Harriet Tubman: The Hero’S Biography
Heros’ have many descriptions and expectations for a person that is someone famous, someone in your family, or even just a superhero from a movie. In most dictionaries the word hero means a person who is recognized for their actions and achievements. Another definition of a hero is a person who is willing to have the strength, knowledge, and energy to achieve something. Harriet Tubman matches the standards of the definition of hero. She has been known for her escape and many more things in her life, even risking her own life. If Harriet Tubman never did her escape, slavery might have been still legal.
The Hero’s Biography. Harriet Tubman birth date was unknown, but biography says her year of birth was in 1820.(“Harriet Tubman”). Her original name that her parents gave her was Araminta Ross and was nicknamed “Minty” by her parents.(“Early Life.”). Minty also known as Harriet, was born in Maryland in Dorchester County. She was the youngest out of her four sisters and brothers making her the fifth girl in the family(“Early Life.”). Because Minty’s family were African American they were known as slaves. Her mother, Harriet Green was a cook in the big house, and was owned by someone named Joseph Pattinson with her wife Mary Pattinson. (“Early Life.”). Her father was owned to a man named Anthony Thompson. Minty’s father Ben Ross, cut and log timber for a growing shipbuilding industry in Maryland.(“Early Life.”). Harriet and her family never had easy work during Harriet’s childhood. When Harriet was going through childhood it was cut short when she was five because she was hired to take care of an infant. (“Early Life.”). Her mother and herself knew that was not an easy responsibility at five.
Which made this responsibility worse is that when her owner Miss Susan, heard the infant cry she would get whipped on the neck.(“Early Life.”). This was one of the scars that Minty had to deal with for the rest of her life. Two years after the infant responsibility at seven Minty was hired to collect these animals called muskrats from traps. Most of time, Minty would collapse during this from the amount of stress and work. A year after dealing with the traps. She was hired to a home. (“Early Life.”) An incident in the household was when the owners were arguing she had decided to try and take a lump of sugar to try. She was afraid of her punishment after the mistress found out what Minty did. So Minty ran away from the household and take shelter in a pigpen for three days and relying on scraped food to survive. (“Early Life.”). The worst incident in her slavery life was when she was twelve.
When a child is estimated as twelve, they are considered strong to work outside with the masters “motivating” her and the other slaves.(“Early Life.”). The day when Minty was horribly injured was when she was at a grocery store to do a task and spotted a fugitive slave. The overseer of the slave was about to confront and discipline him when the slave tried to escape the store.(“Early Life.”). Minty decided to block the overseer’s way when the slave was escaping. This was not a good idea for Minty to do that. The overseer grabbed a heavy metal weight from a counter and aimed at the slave escaping, at the end it instead hit Minty on the head.(“Early Life.”). This injury resulted in Minty months to recover, Brodess her owner, wanted to sell Minty after the injury, but he couldn’t find a buyer.(“Early Life.”). Years after this injury Minty was angry and furious about her life in slavery.
