Moses of Her People. (Module 6)

Harriet Tubman was born around 1814-1821 as Araminta Ross in Dorchester County on the Eastern shore of Maryland. The sources that tried to obtain a definite date of birth decided Araminta was born in 1814 but Araminta didn’t believe that she was so close to rounding a century. (Harriettubman.com) Araminta Ross changed her name to Harriet after her mother. Harriet’s parents were enslaved Ashanti Africans, Benjamin Ross and Harriet Green that had eleven children. Most of the older children were sold into the Deep South. Harriet at five years old wasn’t good at housework so her owners and her neighbors that rented her beat her regularly. Harriet was then assigned to being a field hand. (Lewis)

At 12 years old, Harriet tried to protect an insubordinate slave and she was struck on the head by a metal weight thrown by an angry overseer. Harriet fractured her skull and this caused periodic fits of insensibility during her life. Due to Harriet’s injury she was assigned to work the high class labor driving oxen, carting, plowing and hard manual labor. Harriet’s physically strength developed so greatly that she did more work than a male slave and her market value stood at the current rate paid for a first class male. After the Civil War Harriet agreed to an operation at the Massachusetts General Hospital that largely relieved the injury. The operation was successful even though Harriet insisted that the operation go on without anesthesia. (Harriettubman.com)

In 1844, Harriet’s kind owner allowed her to marry John Tubman, a free man. Soon after the marriage they separated due to Harriet’s owner dying and the slaves being sold to settle the estate. John refused to run away with her and her two brothers became frightened and turned back. Harriet broke out of her shackles and ran following the North Star as her guide. She hid during the day and traveled at night until she reached Philadelphia where Quakers befriended her. Harriet became a household servant and she saved her money so she could help others escape. In 1849, Harriet operated the Underground Railroad for 15 years and personally conducted 300 runaway slaves safely into Canadian territory. (Americancivilwar.com) (Foner 404)

Harriet’s accomplishments forced the State of Maryland to offer $12,000 reward for her dead or alive and an additional reward of $40,000 offered by an association of Southern planters whose slaves she was leading to freedom. Harriet was unable to read so she didn’t know there was a reward out for her. Harriet’s friends thought she was divinely inspired due to having the instinctive knowledge that danger was near. The reward may have been set high but no one was able to capture Harriet. (Harriettubman.com)

In 1862, Harriet served the war as a scout, army nurse, and a spy. Harriet organized sophisticated information gathering operation, she led several forays herself in pursuit of information, persuading slaves to leave their masters and to join the regiments of black soldiers. In July of 1863, Harriet led troops in a mission to disrupt Southern supply lines by destroying bridges and railroads and they also freed more than 750 slaves, transporting them. “Harriet Tubman is credited not only with significant leadership responsibilities for the mission itself, but with singing to calm the slaves and keep the situation in hand. Tubman came under Confederate fire on this mission. General Saxton, who reported the raid to Secretary of War Stanton, said “This is the only military command in American history wherein a woman, black or white, led the raid and under whose inspiration it was originated and conducted.” (Lewis)

“She made nineteen dangerous trips back and forth, often disguised, escorting more than three hundred slaves to freedom, always carrying a pistol, telling the fugitives, “You’ll be free or die.” She expressed her philosophy: “There was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other; for no man should take me alive….” (Zinn 132) “Tubman knew that if anyone turned back, it would put her and the other escaping slaves in danger of discovery, capture or even death. She became so well known for leading slaves to freedom that Tubman became known as the “Moses of Her People.” Many slaves dreaming of freedom sang the spiritual “Go Down Moses.” Slaves hoped a savior would deliver them from slavery just as Moses had delivered the Israelites from slavery.” (Americancivilwar.com)

Harriet Tubman was an extraordinary woman with incredible courage. I strongly believe that things happen for a reason whether they are good or bad. I think Harriet Tubman was born into slavery, not being good at housework, being struck in the head causing her to work in the field and making her physically strong, her kind owner dying forcing the slaves to being sold, her escaping slavery, her not being able to read, and all the experience from the Underground Railroad assisted her in the war all happened for a reason. It’s a shame that Harriet had to go through all those experiences but each of them made her even stronger. Each event almost seemed calculated to help her grow into an amazing heroine.

"The Memoriam."

http://www.harriettubman.com/memoriam2.html

Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Harriet Tubman - From Slavery to Freedom."

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/harriettubman/a/tubman_slavery.htm?p=1

Library of Congress. “Harriet Tubman Runaway Slave Underground Railroad Conductor”.

http://americancivilwar.com/women/harriet_tubman.html

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An Amerian History.

Seagull Edition. New York, 2009.

Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States.

Abridged Teaching Edition. New York, 1980.