Harriet Tubman was born a slave on a plantation in Maryland. Historians think she was born in 1820, or possibly
1821, but birth records weren't kept by most slave owners. Her birth name was
Araminta Ross, but she took the name of her mother, Harriet, when she was
thirteen.
Life as a Slave
Life as a slave was difficult. Harriet first lived in
a one-room cabin with her family that included eleven children. When she was
only six years old, she was loaned out to another family where she helped take
care of a baby. She was sometimes beaten and all she got to eat was table
scraps.
Later Harriet worked a number of jobs on the
plantation such as plowing fields and loading produce into wagons. She became
strong doing manual labor that included hauling logs and driving oxen.
At the age of thirteen Harriet received a horrible
head injury. It happened when she was visiting the town. A slave owner tried to
throw an iron weight at one of his slaves, but hit Harriet instead. The injury
nearly killed her and caused her to have dizzy spells and blackouts for the
rest of her life.
The Underground Railroad
During this time there were states in the northern
United States where slavery was outlawed. Slaves would try to escape to the
north using the Underground Railroad. This wasn't a real railroad. It was
a number of safe homes (called stations) that hid slaves as they traveled
north. The people that helped the slaves were called conductors. Slaves would
move from station to station at night, hiding in the woods or sneaking onto
trains until they finally reached the north and freedom.
Harriet Escapes
In 1849 Harriet decided to escape. She would use the
Underground Railroad. After a long and scary trip she made it to Pennsylvania
and was finally free.
Leading Others to Freedom
In 1850 the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. This meant
that slaves could be taken from free states and returned to their owners. In
order to be free, slaves now had to escape to Canada. Harriet wanted to help
others, including her family, to safety in Canada. She joined the Underground
Railroad as a conductor.
Harriet became famous as an Underground Railroad
conductor. She led nineteen different escapes from the south and helped around
300 slaves to escape. She became known as "Moses" because, like the
Moses in the Bible, she led her people to freedom.
Harriet was truly brave. She risked her life and
freedom to help others. She also helped her family, including her mother and
father, to escape. She was never caught and never lost a slave.
The Civil War
Harriet's bravery and service did not end with the
Underground Railroad, she also helped during the Civil War. She helped to
nurse injured soldiers, served as a spy for the north, and even helped on a
military campaign that led to the rescue of over 750 slaves.
Later in Life
After the Civil War, Harriet lived in New York with
her family. She helped poor and sick people. She also spoke out on equal rights
for blacks and women.
Fun Facts about Harriet
Tubman
- Her nickname as a child was "Minty".
- She was a very religious woman having learned about the Bible from her
mother.
- Harriet bought a house in Auburn, New York for her parents after
helping them to escape from the south.
- Harriet married John Tubman in 1844. He was a free black man. She
married again in 1869 to Nelson Davis.
- She was so successful in helping slaves to escape that, at one point,
slave owners offered a reward of $40,000 for her capture.
- She is going to be the first woman in appearing on paper money in USA.
