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About Harriet Tubman

Born:

c. March 1822

Died:

March 10, 1913 (aged 90–91)

Activity:

Harriet Tubman was an American bondwoman who escaped from slavery in the South to become a leading abolitionist before the American Civil War.

Early Life:

Born into slavery, Araminta Ross later adopted her mother’s first name, Harriet. At about age five she was first hired out to work, initially serving as a nursemaid and later as a field hand, a cook, and a woodcutter. When she was about 12 years old she reportedly refused to help an overseer punish another enslaved person, and she suffered a severe head injury when he threw an iron weight that accidentally struck her; she subsequently suffered seizures throughout her life.

Escape from Slavery:

In 1840, Harriet’s father was set free and Harriet learned that Rit’s owner’s last will had set Rit and her children, including Harriet, free. But Rit’s new owner refused to recognize the will and kept Rit, Harriett and the rest of her children in bondage. On September 17, 1849, Harriet, Ben and Henry escaped their Maryland plantation. With the help of the Underground Railroad, Harriet persevered and traveled 90 miles north to Pennsylvania and freedom.

Civil War Service:

When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people.

Quotes:

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.”
“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything.”
“If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.”

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