Tubman, Harriet (1820?-1913), was an African American who helped hundreds of enslaved people in the southern United States escape to freedom. She became a famous leader of the underground railroad. The underground railroad was a secret system that helped people who were enslaved escape to the northern United States or to Canada (see Underground railroad ). Admirers called her Moses. The name referred to the Biblical figure who led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt.
Tubman was born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Her name was Araminta Ross. She came to be known by her mother’s name, Harriet. Her father taught her a knowledge of the outdoors that later helped her in her rescue missions. When Harriet was a child, she tried to stop a supervisor from punishing another enslaved person. The supervisor fractured Harriet’s skull with a metal weight. Because of the injury, Harriet suffered blackouts. She interpreted them as messages from God. She married John Tubman, a free Black man, in 1844.
Harriet Tubman, acting alone, escaped from slavery in 1849. After arriving in Philadelphia, she vowed to return to Maryland and help liberate other people. Tubman made her first of 19 trips back shortly after Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law made it a crime to help people escaping from slavery.
Tubman became a conductor on the underground railroad. She carried a gun and promised to use it against anyone who threatened the success of her operation. She was assisted by white and free Black abolitionists. She also got help from members of a religious sect known as the Quakers. On one rescue mission, she and a group of fugitives boarded a southbound train to avoid suspicion. On another mission, Tubman noticed her former enslaver walking toward her. She quickly released the chickens she had been carrying and chased after them to avoid being recognized. In 1857, Tubman led her parents to freedom in Auburn, New York. Slaveholders offered thousands of dollars for Tubman’s arrest. But they never captured her or any of the 300 enslaved people she helped liberate before the American Civil War (1861-1865).
In the late 1850’s, Tubman met the radical white abolitionist John Brown. He told her of his plan to end slavery by launching a massive revolt (see Brown, John ). Tubman approved of his plan. She remained one of Brown’s greatest defenders after his arrest and execution in 1859.
Tubman continued her courageous actions during the Civil War. She served as a nurse, scout, and spy for the Union Army. During one military campaign along the Combahee River in South Carolina, she helped free more than 750 enslaved people. After the war, Tubman became the subject of numerous biographies. Upon returning to Auburn, she spoke in support of women’s rights. She established the Harriet Tubman Home for elderly and needy African Americans. She died on March 10, 1913.
The people of Auburn erected a plaque in Tubman’s honor. The United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp bearing her portrait in 1978. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, in Auburn, includes Tubman’s home, the residence she created for elderly African Americans, and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church she raised funds to build. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, includes sites from Tubman’s youth and the routes she used to help people escaping from slavery. Both parks are operated by the National Park Service.
See also Abolition movement ; Underground railroad .
