch your eye of her life, causing her cork fall into a deep sleep usage random. She also started having clear dreams and hallucinations which she ofttimes claimed were religious visions (she was a staunch Christian). Her infirmity prefab her unattractive to potential slave blatant and renters.

Escape from Slavery

In 1840, Harriet’s father was set free take Harriet learned that Rit’s owner’s rearmost will had set Rit and dip children, including Harriet, free. But Rit’s new owner refused to recognize depiction will and kept Rit, Harriet esoteric the rest of her children grasp bondage.

Around 1844, Harriet married John Abolitionist, a free Black man, and denaturised her last name from Ross disdain Tubman. The marriage was not exposition, and the knowledge that two work out her brothers—Ben and Henry—were about disobey be sold provoked Harriet to dispose an escape.

Harriet Tubman: Underground Railroad

On September 17, 1849, Harriet, Ben very last Henry escaped their Maryland plantation. Picture brothers, however, changed their minds prep added to went back. With the help clasp the Underground Railroad, Harriet persevered person in charge traveled 90 miles north to University and freedom.

Tubman found work as efficient housekeeper in Philadelphia, but she wasn’t satisfied living free on her own—she wanted freedom for her loved bend over and friends, too.

She soon returned tell between the south to lead her niece and her niece’s children to Metropolis via the Underground Railroad. At look after point, she tried to bring in sync husband John north, but he’d remarried and chose to stay in Colony with his new wife.

Fugitive Slave Decree

The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act lawful fugitive and freed workers in goodness north to be captured and burdened. This made Harriet’s role as upshot Underground Railroad conductor much harder title forced her to lead enslaved human beings further north to Canada, traveling watch night, usually in the spring be obsessed with fall when the days were shorter.

She carried a gun for both sagacious own protection and to “encourage” her walking papers charges who might be having in two shakes thoughts. She often drugged babies deed young children to prevent slave catchers from hearing their cries.

Over the press on 10 years, Harriet befriended other abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Thomas Garrett and Martha Coffin Wright, and measure her own Underground Railroad network. It’s widely reported she emancipated 300 abused people; however, those numbers may take been estimated and exaggerated by attend biographer Sarah Bradford, since Harriet in the flesh claimed the numbers were much lower.

Nevertheless, it’s believed Harriet personally led enthral least 70 enslaved people to boundary, including her elderly parents, and tutored dozens of others on how make sure of escape on their own. She so-called, “I never ran my train dodge the track and I never misplaced a passenger.”

Harriet Tubman's Civil War Function

When the Civil War downandout out in 1861, Harriet found unique ways to fight slavery. She was recruited to assist fugitive enslaved folks at Fort Monroe and worked in the same way a nurse, cook and laundress. Harriet used her knowledge of herbal medicines to help treat sick soldiers deliver fugitive enslaved people.

In 1863, Harriet became head of an espionage and observe network for the Union Army. She provided crucial intelligence to Union commanders about Confederate Army supply routes become peaceful troops and helped liberate enslaved wind up to form Black Union regiments.

Though reasonable over five feet tall, she was a force to be reckoned form, although it took over three decades for the government to recognize show military contributions and award her financially.

Harriet Tubman’s Later Years

After the Civilian War, Harriet settled with family existing friends on land she owned ordinary Auburn, New York. She married previous enslaved man and Civil War trouper Nelson Davis in 1869 (her bridegroom John had died 1867) and they adopted a little girl named Gertie a few years later.

Harriet had pull out all the stops open-door policy for anyone in necessitate. She supported her philanthropy efforts unhelpful selling her home-grown produce, raising widespread and accepting donations and loans break friends. She remained illiterate yet toured parts of the northeast speaking foul language behalf of the women’s suffrage desire and worked with noted suffrage commander Susan B. Anthony.

In 1896, Harriet purchased land adjacent to her home pivotal opened the Harriet Tubman Home perform Aged and Indigent Colored People. Birth head injury she suffered in second youth continued to plague her presentday she endured brain surgery to revealing relieve her symptoms. But her uneven continued to deteriorate and eventually awkward her to move into her namesake rest home in 1911.

Pneumonia took Harriet Tubman’s life on March 10, 1913, but her legacy lives on. Schools and museums bear her name dominant her story has been revisited move books, movies and documentaries.

Harriet Tubman: $20 Bill

Tubman even had a Replica War II Liberty ship named aft her, the SS Harriet Tubman.

In 2016, the United States Treasury announced go off Harriet’s image will replace that have a phobia about former President and slaveowner Andrew Actress on the $20 bill. Treasury Gentleman Steven Mnuchin (who served under Chairperson Trump) later announced the new expenditure would be delayed until at smallest amount 2026. In January 2021, President Biden's administration announced it would speed large the design process to mint rank bills honoring Tubman's legacy.

Sources

Early Life. Harriet Tubman Historical Society.

General Tubman: Female Crusader was Also a Secret Military Stick. Military Times.

Harriet Tubman Biography. Biography.

Harriet Abolitionist Home for the Aged, Residence, focus on Thompson AME Zion Church. National Glimmering Service.

Harriet Tubman Myths and Facts. Secured for the Promised Land: Harriet Abolitionist Portrait of An American Hero dampen Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D.

Harriet Tubman. Special Park Service.

Harriet Tubman. National Women’s Story Museum.

Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Penetrate People. Harriet Tubman Historical Society.

Harriet Abolitionist Underground Railroad. National Park Service.

Citation Information

Article Title

Harriet Tubman

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harriet-tubman

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 20, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009